Today the Government has reaffirmed Australia’s previous and longstanding position that Jerusalem is a final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people. This reverses the Morrison Government’s recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Australia’s embassy has always been, and remains, in…
What happens when ideological zealots infiltrate trade unions to attack academic freedom? A case study of the Australian National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and the extremist Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement by Professor Philip Mendes In the 1980s and 90s when I was active in various left-wing peace and social justice groups, we often…
Moyal elected as a member of the World Council of BWI. The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) held its 5th World Congress to decide its goals, priorities, and actions for the 2022-2026 Congress period. The Congress elected its leadership, including the World Council, the World Board, the President and Deputy Presidents, the General Secretary,…
The NTEU recognises and builds upon the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Palestinian solidarity in their struggles against settler-colonial violence. This spirit of solidarity is a central pillar of trade unionism. As academic institutions have caused harm to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, so too do they cause harm to Palestinian…
The root of the failure, writes former foreign minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, was that Israel tried to resolve 1967 but the Palestinians wanted to reverse 1948. Those of us in the Jewish Left who had long supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – that is two states for two peoples –were stunned by the…
A new report from the Arlozorov Forum has revealed that 43% of Israelis regularly work at the expense of their free time in order to meet the demands of work, representing an 80% increase since 2016. The survey, conducted by the forum in conjunction with the Geocartography Institute, shows that slightly less than half of…
Australia is a long-term supporter of UNRWA. Its work is vital. Until there is a just and sustainable solution to the refugee situation, UNRWA is the only organisation that has the mandate and central role to provide relief and social services to Palestinian refugees in the region. In recognition of the vital work UNRWA undertakes…
In April 2022, the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU) passed a motion denouncing Zionism as a “racist, colonial ideology”, despite concerns raised from Jewish students about what such a motion would mean for their welfare on campus. The motion was later rescinded and a consultation process with student groups began. However, just this week…
Leader of the Labor Party Minister Merav Michaeli spoke this evening, Monday 18 July, after the results of the party leadership election were announced. “Good evening, friends, First of all, many congratulations to Luna Salpeter who won a bronze medal at the World Marathon Championships. That’s a very, very long distance run. Like Luna, tonight…
Following other states, South Australia has just adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of “antisemitism”. During the parliamentary debate, Greens MP Tammy Franks tried to prevent this from happening. “Let me be clear, antisemitism is a scourge and must be combated vigorously”, she told Parliament. “What is not as clear is what is a…