A rare public rebuke of Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee has highlighted growing international condemnation over the treatment of Gaza flotilla activists, even as Washington continues sanctioning Palestinian groups and organisers.
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Category: Israel Palestine
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US condemns Israel’s Ben-Gvir while sanctioning Gaza flotilla organisers
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Catch 22? A problematic definition of antisemitism
The greatest single cause of the recent rise of antisemitism in Australia is the behaviour of Israel, which the Australian Government has not condemned. (more…)
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Freedom Flotilla Coalition says Israeli forces attacked aid boats for 35 hours
In a statement from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s US arm, organisers say Israeli forces carried out a prolonged assault on civilian aid boats in international waters, using gunfire, water cannons and violent boardings against unarmed volunteers attempting to reach Gaza.
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UN report details systemic torture and sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees
A United Nations special rapporteur has documented extensive allegations of torture, sexual violence and abuse against Palestinian detainees held in Israeli custody since October 2023.
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What Nakba Day feels like for a Palestinian in Australia
A personal reflection on Nakba Day, intergenerational trauma, exile and the experience of carrying Palestinian identity and grief while living in the Australian diaspora. (more…)
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The Nakba did not end in 1948: how the bet on erasing Palestinian memory failed
The Nakba is not simply an historical event but an ongoing system of displacement, erasure and resistance that continues to shape Palestinian identity and political life generations later. (more…)
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The weaponisation of antisemitism by the Zionist lobby hides the genocide
In a personal submission to the Antisemitism Royal Commission, P&I founder John Menadue argues that it is impossible to separate increasing rates of antisemitism from the way Israel has conducted its genocide in Gaza. (more…)
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New Zealand PM ignores a terrorist attack on his own citizens
The Israeli assault on the Gaza-bound Global Sumud flotilla has sparked accusations that New Zealand’s government abandoned its own citizens and failed its most basic obligations under international law. (more…)
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The West is no innocent in international politics
Western powers have repeatedly backed or empowered religious extremists when it suited strategic interests, while undermining secular nationalist movements across the Middle East and Central Asia.
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Indonesia’s fear of the ‘J word’ reveals a deeper intolerance
Indonesia’s response to the Bondi shootings and the royal commission hearings exposed a deeper unease – one where fear, politics and prejudice still shape how Judaism and Israel are discussed in public life.
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Cannes and the courts deliver a sharp rebuke to political silencing – Message from the Editor
Two seemingly unconnected things happened this week, one at the Cannes film festival on the French Riviera, the other in the US District Court in Washington. The events concerned two women – Susan Sarandon and Francesca Albanese. So what connects an icon of the screen with an Italian human-rights lawyer, and why does it matter?
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Judge blocks Trump sanctions on UN Palestine special rapporteur Francesca Albanese
A US federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump administration sanctions against UN Palestine expert Francesca Albanese, ruling the measures likely violated constitutional free speech protections.
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Israeli attacks on Gaza surged by 35 per cent since Iran ceasefire
Conflict monitors and health officials say Israeli attacks on Gaza increased sharply after the US-Israel bombing campaign against Iran slowed, despite an ongoing ceasefire.
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War destroys more than lives – it destroys cultural worlds
War, displacement and colonisation do not only destroy lives and communities, but also the cultural worlds, histories and shared meanings that give people a sense of continuity and belonging.
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Antisemitism is rising and we’re not being honest about why
For years, the response to antisemitism has been predictable: more education, awareness campaigns and structured teaching designed to help people recognise antisemitism when it appears; Holocaust remembrance. These tools are no longer enough because they are not fully engaging with the world people are actually reacting to now. (more…)
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Light rations from the Antisemitism Royal Commission thus far
The recommendations from the interim report of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion are tentative, lightweight and backed by scarcely any supporting analysis. Further recommendations must take into account the Netanyahu government’s responsibilty for the stimulation of antisemitism here and around the world.
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US support for Israel is faltering
The political consensus in America that sustained unconditional US support for Israel was built over decades; it will not be dismantled quickly. But the direction of change is now clear. The shift in public opinion away from supporting Israel reflects generational change. That demographic trajectory will not reverse. (more…)
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Interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla raises legal and humanitarian questions
Israeli forces intercepted a civilian flotilla heading to Gaza in international waters. On board were hundreds of activists, including Australians. Reports say forces boarded the vessels, detained some people and cut communication with others. The incident raises urgent questions about what happened at sea and how governments respond. (more…)
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Let’s hope Bell looks for real antisemitism, not being anti-Israel
Here’s hoping that the royal commission into the Bondi massacre of last December does not turn into partisan point-scoring, least of all over whether the Albanese government effectively ’caused’ the tragic massacre by reducing its activity against antisemitism in the aftermath of the October 2024 Hamas attack on Israelis. (more…)
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What do we anti-Zionist Jews talk about when we talk about Zionism?
Non-Zionist Jews lament the conflation of all Jewish life with a creed of bigotry, insularity and belligerence. They must call out Israel’s crimes against humanity and call for the dissolution of the Zionist state. Otherwise, antisemitic voices will continue to equate Judaism with Zionism. (more…)
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The cost of turning identity into blame
The conflict in Gaza that has fuelled antisemitism and Islamophobia is spilling into everyday life. People are starting to blame individuals and communities for the actions of governments or armed groups. This is dangerous. (more…)
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End this war, stop bleeding taxpayers dry, say Democrat senators
The US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, has been hammered on the true costs of the Iran war during a Senate hearing and dubbed a war criminal by anti-war activists. (more…)
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Antisemitism inquiry interim report: we don’t need more terror laws – we need gun reform
The antisemitism inquiry interim report finds Australia already has extensive terrorism laws, while urging governments to move faster on long-delayed national gun reform.
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Francesca Albanese’s When the World Sleeps humanises Palestinian lives
Francesca Albanese’s When the World Sleeps brings Palestinian lives into focus through personal stories of occupation, dispossession and resilience.
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The ‘little’ things that matter – Message from the Editor
There were lots of ‘big’ stories this week, in the wider world and in P&I. The assassination attempt at the White House dinner, the anniversary of the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, rising debate over our place in the world in our Foreign Policy Rethink series, and constant violations of the Israel/Lebanon ceasefire. The list goes on. (more…)
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Why a 73 year old Jew had himself arrested
After being arrested in Brisbane for wearing a T-shirt that read ‘Jews for a free Palestine from the river to the sea’, a 73-year-old Jewish protester writes that the law is suppressing dissent and targeting supporters of human rights. (more…)
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Mission creep in the Gulf shows Australia hasn’t learned from past wars
Australia has again joined a US-led conflict with little transparency or debate, raising the risk of mission creep, economic costs and another drawn-out military failure. (more…)
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Open letter to the Prime Minister – Call for withdrawal of diplomatic relations with Israel
An open letter from Australians for Humanity urges the government to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel until it complies with international law and humanitarian standards. (more…)
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Israel’s war obsession
Israel’s escalating wars reflect a long-standing strategy of military dominance, but recent conflicts are exposing its limits and internal contradictions.
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Louise Adler on Howard Jacobson’s Howl – a novel overtaken by ideology
The review that the mainstream media would not run – Louise Adler on Booker-Prize winner Howard Jacobson’s latest novel Howl. (more…)