My latest story for Israeli/Palestinian outlet +972 Magazine on the shameful case of imprisoned Palestinian Mohammed El-Halabi. I’ve been reporting on this story for years, here’s my +972 Magazine investigation from 2019, and it speaks to the systematic injustice meted out to Palestinians. Here’s my new piece: Kafka in Gaza: How Israel turned a Palestinian…
Category Israel
New Zealand Earthwise radio interview on Assange, Wikileaks and Palestine
I was recently interviewed by the New Zealand’s radio program, Earthwise, on Wikileaks, Julian Assange, Palestine and state killing of journalists.
Will the Australian election give voice to Palestinians?
My latest investigation for Declassified Australia (including my photos from Gaza in 2017): It’s one of the longest trials of a Palestinian in Israeli history with no end in sight. Israel charged a Gaza-based, World Vision Australia employee, Mohammed El Halabi, in 2016 with illegally diverting millions of dollars of aid money to Hamas. Six years on, Halabi remains in detention…
When is the time to boycott?
When the political and media class routinely support tyranny in the name of ‘democracy’, community-led boycotts become essential. My latest essay in the Sydney Review of Books, a 3k+ word piece, on Russia, Ukraine, Palestine, BDS and reporter John Lyons’ fine new book, Dateline Jerusalem: Journalism’s Toughest Assignment.
When will I praise Israeli hegemony, Israel lobby asks?
It’s nice to know that Australia’s most belligerent, pro-Israel lobby, AIJAC, watches my media appearances (when they’re not backing Israel’s occupation in Palestine). I was recently on Sky News talking about the war in Ukraine. AIJAC only wants obedience to its agenda so this “critique” is hilarious: In an interview on Sky News Australia (March…
Opposing the silencing of Palestinian artist Lowkey
I was happy to sign this important petition against censorship alongside people like Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Mark Ruffalo and many others: We artists, musicians and other public figures and organisations are deeply concerned by the coordinated campaign against rapper and campaigner Lowkey. Lowkey has become the target of a coordinated smear campaign to demonize,…
Supporting Palestinian rights can be risky
Back in 2007, I co-founded Independent Australian Jewish Voices (IAJV) with academic Peter Slezak, a space to support more critical voices on Israel/Palestine. One of our early signatories was Moss Cass, a senior minister in Gough Whitlam’s government in the 1970s and one of the world’s finest environment ministers. He recently died at 95 and…
Who’s the real superpower here?
The US says it wants to re-open its consulate in Jerusalem, closed during the Trump administration, but Israel is refusing to accept the proposition. My comments to global broadcaster TRT World: Antony Loewenstein, an independent journalist, author and film-maker who was based in occupied East Jerusalem between 2016 and 2020, sees the template of Israel’s…
The how and why of cultural boycotts of Israel
Irish writer Sally Rooney, one of the most popular writers of her generation, just announced that she won’t allow an Israeli publisher to translate her latest book on political grounds related to Israeli state and corporate complicity with the occupation of Palestine. Here’s my comments to the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age about it…
Cancel culture is (often) about silencing critical voices on Palestine
Back in 2006, I published my first book, My Israel Question, which was met with huge opposition from the organised Jewish community but warm approval from the general public. It became a best-seller. Here’s a profile about my book and me in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2006. My then publisher Louise Adler wrote this…