Despite all the rhetoric over Israel/Palestine, this news is what truly matters (and it bodes terribly for the region): Despite expectations that the Obama administration will pressure Israel to accept a two-state solution and implement practical measures, the U.S. administration has sent signals that aid to Israel will, in fact, be raised. At the same…
Showing all posts tagged human rights
Let Sri Lanka join the ranks of apartheid Israel
Jeremy Page writes in the London Times: We should boycott the callous Sri Lanka regime: Those who buy clothes made there, or who go on holiday there, must show their anger at the way the Tamils have been treated.
Making both sides uncomfortable
Nation editor Roane Carey investigates some initiatives in the Middle East to breach the lack of effort by the political players: The fact is that even aside from the occupation, Israel is already a binational state–increasingly, a multicultural state–albeit one that is dominated by one ethnic/religious group. What if, instead of talking past one another,…
Just let the bloody Jews fight it out
Following this letter in yesterday’s Melbourne Age, the paper today publishes two responses: Eli Court (Letters, 20/5) speaks with all the disdain of the ivory tower intellectuals who wouldn’t “soil” their hands by being on the street. If Eli had taken the trouble to attend the debate after the performance of Seven Jewish Children —…
When the length of hair is relevant
Israeli army rabbis were condemned during the Gaza war for encouraging soldiers to kill Palestinians with impunity. They’re only Arabs, right lads? This story is therefore amusing, but hardly deals with the key issues at hand, namely the infiltration of religious fundamentalists in the IDF: The Israeli military has issued new regulations that impose greater…
The crazies inside government
The London Independent reports that Israel ain’t serious about peace and will continue this charade for as long as possible: The Israeli Defence Minister yesterday issued one of the government’s bluntest warnings against linkage between its stance on a two-state solution with the Palestinians and efforts to stop Iran becoming a nuclear power. In what…
What, you missed the peaceful attempt to just stage a play?
An interesting letter in today’s Melbourne Age about Monday’s staging of Seven Jewish Children: The saga over the play Seven Jewish Children again highlights the poor quality of debate on issues of anti-Semitism and the Middle East. After several days of intensive media scrutiny, and the usual acrimony between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups, I am…
We sell death, how may we help you?
Israel’s method of war is brutal, indiscriminate and criminal. Hardly a model for anybody. Unless, of course, you’re a rogue state such as Sri Lanka and you need some weapons for your own “war on terror”. Israel will sell arms to pretty much any dictatorship, no matter how barbaric. Let’s not forget that Israel was…
We have a duty to learn
What would happen if more Jews actually wanted to know about Palestinian history and understand its trauma? Somewhere outside Tel Aviv yesterday two busloads of Israelis were taken on a tour of their history. It is a history many of them will have heard a version of before, but few will have heard the one…
Stalling will result in one thing
After the meeting in Washington between Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu – in summary, a lot of talk about Iran, a little about settlements – the clock is clearly ticking: “If Israel continues not to accept solving the Palestinian issue on the basis of a two-state solution, then the other option before us is one…