The international response to Israel’s defensive actions against terrorism is disturbingly familiar, and it is galvanizing the Israeli public against making further compromises to their security for the sake of peace. Each iteration of this experience feels like déjà vu all over again, driving yet another nail into the coffin of Israeli/Palestinian peace as global…
I have stood at the crest of Sderot, I have looked across the border – out to Beit Hanoun and the cities in Gaza beyond it – and I have witnessed failure. It’s sad. There are 1.8 million men, women and children in Gaza. They have a right to prosperity and peace. Their leaders, in…
It’s great to be here today. I’ve long been a supporter of Israel – and an admirer of its success and its many accomplishments. In 2012 I led a Ministerial delegation to Israel. I was keen to learn how it has made high-tech exports and entrepreneurialism its point of competitive advantage. I was curious, how…
Victorian Opposition Leader and Leader of the Victorian Labor Party, Daniel Andrews MLA, recently spoke to Adam Slonim and Ben Maxfield of AILD about his visit to Israel in December 2013. What was your motivation for visiting Israel? It is not enough to learn about Israel from a book. You have to go there. Until…
I am deeply honoured to accept the Jerusalem Prize tonight and proud to do so in the presence of so many friends. To me, anything that is named in tribute to Jerusalem – the City of Peace – has a special resonance. I always love it when I can visit there – and I will…
During his recent visit to Israel, AILD’s Michael Borowick met with Labour Party leader Shelley Yechimovich and Hilik Bar, Israel Labour Party General Secretary. Borowick and Bar also met at headquarters of the Labour Party in Tel Aviv to discuss the importance of AILD and the dialogue it seeks to foster between the ILP and…
A member of Parliament since 1996, Albanese describes himself as a strong advocate of justice for the Palestinians, but he also played a major role in denouncing Marrickville Council’s failed attempt to adopt the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel as policy in 2011, which he described to The AJN as a…
[ACKNOWLEDGMENTS OMITTED] In the depths of the northern winter of 1945, Raoul Wallenberg disappeared. We do not know his fate, but it is thought he died later that year. By this time, the war was over, and the Jewish people saved by Wallenberg were counting the miracle of their survival and beginning to contemplate new…
I am here to sign the London Declaration on Combating Anti- Semitism. And this is why: A synagogue vandalised in Brussels. An explosive device detonated at a Jewish community building in Sweden. A rabbi attacked in Berlin. Jewish graves desecrated in Prague. Four Jews shot and killed at a Jewish school in France. And even…
At a function celebrating the return of 9 Victorian ALP State Parliamentarians from a recent study mission to Israel, Deputy Labor Leader, Hon James Merlino MLA, said that he understood and believed that “Israel is a triumph of the human spirit.” Merlino talked about the mission as confronting, beautiful, sobering and fascinating. He said a highlight was…