Without the tunnels, Gazans would disappear

Earlier this week I wrote about an American friend, Nitin Sawhney, currently working in Gaza. His latest dispatch discusses a visit to the tunnels that bring in essential goods: Yesterday I visited the Rafah refugee camp along the southern frontier to meet an UNRWA supported Woman’s center and learn about their programs with poor families…

Are all Israelis legitimate targets of protest?

I’m not sure what I think of this. Protesting the mere presence of an Israeli tennis player (as happened in New Zealand last week) is curious. Israel player Shahar Peer is playing at the Australian Open in Melbourne. From the Melbourne Age: The planned protest has sparked irate emails to the website of Australians for…

Israel’s humanity in Haiti can’t hide its disregard for Gaza

Leading Jewish news agency JTA headlines a story like this: Israeli aid effort helps Haitians—and Israel’s image The article discusses the humanitarian work and adds: In a statement, the head of the delegation, Mati Goldstein, was quoted in an e-mail describing a “Shabbat from hell” in the earthquake-ravaged city. ZAKA is made up of Orthodox…

Amnesty protest Israeli impunity over Gaza and justice

Amnesty UK release a report this week that concludes Israel’s siege on Gaza is collective punishment. The human rights group also issued this statement, in the wake of the attempt to arrest Tzipi Livni in London for war crimes over Gaza: The UK Government are planning imminent changes to the law, to avoid any future…

What’s the chances of Israeli politicians being caught in Australia?

Greg Barns writes in Tasmanian newspaper (owned by Rupert Murdoch) The Mercury about the human right’s double standard when our political and media elites discuss war crimes, refugees and Israel: Last week the Right-wing media and their political friends worked themselves up into lather over an assessment by ASIO that a small number of Tamil…

Israel threatened West Bank as a “second Gaza”

Palestinian civil society is not just calling on Israel to account for its crimes (remember this next time one reads that Palestinians are only obsessed with holding Israel responsible for human rights violations) Eleven Palestinian human rights organizations have called on the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas government in Gaza to endorse the Goldstone report…

Review of The Road

Last night I watched the new film, The Road, based on Cormac McCarthy’s award winning book and directed by Australian John Hillcoat (here’s his diary): It’s a terrifying vision of a post-apocalyptic world where cannibalism thrives. We are never told why the planet is destroyed (nuclear holocaust/environmental catastrophe?) but it doesn’t matter. The grim vision…

Israel will love you if you’re pro-government, pro-war and pro-state

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel released its annual report in late December. The findings are devastating and reflect Israel’s gradual descent into a proud monoculture that slams alternative groups, racial classes and anti-mainstream perspectives: Freedom of Expression – If they like what you say: In 2009, there has been a disturbing increase in…

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