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Mahmoud Abbas implicitly acknowledges Palestinian failures in UN speech
With the UAE and Bahrain breaking with that historical consensus, and other major Arab states lining up to follow, Abbas’ repetition of long-standing mantras about Palestinian demands being at the core of the conflict not only rang hollow, but only underlined the Palestinian leadership’s apparently complete and ongoing inability to adapt to the region’s changing realities.
Read MoreBlood libel from a contributor to Australian Arabic language site
It is past time for the Australian federal or NSW authorities to investigate if there are legal measures that can be taken against the blatant racial vilification and incitement being published in Arabic on Farah News – by Dr. El-Lidawi and others.
Read MoreUAE’s and Bahrain’s normalisation of relations with Israel could be an opportunity for Palestinians
Israel’s normalisation agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, signed on 15 September, signify a potentially tectonic shift in the Middle East and represent perhaps the greatest advance towards peace there in 25 years… Predictably, they have also been condemned by those who measure success in the region not by the welfare of its population, including the Palestinians, but by how bad things are for Israel.
Read MoreThe 20th anniversary of the Second Intifada
On the 20th anniversary of the Second Intifada we remember the 1,053 Israelis who were killed by Palestinian violence. The collective memory of this horrific time continues to shape Israeli politics & society.
Read MoreAIJAC welcomes decision to extradite Malka Leifer
The Australia Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) is extremely pleased that the long and Herculean efforts to extradite Malka Leifer, a person accused of the most serious criminal offences, have finally succeeded.
Read MoreAIJAC welcomes Australia’s UN ECOSOC stance
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) continues to welcome Australia’s consistent and principled approach in opposing anti-Israel resolutions at the United Nations.
Read MoreJordan Valley tale is all wet
The Jordan River has never run dry, and neither does the wellspring of stories about Palestinian grievances against Israel in the Jordan Valley, such as an article written by Andra Jackson which was printed in the Age and Sydney Morning Herald on September 5
Read MoreFormer Al-Jazeera chief compiles “blacklist” of journalists who support Israel-UAE and Israel-Bahrain deal
The announcement of the normalisation agreements between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain, signed on Tuesday in Washington, gave rise to some unusual plain speaking by various Arab commentators on the subject of Palestinian rejectionism.
Read MoreRussia’s quest to make itself indispensable in the Middle East
Although it has neither the desire nor the financial or military capacity to actually displace the United States in the Middle East, Russia has become adept at planting itself firmly in the middle of crises and conflicts and establishing itself as an indispensable intermediary at relatively little cost.
Read MoreAIJAC hails signing of Abraham Accords in Washington
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) today hailed the signing of the Abraham Accords, formalising the normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and between Bahrain and Israel, at the White House overnight.
Read MoreBridging the gulf to peace
The deals reflect a broader geopolitical realignment taking place – an already existing covert alliance of the US, Israel and Sunni Gulf nations against the threat represented by Iran and its proxies including terror group Hezbollah, due to Iran’s nuclear program and its destabilising activities across the region.
Read MoreDeals between Israel, UAE and Bahrain shatter old barriers
These historic deals, unlike those before them, have not grown out of the cold, transactional “land for peace” framework that followed the 1967 Six-Day War, but a new model of “peace for peace” and shared mutual interests. They are the organic product of both economic opportunity and common security concerns, particularly regarding the threat to all three countries from Iran – through conventional warfare, proxy militias and terror groups, and nuclear weapon ambitions.
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