Myth busting
June 10, 2008 | Bren Carlill
It’s time to debunk some myths. Israel did not replace or destroy any country. It did not prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian refugee crisis occurred because of the actions of Palestinian and other Arab fighters.
Hard-nosed leader goes soft on Hamas
May 17, 2008 | Mark Leibler
MALCOLM Fraser’s opinion piece in last Saturday’s Age was marred by contradictions, factual errors and a naivete about world events inconsistent with the hard-nosed, realistic prime minister I knew in the 1970s and ’80s.
Mr Fraser implied that the problem in the Middle East is principally Israeli settlement building, and the main solution is direct Israeli talks with Hamas.
Yet Israel is not building any new West Bank settlements, and has not for many years. The current controversy involves a few hundred apartments within a few existing settlements, taking no additional land. It is absurd to see these few homes as the principal roadblock. After all, Israel withdrew all settlements from Gaza in 2005 and has been rewarded with rocket attacks.
As Israel turns 60, Jews rejoice and Arabs are in mourning
May 10, 2008 | Bren Carlill
Last week, Israelis marked Yom ha-Atzma’ut (Independence Day), celebrating 60 years since the establishment of their country and the survival of a war aimed at preventing this. Palestinians are marking 60 years since al-Naqba (the Catastrophe), mourning the same thing.
Refugee return a poser for Israel
May 7, 2008 | Adam Frey
Conventional wisdom holds that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict now is primarily a matter of borders and “occupation”. But as Israelis celebrate their Independence Day and Palestinians’ prepare to mourn their naqba (“catastrophe”), it’s clear that the shadow of 1948 looms as large as that from 1967.
The time for peace has come
April 29, 2008 | Colin Rubenstein
Next week, Israel will mark the 60th anniversary of its founding. Israel’s story in that time has been an amazing and inspiring one, a fact too often forgotten in the debate over terrorism and violence, peace plans and peace processes, accusation and counter-accusation.
Revitalising Multiculturalism under Rudd
April 11, 2008 | Colin Rubenstein
Australian Multiculturalism… has been official bipartisan policy, federal and state, for more than 30 years and has helped create and sustain what is one of the most successful multi-ethnic, tolerant, democratic societies in the world. It contributes effectively to our social cohesion, economic prospects and positive profile in our region and beyond.
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.
