Israel and the UN: A new page?
September 5, 2017 | Gareth Narunsky
In September 2016, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stood at the podium of the United Nations General Assembly and declared that “Israel has a bright future at the UN”.
He also declared “the war against Israel at the UN is over” and that “a decade from now an Israeli prime minister will stand right here where I am standing and actually applaud the UN.” Given some of the events at the UN which have transpired since… the prediction that it may take a decade for things to change at the UN today appears to be on firmer ground than the claim that the war on Israel at the UN is over.
The “targeting” and “pressure” that so annoyed John Lyons
September 4, 2017 | Tzvi Fleischer
Former Australian Middle East correspondent John Lyons – now headed for the ABC as their new “head of investigative and in-depth journalism” – apparently does not like AIJAC very much.
He’s certainly been making that very clear of late in repeated public statements…
So what did we do that so upset Mr. Lyons? Mainly, we criticised some of his journalism when he was Middle East correspondent with the Australian from 2009 until January 2015…
So here are some examples of some of AIJAC’s past critiques of Mr. Lyons – as well as several related critiques from other sources…
Is an independent Kurdistan finally about to be born? And if so, what does it mean for Israel?
September 1, 2017 | Shmuel Levin
Despite being delayed several times before, Iraqi Kurdistan is now set to vote in an independence referendum on 25 September 2017.
The Kurdish people are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, at approximately 30 million people. They speak “various dialects of their own language, Kurdish, although governments have sometimes banned its usage”, and are largely Sunni Muslim. Although they have no state of their own, they are indigenous to a mountainous region which covers territory in present day Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia.
Video: Dr Eran Lerman at the Sydney Institute
August 29, 2017
Israeli strategic analyst Dr. Eran Lerman’s talk at the Sydney Institute was broadcast on Sky News’ A-PAC channel. He discusses Israel’s situation in an ever-changing Middle East.
Mike Khizam op-ed in Adelaide Advertiser: A Deconstruction
August 22, 2017 | Gareth Narunsky
In an online op-ed for the Adelaide Advertiser on Friday 11 August, AIJAC guest Dr Eran Lerman congratulated the South Australian Legislative Council for rightly calling for a negotiated outcome between Israel and the Palestinian Authority prior to a Palestinian state being recognised.
Resumption of Israeli-Palestinian security ties shows why they matter
August 17, 2017 | Shmuel Levin
In late July, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas cancelled security coordination meetings between Israeli and Palestinian officials. The move was claimed to be in protest against Israel’s decision to place metal detectors at the Temple Mount entrance, following the murder of two Israeli police officers at the holy site.
North Korea’s ICBMs and Iran’s Nuclear Program
August 11, 2017
In the wake of the North Korean ICBM tests in the final days of July – and the escalating international crisis over North Korea’s provocations, with US President Trump again warning of “fire and fury” yesterday, while reports say North Korea has created miniature nuclear warheads that can fit on missiles – this Update features articles linking the current Korean crisis to the ongoing problem of stopping Iran from acquiring similar nuclear capabilities. It also includes an important piece on the policy difficulties of confronting Iran’s regional expansionist efforts.
Israel, the Palestinians and Gaza – Past and Present
August 10, 2017
Today’s Update features two pieces on Israel, the Palestinians and Gaza – one looking at current events and one drawing lessons from past Israeli policy. It also includes some broader thoughts on the state of Israel-Palestinian relations from an important Israeli strategic thinker.
What’s behind two weeks of Temple Mount violence?
August 2, 2017
Two weeks of unrest over Jerusalem’s Temple Mount – which left six Palestinians and three Jews dead – seems to have quietened down, with Jews able to visit Jerusalem’s Old city and Temple Mount yesterday for the Jewish fast day of Tisha B’Av. However, this follows considerable violence on Thursday and Friday even after Israel agreed to remove all the security measures from around the site which had been the claimed justification for the unrest.
The southern Syrian “ceasefire” and fall of Mosul
July 13, 2017
With the US, Russia and Jordan agreeing to a ceasefire in south-west Syria and the recapture of Mosul from Islamic State, this Update looks at the implications for the region and in particular how these new developments could affect Israel’s security and Kurdish independence.
