My following article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: The small sign in my bare hotel room in Banda Aceh was clear. “It is forbidden to bring a woman/man who are not husband or wife into the hotel.” I saw similar messages in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Gaza. I was in Aceh [Indonesia] as a…
Articles in Crikey
Survey puts Israel and Zionism under scrutiny
My following article appears in Crikey: Monash University’s Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation has released the preliminary findings of its survey of Australian and New Zealand Jewry in which… 6200 Jewish people answered 144 questions on a variety of subjects, including anti-Semitism, Israel and Zionism, inter-marriage, education and identity. It’s the biggest study of its sort…
Letter from Gaza: Keep off the grass
My following article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: Freelance journalist and author Antony Loewenstein writes from inside Gaza: The American International School in Gaza was bombed on 3 January, completely destroying the institution. Today it is a twisted wreck of concrete, metal and burnt vans. Surreally, when I visited a few days ago I…
Gaza: flattened, occupied, sick and rootless
My following article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: During a conversation last night in Gaza with a group of 20-something male students, the issue of homosexuality came up. These were university-educated, Muslim men with relatively liberal attitudes but accepting a gay lifestyle was a complete anathema to them. “It’s disgusting,” one said, a Fatah…
My evening with the New York Times
My following article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: Antony Loewenstein writes from New York: The glittering New York Times building in Manhattan is a striking, architectural wonder, exuding success and power. Unfortunately, the reality of the paper’s financial decline is far less glamorous. The world’s most famous newspaper is struggling like most media companies.…
Australian government out of step with public opinion on Israel/Palestine
My following article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: Antony Loewenstein writes from New York: During this year’s Gaza war, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard was incapable of condemning Israeli brutality against the Palestinians. Her upcoming visit to Israel (and a few spare minutes with the Palestinian Authority) has caused loud protests across the…
Palestine, Israel and freedom of speech: striking at the heart of liberal democracies
My following piece appears in today’s edition of Crikey: Echoing the discredited and contemptible Holocaust-denier David Irving, Australian Frederick Toben, who happily accepted an invitation to the 2006 Holocaust denial conference in Tehran, was back in the news last week after being found in contempt by a Federal Court for refusing to remove material from…
The peace activist the Jewish News rejects
My following piece appears on Crikey today: Dr Jeff Halper is an American born, Israeli-based professor of anthropology, author and co-founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD). This 2006 Nobel Peace Prize nominated group resists the Israeli policy of demolishing Palestinian homes in the illegally occupied West Bank. It uses non-violence and civil…
Gaza bloggers report from the ground
My following article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: Despite Israeli denials, a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is clear and vast numbers of civilians are being bombed and fired upon by invading forces. As The New York Times reports, hospitals, such as Shifa, are struggling with multiple amputations and scant resources. Gisha, an Israeli human…
President Bush’s legacy of torture will outlive him
My following article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: Antony Loewenstein, on a US book tour, writes from New York: Outgoing US President George W Bush has a few regrets. “The fight in Iraq has been longer and more costly than expected”, he said last week. But he has never apologised for his administration’s use…