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albo's advisers must have been smoking something....

Albanese’s advisers must have been smoking something when they decided that Australia should have envoys against antisemitism and Islamophobia. 

The British elections showed the impact of disenchantment over Gaza among Muslim voters.

 

Albo’s envoys will entrench religious and political divisions for generations   By Jack Waterford

 

Sir Keir Starmer, the new British Labour prime minister is totally on the side of Israel, and various Muslim lobbies made it clear that much as they welcomed the demise of Tory governments, they had few hopes over a Labor landslide. In general terms, the higher the Muslim proportion of the population in an electorate, the more likely that the Labor candidate did not win, or scraped in with only a thin majority compared with before. It involved some tactical voting, but not the creation of a confessional Muslim Party or of a coordinated national campaign.

Given the landslide, it will not cause Starmer direct problems of governing, but serves as a reminder that policy making must respect domestic political opinion as well as his perception of the significance and importance of reflex alliance with the US.

Albanese’s advisers must have been smoking something when they decided that Australia should have envoys against antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Envoys for it, we can expect. It is true that other nations have done something similar, but each of these countries has different domestic circumstances, including proportionate populations.

It has been said that there has been a massive increase in antisemitic behaviour since the events of October 7 and the Israeli attack on Gaza. That may be true, but the quantification of this will always be a matter for argument.

The louder and more significant Israeli lobbies, including the one from which the envoy on antisemitism comes, include among their complaints of anti-semitic behaviour anything which is critical of the political or the military actions of Israel, or of the Zionist movement.

It may be true that critical references to Israel or Zionism may indicate more fundamental hostility to Jewish people or the Jewish religion, but whether that is so is not to be determined as a matter for deconstruction, semiotics, or divination by agents and advocates of the cause of the state or the Zionist dream.

Even the Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, asked if criticism of Israel or anti-Zionism were antisemitic, suggested that it could be if one criticised either with more fervour than other states or movements. I am certainly doing that right now because I think that the response of Israel to October 7 has been so barbaric and ferocious as to put into question again whether Israel has ever abided by the conditions under which it was granted its national status.

I have always considered that firing into civilian populations, or hospitals or schools on the basis that fighters might be inside them is a war crime. Nothing about the barbarism of October 7 excuses the indiscriminate orgy of massacre that has followed it.

I expect that the ultimate effect of the envoys in Australia will be that two existing players in Middle Eastern politics will have state-sponsored positions with which to propagandise the respective causes of Israel and Palestine, including with the capacity to ascribe all actions on the other side to religious prejudice.

I very much doubt that it will lead to any outbreak of social cohesion, even in Alice Springs.

 

https://johnmenadue.com/albos-envoys-will-entrench-religious-and-political-divisions-for-generations/

October 7 "monsters"....

The army probe identified numerous examples of Israeli forces targeting Israeli civilians, as well as overreacting or failing to act on October 7. Mainstream media has smeared The Grayzone for exposing Israel’s “Hannibal Directive” scandal months ago.

 

Editor’s note: The Washington Post and Israel’s Haaretz have published numerous scurrilous and error-filled attacks on The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal and other colleagues for helping expose the Israeli military’s deliberate killing of Israeli civilians while held captive by Palestinian militants on October 7. The Israeli army investigation and a June 12, 2024 United Nations report are the latest official investigations which corroborate our factual reporting.

The following article was originally published by Antiwar.com. 

 

A review by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) set to be released this summer will conclude that Israeli soldiers killed many of their own people on October 7, Israeli media reported. The inquiry is expected to identify multiple failures of the IDF during the Hamas rampage in southern Israel.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, the IDF report due to be released in mid-July found “many casualties due to our forces firing on our forces.” Tel Aviv has been accused of ordering its soldiers to kill hostages rather than allow Hamas to use them in negotiations, a policy long known as the ‘Hannibal Directive.’

The IDF’s October 7 review appears to point to incompetence rather than the intentional killing of its own civilians. However, Israeli outlet Ynet’s investigation of the IDF’s conduct found Tel Aviv had ordered troops to follow the Hannibal policy.

Still, the conclusions from the forthcoming report will amount to an official admission that scores, if not more, of Israelis were killed by IDF soldiers, not Hamas.

On October 7, Hamas launched a large-scale assault on southern Israel that left hundreds of attackers, 767 Israeli civilians, and 376 members of the Israeli security forces dead. The Jerusalem Post recently reported that many of the Israeli deaths were caused by IDF overreaction or inaction.

