Much to celebrate in Israel’s 60 years
March 20, 2008 | Colin Rubenstein
As recognised in last week’s bi-partisan federal parliametnary motion introduced by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Israel’s story over the last 60 years has been an amazing and inspiring one. Unfortunately, Israel’s critics have used its conflict with the Palestinians to cast doubt on the legitimacy of efforts to celebrate Israel’s 60th birthday.
Terrorism remains the problem
March 8, 2008 | Colin Rubenstein
LATE on Thursday night a Palestinian terrorist killed eight Jewish students and wounded 11 others when he unleashed a hail of bullets inside a religious school in Jerusalem. It is the worst terrorist attack in a major Israel city in two years.
No value in blaming only Israel for Middle East problems
January 21, 2008 | Jamie Hyams
In the wake of the visit by US President George W. Bush to the Middle East, we have seen many opinion pieces critical of Israel and the United States. Writers such as Jonathan Steele may believe writing pieces like “Pointless flight of a lame-duck President” (Canberra Times, January 14, p9) contributes to Middle East peace. However, by apportioning the blame for the conflict solely to one side Israel they are achieving the exact opposite.
The Sounds of Hate
December 27, 2007 | Allon Lee
The concern over controversial Croatian rock musician Marko Perkovic’s upcoming Australian tour may surprise some but it is understandable because of the serious allegations surrounding him. Overseas reports claim Perkovic, 42, is openly sympathetic to the World War Two Nazi-collaborationist Ustashe regime, which sent thousands of Jews, gypsies and Serbs to their deaths.
Annapolis critics ignore genuine peace efforts
December 7, 2007 | Adam Frey
At last month’s Annapolis peace conference – attended by more than 40 countries, including 16 members of the Arab League – Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) successfully renewed peace negotiations after years of inactivity. Apparently that is not enough for Antony Loewenstein and Michael Shaik, who labeled the new process a complete failure before the first working groups are even scheduled to meet.
Nukes or not, Iran remains a threat
December 6, 2007 | Bren Carlill
AMERICAN intelligence agencies believe Iran has halted its nuclear weapons program. Since an Iranian nuclear bomb would risk destabilising the entire Middle East, this sounds like great news. But it’s worth looking beyond the headlines.
Annapolis: The Devil’s in the Details
December 4, 2007 | Colin Rubenstein
The Annapolis peace conference marked a hopeful start to a renewed negotiating process between Israel and the Palestinians. All of the parties said the right things, and the presence of many moderate Arab and Muslim states at the conference was a welcomed development. And as hard as it was to get everyone to Annapolis in the first place, now the tough part really begins.
Chance for Peace
December 4, 2007 | Colin Rubenstein
THE Annapolis peace conference in the United States marked a hopeful start to a renewed negotiating process between Israel and the Palestinians. Now that Israel and the Palestinians have committed themselves to a two-track process, the tough part begins.
Howard’s achievements, Rudd’s promise
November 30, 2007 | Colin Rubenstein
The new Rudd Government gives every indication of not only seeking to match, but if possible, even improve on the excellent record of the Howard Government in terms of both willingness to act on Jewish domestic concerns and also Australia’s support for Israel’s security and peacemaking efforts.
Annapolis Aims Worth Pursuing
November 27, 2007 | Colin Rubenstein
After months of wrangling and preparation, the Israeli-Palestinian peace conference at Annapolis in the US state of Maryland is upon us. Yet questions remain over its agenda and possible outcomes.
We’re MAD if we do not rein in Iran
November 18, 2007 | Colin Rubenstein
Most analysts agree that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. There are many reasons why Iran shouldn’t be allowed to do so. Iran is already the chief source of instability throughout the Middle East – it funds and arms Hezbollah, Hamas, Shi’ite terrorists in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Slow steps to solve Arab-Israeli conflict
November 14, 2007 | Bren Carlill
The history of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is littered with the corpses of failed talks or quickly failed agreements. They failed, by and large, because adequate preparation wasn’t made in the lead-up to talks or implementation of agreements.
