In response to the question, ‘Do you despair over the slaughters in Gaza’, a close friend responded, ‘When I hear the news, I’m angry and permanently pissed off. I also recognise that anger can lead to despair.’ Her personal reaction mirrors a national malaise, a Gaza frustration coupled to powerlessness which like a Covid pandemic Continue reading »
Israel / Palestine
Imminent elections in France, the United States, and the United Kingdom are affected by two long-running concerns: Palestine and the decline of the West. Responses to them will also affect the 2025 elections in Australia. Here, ALP voters are already being lured to listen to the Coalition’s siren song of nuclear power, Sinophobia, and refugees, Continue reading »
Palestinians have experienced 70 or 80 years of dispossession, occupation, and human rights violations. Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On June 13, I analysed the report of The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel for the UN’s Human Rights Council, which found Hamas guilty of war crimes and found Continue reading »
One’s immediate thought on looking at any of the multitude of photos of the devastation of Gaza is a profound sense of sorrow and grief at the capacity of humans to wreak such destruction and suffering. There is mind-numbing despair at the plight of children who have lost everything – their parents, other family members, Continue reading »
This commentary is part of a Century International series exploring a shared future for Palestine and Israel that guarantees the fundamental rights of both communities. The Gaza war has exposed the bankruptcy of the existing policy frameworks. Our “Shared Future” series intends to spur conversation and promote new, better options for security, rights, and governance—for Palestinians and Continue reading »
The Jewish Council of Australia, according to reports by Al Jazeera, is deeply concerned that the Australian Jewish Association is promoting the far-right Israeli politician Moshe Feiglin as a speaker at an Australian Zoom event, apparently held on 19 June, notwithstanding that Feiglin has recently quoted Adolf Hitler in reference to the wiping out of Continue reading »
What does it say about a society that mainstreams the killing and silencing of Palestinians? Unless you’ve been away from the internet in the last eight + months, you won’t have missed the litany of Israeli soldiers posting photos and videos celebrating mass destruction, humiliation and death in Gaza and the West Bank. Here’s just Continue reading »
Barghouti has been relocated to 3 different locations and last December, his lawyer recounted how he was “dragged on the floor naked in front of other prisoners” in Ayalon prison. Former inmates and several rights groups claim that circumstances inside Israeli jails for Palestinians altered suddenly last October, following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti is Continue reading »
Such a move would support the peace efforts, not undermine them, as some have argued. Over the last eight months, we have witnessed the mass killing and displacement of Palestinians and the devastation and destruction of Gaza carried out by Israel under the guise of “self-defence”. As the Israeli government continues to disregard its obligations under Continue reading »
The dead children don’t affect me like they used to. The images. The videos. They still disturb and horrify, but not like they did in the beginning. Not anywhere close. And, honestly, I hate it. I hate that that part of me has been stolen. As much as I hated having my heart kicked around Continue reading »