Are you a “Fascifist”?
November 14, 2023 | Oved Lobel
You are not a humanitarian, however, if your response to this horrendous carnage is to call for a ceasefire rather than an Israeli victory and the destruction of Hamas’ military capabilities – you are a fascifist, no matter how well-intentioned.
The media, Palestinian children and the numbers game
November 10, 2023 | Oved Lobel
The stories of children being killed in Gaza are indeed horrifically sad and tragic – even if we actually have no accurate numbers on the extent of this tragedy – and to some extent, it is understandable that journalists want to highlight these terrible stories. Unfortunately, the goal of at least some journalists appears to be primarily to draw some nonexistent moral equivalence between those Palestinians under 18 killed during legitimate Israeli military operations with the Israeli children brutally murdered or kidnapped by Hamas.
Hanan Ashrawi proves – yet again – why she should never have been a candidate for any peace prize
November 6, 2023 | Alana Schetzer, Allon Lee
Today, November 6, marks exactly two decades since then NSW Premier Bob Carr presented Palestinian official, activist and academic Hanan Ashrawi the then largely unknown Sydney Peace Prize, an award that prompted major national controversy. In recent weeks, Ashrawi has made outrageous statements that have whitewashed Hamas’ barbaric crimes against Israel on October 7 – vindicating yet again the stance taken by the Australian Jewish leadership in 2003 that she should never have won the award.
“Pro-Palestinian” slogans often amount to advocating terrorism or calling for genocide
November 2, 2023 | Oved Lobel
It would be prudent for Australian institutions and state governments to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism to help them understand and ideally combat what is fairly open racism and terrorism advocacy by some activists.
Blatant Misuse of International Law: “Proportionality”, “Collective Punishment” and “Genocide”
October 25, 2023 | Oved Lobel
Not every example of the horrors of war is a war crime, nor every large number of deaths genocide. Pretending that they are does not make war less deadly and horrific; rather, by rendering the existing framework of international law of armed conflict completely unworkable, it actually helps makes wars both more likely and even more unconstrained.
Distorting international law gives terrorist groups like Hamas impunity
October 25, 2023 | Jamie Hyams
The October 7 Hamas atrocities caused the largest loss of Jewish life on any single day since the Holocaust, and were characterised by a barbarity not seen since ISIS. And just as was the case with ISIS, peace will only have a chance when Hamas is no longer in a position to thwart it.
The Oct. 7 atrocities are already being forgotten
October 25, 2023 | Justin Amler
It should be simple: Israel experienced one of the worst, bloodiest, most inhuman terror attacks in modern times, perpetrated by a genocidal extremist group listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia and around the world. It has the right and duty under international law to do whatever is necessary to defend itself from this terror group, which in the current circumstances can only mean removing that terror group’s ability to run Gaza as a permanent armed terrorist camp. Why is this so hard for people to remember and understand?
Mass murder of Jews in Israel has sparked major upsurge of antisemitism internationally
October 24, 2023 | Galit Jones
In the wake of the mass murder of some 1800 Israelis by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, with at least 200 others abducted as hostages to Gaza, Jewish communities around the world have been reporting a major upsurge in antisemitism and antisemitic violence.
Western media mistakes pour fuel on the Middle Eastern fire
October 20, 2023 | Oved Lobel
The last few years have seen an explosion of moral panic over the dangers of misinformation and disinformation. Yet it’s quite clear when it comes to Israel that many Western journalists are great purveyors of both, and seem constitutionally incapable of accurately reporting on the country, from the broader context down to basic details.
Afghanistan’s ISKP remains primarily a regional threat for now
October 5, 2023 | Oved Lobel
It may well be that my 2021 assessments on ISKP’s future will eventually turn out to be correct. Yet for now, just over two years since the US withdrawal, the Taliban crackdown is mostly keeping the group in check and there still seem to be enough intelligence sources in and around Afghanistan to disrupt any plots – if any concrete plots, as opposed to aspirations, even exist – directed at the West.
Palestinians declare war on main benefactor UNRWA over required pledge not to discriminate
October 3, 2023 | Allon Lee
UNRWA’s stellar record of support for both Palestinian welfare and Palestinian political demands counted for little two weeks ago when the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas and many other Palestinian civic and religious organisations declared war on UNRWA.
Morocco and Israel: A disaster underscores how the Abraham Accords have changed the region
September 19, 2023 | Alana Schetzer
Israel and Morocco have a unique relationship that, thanks to the links forged by Morocco’s once extensive Jewish community, has roots dating back thousands of years, but was only converted to full diplomatic relations a few years ago.
