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Why those who claim the illegality of West Bank settlements is “settled law” are wrong
If the arguments presented in the essays and papers above are challenging to process for the layperson, that is to be expected. International Law deals with legal principles and precedents that demand a specialisation within the legal academic community.
Which is why neither journalists, nor activists, nor politicians, are qualified to declare what international law is on this vexed issue.
Read MoreAIJAC acknowledges ALP Conference decision to continue status quo on Israel and Palestinians
AIJAC today acknowledged the decision of the ALP National Conference in Brisbane to continue with its existing policy stance on Israel and the Palestinians – especially regarding recognition of the so-called “state of Palestine”.
Read MoreAIJAC calls on CPAC to end sponsorship by controversial fundraising platform
It is highly concerning that CPAC is allowing the controversial crowd-funding platform, ‘Give, Send, Go’, which hosts fund-raising efforts by racist extremists including Neo-Nazis, to be a major sponsor for its rally opposing the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Read MoreAustralia’s government has taken an anti-Israel stance
The new announcement is just the latest in a number of steps the Australian government has taken to distance itself from Israel since its election in May last year
Read MoreLabor’s Israel shift is a blow to peace and our credibility
The Albanese government has cut Australian foreign policy loose from its historic policy moorings regarding Israel, the Palestinians and the peace process. Our national policy now seems to have been devised primarily to please the Labor Left’s most unhinged virtue-signallers.
Read MoreIll-conceived posturing on Palestine is undermining Australia’s reputation as a trusted peace broker
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says that the Government’s decision was “guided by the principle of advancing the cause of peace and progress towards a just and enduring two-state solution.” If so, its approach is wholly misguided and ahistorical. It completely ignores the recent history of Palestinian intransigence…
Read MoreAustralia’s ongoing near silence on Iran
It took months for Australia to even condemn Iran for its support of Russia’s war in Ukraine, support that has only increased and now includes not only drones and body armour, but artillery shells and millions of rounds of small arms ammunition, as well – a reality Australia alone among our allies seems to be ignoring.
Read MoreAustralia’s Middle East decision ill-conceived
The Federal Government’s decision… is profoundly disappointing and counterproductive. It will severely strain Australia’s long-standing bipartisan national policy of supporting a negotiated two-state peace, even though the Government says it continues to support this outcome.
Read MoreAIJAC “profoundly disappointed” with new Government stance on West Bank, settlements
The most concerning element of the new government policy is the idea that any Jewish presence in any part of the West Bank, where Jews have lived for thousands of years, and in east Jerusalem, where Judaism’s holiest sites are located, is illegal simply because the Jordanians ethnically cleansed the areas of Jews for 19 years. Asserting that the Western Wall and Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest sites, are ‘Palestinian territory’ is highly unacceptable.
Read MoreIsrael and Vietnam – A relationship dating back to Ben-Gurion and Ho Chi Minh
Today, 77 years after Ho’s offer to Ben-Gurion, Vietnam is one of Israel’s strongest allies in Asia. The two countries have just celebrated 30 years of formal diplomatic relations, topping it off by signing a free trade agreement.
Read MoreIs Israel’s democracy in jeopardy? (audio)
In Israel, the Knesset has voted to take away a key power of the country’s Supreme Court, triggering one of the biggest protest movements in Israeli history. It has also raised warnings that the 75-year-old democracy is in jeopardy.
Read MoreIran expands its military presence in South America
Bolivia, which moved back into Iran’s orbit in 2020, reportedly inked a memorandum of understanding on defence and security with Iran following the Bolivian Defence Minister’s visit to the country on July 20 that may result in the delivery of Iranian drones to the country. Iran’s Defence Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani declared the defence agreement with Bolivia “has the potential to serve as a pioneering model for other nations in South America.”
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