Article 51 and Israel’s inherent right to self-defence

In a public address in Canberra on Nov. 14, Francesca Albanese, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, made the argument that Israel “cannot claim the right of self-defence against a threat that emanates from the territory it occupies – from a territory that is kept under belligerent occupation.” It is in the public interest to examine whether this sweeping assertion actually has a basis in settled international law.

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A one-state Israel-Palestine solution is a bad and dangerous idea

Australian newspapers have published various articles calling for a “one-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which would supposedly fulfil the rights of both Jews and Palestinians. Let us pause there and note this is actually advocating dismantling the sovereign State of Israel, a member state of the United Nations for 75 years… This raises so many alarm bells for Jewish people like me it is hard to know where to start.

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AIJAC welcomes the passage of improved NSW race hate laws

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) welcomed the passage this week (November 30) of NSW laws to improve the prosecution process for the offence of publicly threatening or inciting violence against a person or a group based on their race, religion or other attributes.

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The silence about Hamas’ ongoing war crimes

One either cares about the principle of IHL adherence or one doesn’t. Anyone who is unable or unwilling to mention Hamas’ countless and ongoing violations of IHL at the same time as they express concern, well-founded or not, about Israel’s conduct clearly belongs in the latter category.  

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