No short cuts on road to peace in Gaza conflict
January 31, 2009 | Bren Carlill
The most important measure preventing a return of mass violence is stopping Hamas rocket attacks on Israel. Unfortunately, Hamas has shown it cannot be deterred. Thus, it must be forced to stop.
Bad Times in Canberra
January 30, 2009 | Jamie Hyams
Perhaps concerned that its title as Australia’s most anti-Israel mainstream newspaper was under threat from The Age, the Canberra Times removed all doubt about its credentials.
Iran’s the winner if ceasefire fails
January 23, 2009 | Colin Rubenstein
This latest fighting was part of the region-wide struggle between moderate Arab states on the one side, and Iran and its terrorist proxies on the other. A successful military operation against Hamas, followed by an effective ceasefire, will set back Tehran’s regional ambitions and attempts to destabilise the region, and help prospects for a two-state resolution to the conflict.
Negotiating with terrorists is impossible
January 21, 2009 | Mark Leibler
MALCOLM Fraser’s views on the Israel-Palestinian conflict (16/1) are ill-conceived, contradictory and counter-productive to advancing genuine peace. Fraser should know that anti-Semites cause anti-Semitism.
No real peace possible until Hamas rockets cease
January 16, 2009 | Colin Rubenstein
As the international community contemplates efforts to end the current fighting in Gaza, it is crucial to understand the major barrier to an eventual two-state Israeli-Palestinian resolution is an unrepentant Hamas continuing to control Gaza as a base to attack Israel.
Sun Spots
January 16, 2009 | Jamie Hyams
The Herald Sun coverage of Gaza has been mixed. Its January 9 editorial concluded that due to Israel’s action, “the so-called road to peace has become impassable.”
We cannot dismiss the threat that Hamas poses
January 14, 2009 | Allon Lee
Guy Rundle may want to dismiss and ridicule the significance of Hamas’ explicit commitment to eliminate Israel and kill its people, and its growing ability to fire rockets and mortars into ever-increasing areas of Israel, but Israelis do not.
Hypocrisy and the war in Gaza
January 9, 2009 | Bren Carlill
There has been a lot of hypocrisy in commentary about the current Hamas-Israeli violence. About 700 Palestinians – mostly Hamas combatants – have died since December 27, which is when most people think this conflict started. More people than that died in a shorter period of time when violence flared in Congo late last year. Where was the blanket coverage or the mass rallies? Are the Congolese less important than Palestinians?
Hamas has absolutely no interest in peace
January 9, 2009 | Colin Rubenstein
Much attention will surely be focused on the tragic incident at the school in Jabaliya, Gaza, which was caused when Israeli forces responded to Hamas mortars being fired from there. But we cannot lose sight of the historical realities that remain important to understanding the current fighting and possible ways forward.
