In 2002 the ‘Jews for refugees’ group held a successful Pesach gathering/rally outside the Maribynong Detention Centre. It attracted over 600 Jews to protest against the mandatory detention of asylum seekers.
Check out this article on the protest for inspiration http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/25603
In 2012 there are over 4,500 asylum seekers still in detention. 500 of these are children and 250 people have been in detention for over 2 years.
We invite you to participate in a discussion about what we, as Jews, can do to oppose the horrendous treatment of asylum seekers and refugees in Australia.
Please come to a meeting on Sunday the 22nd of April at 2 pm at the Melbourne Multicultural Hub- White room, 506 Elizabeth St (Opposite the Queen Victoria Market).
Peter Beinhart has become a heavy hitter in the American Jewish scene.
Below is his recent NYTimes op-ed piece of March 19th.
TO believe in a democratic Jewish state today is to be caught between the jaws of a pincer.
On the one hand, the Israeli government is erasing the “green line” that separates Israel proper from the West Bank. In 1980, roughly 12,000 Jews lived in the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem). Today, government subsidies have helped swell that number to more than 300,000. Indeed, many Israeli maps and textbooks no longer show the green line at all.
In 2010, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel called the settlement of Ariel, which stretches deep into the West Bank, “the heart of our country”. Through its pro-settler policies, Israel is forging one political entity between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea -an entity of dubious democratic legitimacy, given that millions of West Bank Palestinians are barred from citizenship and the right to vote in the state that controls their lives.
For uncritical or one-eyed supporters of Israel, this report will be rejected out of hand as biased and exaggerated.
In fact, this is a very sobering document about the situation in Israel proper and the Occupied Territories from the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination of the UNHCR.
The report has two key findings–
— “The Committee recognizes the issues related to security and stability in the region. The State party [Israel] should, however, ensure that, in conformity with the principles of the Convention, measures taken are proportionate, do not discriminate in purpose or in effect against Palestinian citizens of Israel, or Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, or any other minorities whether in Israel proper or in territories under the State party’s effective control; and that they are implemented with full respect for human rights as well as relevant principles of international humanitarian law.
— “The Committee reiterates its view that the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are not only illegal under international law but are an obstacle to the enjoyment of human rights by the whole population, without distinction as to national or ethnic origin. Actions that change the demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Occupied Syrian Golan are also of concern as violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Within the 1967 borders, The Committee is also highly critical of Bedouin relocation laws, saying that they “would legalize the ongoing policy of demolitions and forced displacement of the indigenous Bedouin communities” and that “The Committee is concerned about the current situation of Bedouin communities, particularly with regard to the policy of demolitions, notably of homes and other structures, and the increasing difficulties faced by members of these communities in gaining access on a basis of equality with Jewish inhabitants to land, housing, education, employment and public health. ”
The report also comments on the need for stronger anti-discrimination laws, and “to make every effort to eradicate all forms of segregation between Jewish and non-Jewish communities”.
Unfortnately, Israel appears to have spat the dummy. I cannot locate any official response to this report, and Israel “will bar a U.N. team from entering Israel or the West Bank for a planned investigation of Jewish settlements”. The team comes from an associated UNHCR body. Source.
For supporters of Israel, this report will be rejected out of hand as biased and exaggerated.
In fact, this is a very sober document. For those who admit that there is human rights abuse, in the Occupied Territories, the report is very much what we already know, that institutionalised separation that is par for the course, particularly in the Occupied Territories and that the Bedouin are subjected to a forced removal.
The report has two key findings–
— “The Committee recognizes the issues related to security and stability in the region. The State party [Israel] should, however, ensure that, in conformity with the principles of the Convention, measures taken are proportionate, do not discriminate in purpose or in effect against Palestinian citizens of Israel, or Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, or any other minorities whether in Israel proper or in territories under the State party’s effective control; and that they are implemented with full respect for human rights as well as relevant principles of international humanitarian law.
— “The Committee reiterates its view that the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in particular the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are not only illegal under international law but are an obstacle to the enjoyment of human rights by the whole population, without distinction as to national or ethnic origin. Actions that change the demographic composition of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the Occupied Syrian Golan are also of concern as violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Within the 1967 borders, The Committee is also highly critical of Bedouin relocation laws, saying that they “would legalize the ongoing policy of demolitions and forced displacement of the indigenous Bedouin communities” and that “The Committee is concerned about the current situation of Bedouin communities, particularly with regard to the policy of demolitions, notably of homes and other structures, and the increasing difficulties faced by members of these communities in gaining access on a basis of equality with Jewish inhabitants to land, housing, education, employment and public health. ”
The report also comments on the need for stronger anti-discrimination laws, and “to make every effort to eradicate all forms of segregation between Jewish and non-Jewish communities”.
Richard Silverstein in his blog has made this brilliant cartoon by Iranian Mana Neyestani available .
Richard Silverstein in his blog has made this brilliant cartoon by Iranian Mana Neyestani available .
