Hamas’ so-called ceasefire “acceptance” is just spin to pressure Israel
May 7, 2024 | Ahron Shapiro
Australian news headlines this morning (May 7) were remarkably consistent. Firstly, they said, Hamas had agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza, and secondly, that Israel had not accepted it and was instead moving ahead with an attack on the southern Gazan city of Rafah, which borders Egypt. The assumptions underlying these stories are misleading…
Aid delivery and distribution in Gaza: Logistical and security bottlenecks
May 3, 2024 | Oved Lobel
COGAT, the UN and international aid agencies have long been trading accusations about who is responsible for aid shortages and bottlenecks. The answer is that no single party is to blame: aid distribution in any warzone, and particularly in Gaza, is incredibly dangerous and complex, and Israel has to balance military and security priorities with humanitarian aid needs.
Gaza protests not driven primarily by human rights concerns
May 3, 2024 | Oved Lobel
No encampments were set up across the world to protest the wars in Syria and Sudan, where so many more innocent Arab civilians died. And no other conflict has aroused the rabid passion and hate displayed against Israel, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Online antisemitic conspiracy theories apparently led to Channel Seven’s mistakes about Bondi attacker
April 22, 2024 | Alana Schetzer
It goes without saying that the Bondi mass murders – which occurred on the late afternoon of April 13 at…
AIJAC letter in response to Marc Purcell’s piece in the Age and Sydney Morning Herald (April 18)
April 22, 2024 | Jamie Hyams
Marc Purcell’s piece claiming Israel is deliberately starving Gaza (Opinion, April 18) contains numerous highly contestable allegations.
Where is everybody when Israel isn’t involved?
April 15, 2024 | Oved Lobel
Where are the protestors and politicians of principle? All of these situations require mass protests and much more attention in the media and in parliament. Instead, there is a general state of Israelomania paralysing and monopolising both government and media attention. There are lamentably few who are just as active against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or the barbarity in Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti and elsewhere, as they are against Israel. Whatever is driving this uniquely powerful passion and animosity, it certainly isn’t primarily humanitarian concern.
The tragic history of Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital
April 10, 2024 | Oved Lobel
That is the sad story of al-Shifa Hospital. What began as an Israeli endeavour to improve the lives of Palestinians by building a state-of-the-art hospital complex in Gaza in the 1980s and 1990s was ended by a coalition of genocidal terrorist organisations that could not care less about Palestinian well-being.
What recent ISKP attacks reveal about US, Russian and Iranian intelligence agencies
March 27, 2024 | Oved Lobel
This is also a demonstration of the very different roles intelligence agencies play in Western countries as opposed to despotisms. In the former, the agencies exist in part to protect citizens from threats, while in the latter, they exist to protect the regime and to monitor, oppress, intimidate, kidnap or kill their own citizens domestically and abroad. Because of this remit and resource allocation, countries like Iran or Russia are not particularly capable of, or even very interested in, thwarting such attacks.
Contrary to news stories, aid is getting to north Gazans without UNRWA’s help
March 26, 2024 | Ahron Shapiro
In addition to misleading headlines, most failed to provide important context that the IDF has been coordinating large amounts of aid through other channels, rendering UNRWA’s non-participation irrelevant. Moreover, the IDF says UNRWA had not actually even requested to send an aid convoy to north Gaza for some six weeks.
Four Corners “Forever War” episode reflected the endless crusade of its creator, John Lyons
March 15, 2024 | Ahron Shapiro
“The Forever War,” screened March 11, was an ABC “Four Corners” episode that focused on the current Israel-Hamas war which…
“Anti-Zionism” is illegitimate and immoral regardless of whether or not it is antisemitic
March 12, 2024 | Oved Lobel
In the end, all forms of anti-Zionism amount to calling for the violent death and displacement of not only Jews, but Arabs in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon, as well. The Jews are not going to dissolve their state and will use overwhelming and destructive force to defend it, as any people in a similar situation would.