“According to the report, the probe will find numerous cases of friendly fire errors leading to tragic deaths, groups of IDF soldiers who were too hesitant to confront Hamas invaders (as still others rushed to fight without being formally summoned),” the outlet noted, adding that “higher-up commanders ordering some groups of soldiers to remain in a reserve second-line capacity – when they should have headed into the front, and not knowing how to handle complex battlefield questions involving a hostage.”

While Tel Aviv has denied that the Hannibal Directive was put into effect and insists it is no longer used, evidence has emerged of Israeli forces firing on homes knowing civilians were inside. One incident in Kibbutz Be’eri left 12 Israeli civilians dead.

There are multiple probes investigating the IDF’s actions on October 7, though one Israeli government-led inquiry was shut down by the country’s top court this week amid objections from the IDF and a number of senior officials.

https://thegrayzone.com/2024/06/21/israeli-army-friendly-fire-october-7/

important shift....

 

Why Australian Muslim voters can no longer be ignored    By Nail Aykan

 

The upcoming federal election can potentially mark a significant milestone in Australia’s political landscape, reflecting the increasing shift away from the two-major parties and the impact of Muslim voters in key Labor seats.

The next election will signal an important shift for Australia’s Muslim voters. As the Albanese government’s handling of the Gaza conflict and the dramatic departure of Senator Fatima Payman from the ALP, has woken up the Muslim conscience.

The broad consensus among the diverse Muslim communities is that both the Labor Party and the Liberal Party have taken Muslim voters for granted and are not genuinely concerned with representing their views. It took the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to expose this.

Many political commentators are asking whether Muslim voters could make a difference in the upcoming federal elections. If a poll were taken today, it would likely show a significant drop in traditional Muslim support for Labor. While it’s too early to predict the exact impact, the possibility of a hung parliament means that a sizeable Muslim vote in key seats could have unprecedented influence.

Australian Muslims constitute approximately 4% of the total population, with the majority residing in Sydney and Melbourne (around 80%). Based on the ABS 2021 Census data, which reported the Muslim population at approximately 800,000, it is now projected that by next year, in 2025, the Muslim community will reach a significant milestone of 1 million in Australia. Let that sink in for a moment. One million Muslim Australians.

The two key internal demographics within Muslim communities to watch are the youth, specifically Gen Z, and women. Since the war on Gaza, these groups have been the most vocal and active, driven by a deep sense of social justice. It is worth noting that Australia’s Muslim population is relatively young, with approximately two-thirds (67%) being under the age of 35, compared to 46.5% for the general population. (ABS Census 2021)

The ten-month-long war on Gaza is undoubtedly a major factor influencing many voters, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Consequently, Muslim voters will seek candidates who show genuine concern for the plight of Palestinians and are likely to opt for non-mainstream candidates.

These concerns are likely to motivate many pro-human rights individuals from diverse backgrounds to run for office, especially given the prevailing sense of apathy and disenfranchisement with both the Labor and Liberal parties. Aspiring Muslim candidates should be careful not to concentrate exclusively on the Gaza issue; instead, would be wise to develop a broader platform that addresses a variety of pressing concerns, including the cost of living, climate change, environmental issues, the energy crisis, and housing affordability, among others.

A record number of Muslims, especially young voters, are expected to register with the AEC for the first time and shift their support away from the two major parties. This shift is likely to benefit independents and The Greens. As a result, we can anticipate highly competitive and dynamic election campaigns, where fresh candidates can galvanise local constituencies by standing on an overtly pro-human rights, anti-war platform. Such candidates could disrupt the status quo in their electorates and significantly impact the overall election outcome.

The current political landscape reveals that Labor is at risk of losing votes to the Greens, while teal independents will continue to target traditionally safe Liberal seats. Both Labor and Liberal parties have seen declining support in recent years, a trend expected to continue. Securing a government with a substantial majority appears increasingly unlikely, with narrow marginal seats becoming the norm, safe seats a thing of the past, and hung parliaments becoming more commonplace.

Nothing like an upcoming election to instil political panic about losing one’s seat and potentially not forming a government, compelling current politicians to pay serious attention to Muslim voter concerns.

https://johnmenadue.com/why-australian-muslim-voters-can-no-longer-be-ignored/

 

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two forgone?

 

Israeli lawmakers vote against Palestinian statehood    By Jessica Corbett

 

“In essence, the Israeli Knesset voted to continue to wipe Palestine off the map,” said one critic.

While Israel’s troops wage what has been widely decried as genocide on the Gaza Strip, Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a resolution opposing “the establishment of a Palestinian state” west of the Jordan River.

The measure passed Israel’s legislature, the Knesset, 68-9. It was spearheaded by Knesset Member Zeev Elkin of New Hope – The United Right, who shared the key messages from the resolution on social media along with a photo of the final tally.

According to Religious Zionism-affiliated Israel National News:

The proposal says, “The Israeli Knesset firmly opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan. The establishment of a Palestinian state in the heart of the land of Israel will pose an existential threat to the state of Israel and its citizens, perpetuate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and destabilise the region.”

“It will only be a matter of a short time until Hamas takes over the Palestinian state and turns it into a base of radical Islamic terrorism, working in coordination with the axis led by Iran, to eliminate the state of Israel.”

“The promotion of the idea of the Palestinian state will be a reward for terrorism and will only encourage Hamas and its supporters who will see this as a victory thanks to the massacre of October 7, 2023, and a prelude to the takeover of jihadist Islam in the Middle East,” the proposal reads.

Since the Hamas-led October attack on Israel, Israeli forces have killed at least 38,794 Palestinians and wounded another 89,364, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Thousands more remain missing and believed dead beneath the rubble of bombed buildings.

In addition to destroying civilian infrastructure across the Hamas-governed coastal enclave, Israel has restricted the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, even as people starve and the remaining hospitals operate at a limited capacity.

Israel faces a South Africa-led genocide case at the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders.

“What is happening in Gaza is going down as the most documented genocide in history,” Riyad Mansour, Palestine’s permanent observer at the United Nations, told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday. “When will the world denounce the crimes and stop tolerating their reoccurrence?”

The Knesset vote against a two-state solution comes as Netanyahu prepares for a trip to the United States—whose government has provided political and weapons support for Israel’s war. The prime minister is supposed to meet U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House next Monday before addressing a joint session of Congress, though the American leader is isolating after testing positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday.

“The measure was intended as a way to apply pressure on Netanyahu, since he is likely to face opposite pressure from U.S. officials on a hostage deal that could include future discussions of Palestinian sovereignty,” The Jerusalem Post reported Wednesday. “Netanyahu himself was not present at the vote.”

As the newspaper detailed:

Notably, National Unity chairman MK Benny Gantz supported the proposal alongside three other members of his party, which is considered centrist. The three were MKs Michael Biton, Pnina Tameno-Shete, and Chili Tropper.

Gantz said after the vote, “National Unity is committed in any future political scenario, as long as it exists, to preserve the Jewish and democratic identity of the state of Israel, and to stand up for its historical right and security interests.”

Members of various other parties—Netanyahu’s Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Yisrael Beytenu—also voted in favour of the resolution.

Republished from Common Dreams, July 17, 2024

 

Editors’ note:

Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese have been strident in their ”unwavering’ support for a two state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict.

In May, Penny Wong stated the following:

“Critically, it [General Assembly Resolution (A/RES/ES-10/23)] reaffirmed “unwavering support for the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security within recognised borders.”

“This is a clear rejection of the goals and methods of Hamas. A two-state solution – Israel and Palestine – is the opposite of what Hamas wants. Hamas does not want peace.

“We condemn Hamas as a terrorist organisation, and we call for the immediate release of all hostages. The world – and governments both Labor and Liberal – have long agreed that a secure and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians will only come with a two-state solution – a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel.”

The Israeli Knesset has now rejected the establishment of a Palestinian State and a two state solution.

The state of Israel has been found to be plausibly committing the crime of genocide in Gaza by the International Court of Justice.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant for Israel’s Prime Minister for the suspected commission of war crimes.

The world’s collective conscience has been shocked by the killing of over 39,000 Palestinians by Israel in Gaza. A death toll now exceeding that of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki by the United States in 1945.

If Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong are to retain any credibility, they are left with no option but to withdraw the Australian ambassador to Israel, and to condemn Israel’s government in the same terms that they have used in previous statements on the conflict.

Will Penny Wong now state these words?:

The Israeli government is a terrorist organisation.

A two-state solution – Israel and Palestine – is the opposite of what Israel wants. 

Israel does not want peace.

https://johnmenadue.com/israeli-lawmakers-vote-against-palestinian-statehoodpic-zeev-elkin/

 

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