The partisan approach to civil law and order in Israel comes out in the reluctance of Jerusalem police to take action against fans of the right-wing club Beitar who threatened Palestinians workers and chanted slogans after a soccer game. Now, what would have happened if Palestinian youth had done this?
You can watch the video and read about this event at the 972mag website.
The spin doctors in the Israeli government and organizations like ‘Stand With Us’ are trying to exploit the fact of Israel’s progressive environment for gay, lesbian and transgender people to divert attention from the effects of the Occupation.
Speaking tours sponsored by hasbaraniks are encountering opposition in the US, and this happened in Seattle.
” On March 15, 2012, the Seattle Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Commission (SLGBTC) cancelled an event because the Commission wanted to stand up to “Pinkwashing”—diverting attention from Israel’s occupation and abuses of human rights by praising Israel on LGBT issues. This is a huge victory for the queer Palestinians and Jews who testified in favor of the decision and all who support them and will make real dialogue possible. ”
Read more more here.
A New York Times oped also discusses the politics involved:” The growing global gay movement against the Israeli occupation has named these tactics “pinkwashing”: a deliberate strategy to conceal the continuing violations of Palestinians’ human rights behind an image of modernity signified by Israeli gay life. Aeyal Gross, a professor of law at Tel Aviv University, argues that “gay rights have essentially become a public-relations tool,” even though “conservative and especially religious politicians remain fiercely homophobic.” ”
The current round of violence between Israel and Gaza militants is another reminder, more than ever, of the need for international intervention in the region because both sides are incapable of resolving the situation. The civilian deaths in Gaza are to be particularly deplored, because based on past experience, this will do nothing to change the behaviour of those who fire rockets at Israel.
We also urge the Australian government do to all it can to bring about a cessation of hostilities and a long-term resolution of the Palestine-Israel conflict.
In 2010 AJDS passed a motion at its AGM which included the following points which we continue to endorse.
“We call upon Israel to end the blockade of the Gaza Strip and restore the supply of fuel, food and medicines, school supplies and other materials needed to support the population;
2. We call on Israel to immediately cease the practice of collective punishment and to stop any military action endangering the life of the civilian populations inside the Gaza Strip, and an end to Palestinian attacks;
3. We also call upon Egypt to open the Rafah border crossing to restore the fuel, food and medicines, school supplies and other materials needed to support the population;
4. Furthermore, we call upon Egypt and Israel to open the borders and airport to so that ordinary export and trade from Gaza can occur into local and international markets.
Endorsed at the AGM.”
The following letter also appeared from the AJDS in The Australian on Jan 4 2010 and remains pertinent.
“THE civilian population of Gaza continues to suffer a a year after Operation Cast Lead. The Israeli government, while using propaganda to deny the facts, continues to besiege the Palestinian population through collective punishment. The price of the siege of Gaza and the illegal occupation of the territories is one that provokes violence, extremism, and retaliation while Israel continues to be cruelly repressive. Because of this, Palestinians will continue to suffer far more than Israelis, and Israel itself become more cocooned and devoid of any moral authority. Even if Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs cannot live easily together, they should at least have the opportunity to live in two independent and viable states without permanent militarisation.”
Below is the text of a letter sent by the AJDS Executive to Bob Carr on 7 March 2012.
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Dear Senator Carr,
The Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS) welcomes your appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs.
As an organisation within the Jewish community, we particularly aim to offer a considered and alternative viewpoint to members of the Jewish community and others in Australia. The AJDS was formed in 1984 by Norman Rothfield and others including Moss Cass, a former Labor government minister in the Whitlam government. It aims to promote free discussion on issues of social justice, politics, human rights and conflict resolution – particularly in relation to the Israeli Palestinian conflict where we have consciously avoided the stereotyping and fear-mongering that are all too common in public debate on both the Left and Right.
The AJDS actively counters the false view that the Australian Jewish community speaks with a single voice on the Israeli Palestinian conflict. We have all complained at some time about the indifference of the world to the plight of the Jewish people at their most horrific period in human history. Neither can we then ignore the plight of Palestinians seeking their own self determination. Just as the international community supported the establishment of Israel, so too it is equally important that the international community support resolution of the conflict through a two state solution with the establishment of Palestine and resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem.
The public position taken by the main Jewish organisations such as the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) downplays the complexities of the conflict and avoids casting a critical eye over Israeli policies that prolong the conflict, while readily highlighting Palestinian policies that do likewise. This does not in fact reflect the diversity of opinion in the Jewish community here, or indeed in Israel itself, particularly amongst younger people.
The AJDS believes that Australia can take a more forthright role through the power of international diplomacy, to bring an end to Israel’s 45 year-long occupation of the West Bank, by encouraging Israel and Palestinians to negotiate a settlement based on UN resolution 242 and other key decisions internationally, including an equitable distribution of resources such as water. Australia’s good relations with Israel and the Arab and Muslim world places Australia in a better position of influence than many other countries.