ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT

Never have the survivors of the Holocaust felt the need to make a collective statement – until now

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Original article by Fiona Harari
The Australian – Page: 1 & 6 : 9-Nov-23

There is growing concern that anti-Semitism has increased in Australia in response to the Israeli-Hamas war. Some 102 of Australia’s remaining Holocaust survivors have used the 85th anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogrom in Germany to publish a joint statement urging all Australians to denounce the anti-Semitism and hatred that is speading in Australia and around the world. Amongst other things, they have warned of the consequences of allowing history to repeat itself. Nina Bassat describes Australia as one of the last bastions of civility, but warns that its multicultural and tolerant reputation is now at risk. The 84-year-old adds that anti-Semitism is not only about Jewish people, as any group that is perceived to be different also becomes its victims.

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Pro-Palestine business boycott condemned

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Original article by Patrick Durkin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 9-Nov-23

The Stand For Palestine group has been criticised for launching a social media campaign urging Australians to boycott local retailers that have tenuous links to Israel. The companies that have been targeted include Chemist Warehouse and Spotlight Group, which were both founded by the offspring of Jewish migrants. Australian entrepreneur Paul Bassat says these businesses are being boycotted simply because they are owned by Jews, while Arnold Bloch Leibler partner Mark Leibler has described the campaign as "pure unadulterated antisemitism".

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First foreign nationals evacuated from Gaza named

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Original article by Lucy Cormack
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 2-Nov-23

Qatar has mediated a deal between Egypt, Israel and Hamas to allow up to 500 foreign passport holders in Gaza to enter Egypt via the Rafah crossing. Sources at the border have indicated that the first group of evacuees have reached the Egyptian side of the Rafah. The General Authority for Crossings and Borders had earlier published a spreadsheet listing the names and personal details of the people who had been cleared to leave Gaza; the list includes at least 34 Australians, and 23 of them are among the foreign nationals to have reached Egypt. Some 88 Australians were in Gaza when hostilities commenced after the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on 7 October.

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Hamas leader vows to repeat Israel attacks again and again

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Original article by Natalie O’Brien, Tiffany Bakker
Herald Sun – Page: Online : 2-Nov-23

Senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad has used an interview on Lebanese television to warn Israel that it can expect more terrorist attacks similar to the one on 7 October that sparked the latest war in the Middle East. Hamad said that Hamas has the "determination, the resolve and the capabilities to fight"; he added that "Israel is a country that has no place on our land" and that it must be "finished". The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claims that nearly 8,800 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas in response to the terrorist attack. Meanwhile, the United Nations has criticised Israel’s airstrike on the Jabalia refugee camp on the Gaza strip. At least 47 people are believed to have been killed, including a Hamas commander; Hamas claims that seven of its hostages are among the dead.

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Israel enters second stage of war

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Original article by Ronald Mizen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 14 : 30-Oct-23

Israeli Defence Forces troops have engaged in direct combat with Hamas militants in northern Gaza, supported by tanks and airstrikes on more than 450 locations. The IDF’s Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi says Israeli soldiers have killed "hundreds" of terrorists in the first major ground incursion of the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described it as his nation’s ”second independence war", and stated that Israel’s campaign to "abolish evil" is "only just beginning". Israel had previously only conducted small-scale incursions into Gaza, and Netanyahu says this stage of the war is aimed at destroying the governing and military capabilities of Hamas and to bring hostages home.

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ISRAELI DEFENCE FORCES

Albanese must talk with Netanyahu, send Wong to Israel: Opposition

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Original article by Paul Sakkal
The Age – Page: Online : 25-Oct-23

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he has spoken to Israel’s ambassador to Australia several times since the war against Hamas began. However, Albanese has confirmed that he has not spoken to Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and has no plans at present to visit Israel. Albanese reiterated Australia’s support for Israel at a press conference during his official visit to the US, stating that the nation has picked "a side against Hamas". Meanwhile, shadow home affairs minister James Paterson argues that Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong should visit Israel if Albanese’s schedule means that he cannot do so.

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Israeli soldiers skirmish with Hamas inside Gaza amid air strikes

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Original article by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Dan Williams
The Age – Page: Online : 24-Oct-23

Israeli Defence Force soldiers have conducted raids on the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza, during which time they fought with Hamas militants. Israeli troops and tanks have massed near the southern end of Gaza for a possible ground invasion, while Israel struck hundreds of targets in Gaza from the air on Monday. Hamas stated it released two civilian female hostages, while it has fired more rockets into Israel. The Gaza health ministry claims at least 5,087 Palestinians have been killed in two weeks of air strikes, while the United Nations said people in Gaza are in desperate need of food, water and medicines, along with places to shelter. Meanwhile, Hamas has advised that it has released another two hostages, citing "humanitarian and poor health grounds".

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UNITED NATIONS

Teal MPs deeply polarised over Israel attack

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Original article by James Robertson
The New Daily – Page: Online : 18-Oct-23

The House of Representatives voted 107-7 on Tuesday to defeat the Greens’ proposed amendment to a motion condemning the attacks on Israel by Hamas on 7 October. Amongst other things, the Greens sought to amend the motion to refer to "war crimes perpetrated by the State of Israel" and remove a sentence stating that Australia “stands with Israel and recognises its inherent right to defend itself”. Teal MPs Kylea Tink and Sophie Scamps voted in favour of the Greens’ amendment, along with independent MP Andrew Wilkie. However, several other teal MPs distanced themselves from the vote.

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Israel steps back from ground assault on Gaza

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Original article by Hans van Leeuwen
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 18-Oct-23

Israeli Defence Force spokesman Lt Colonel Richard Hecht has downplayed suggestions that a ground invasion of Gaza could be imminent. He says Israel is preparing for the next stages of the war against Hamas, but this may not necessarily include a ground offensive. Any such invasion is unlikely to proceed until after US President Joe Biden visits Israel on Wednesday, where he will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US has put 2,000 troops on a "heightened state of readiness" and deployed two aircraft carriers to the region, and Israeli national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi says Biden has made it "clear to our enemies" that the US will become involved if Iran or Hezbollah join the conflict.

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Labor’s left turn on Israel

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Original article by Ben Packham
The Australian – Page: 1 & 5 : 9-Aug-23

The federal government has revealed a change in its official policy on Israel ahead of Labor’s upcoming national conference in Brisbane. A caucus meeting endorsed the policy change on Tuesday, with Labor to now recognise the West Bank and Gaza as ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’; Israeli settlements will in turn be described as ‘illegal’ under international law. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the policy shift is in line with previous federal governments and UN Security Council resolutions, while she adds that Australia remains a "committed friend of Israel". Labor has previously reversed the former Coalition government’s decision to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE