APAN in the Media

This month the government appointed one of that lobby’s fiercest advocates to the SBS board: Vic Alhadeff, a man who as recently as July was lobbying the ABC for more sympathetic coverage of Israel. His lobbying team’s press release following a meeting with the broadcaster was so inaccurate that the ABC issued their own press release as a rebuttal.

“Australia’s embassy in Tel Aviv and the nation’s counter-terrorism ambassador Roger Noble have asked the Israeli government for an explanation, including evidence as to why the organisations should be declared terrorist groups,” writes Anthony Galloway.

“But other Jewish organisations and Palestinian advocacy groups have raised serious concerns about the use of the definition in silencing legitimate debate, pointing out that the definition’s lead drafter, Kenneth Stern, had raised concerns that the definition was being used to police speech,” writes Ben Doherty.

“Palestinian activists have raised concerns the development could affect Australia’s aid programs and consular support in Gaza and accused the committee of not consulting widely,” writes Anthony Galloway.

“But critics of the definition, including the Palestinian movement and human rights groups, have warned it could be used to stifle legitimate debate about the Israeli government and threatens freedom of speech,” writes Rob Harris.

“There are Defence reports showing Australia has sent military exports to Israel from the early years of this century, but ties between the two countries have deepened in the past few years. Australia and Israel have recently expanded cooperation on national security, defence and cyber security,” writes Michelle Fahy.

“Apartheid is the most apt word to describe the situation faced by Palestinians and I encourage all who claim to stand for universal human rights, especially politicians, to name the reality, in keeping with the legal meaning of the term in international law,” writes George Browning.

“The recent violence in Israel, Gaza and Jerusalem has again put the growing divide within Australian Labor about its Middle East policies under the spotlight. Israeli forces bombarded Gaza with air strikes, flattening buildings and killing dozens, while Hamas fired more than 4000 rockets towards Israel until a tentative ceasefire was organised,” writes Rob Harris.

“I’ve had people who’ve never engaged in the conversation or paid attention to Palestine become some of our biggest supporters because they see what’s going on, and they tell me you don’t need to have an understanding of the history to see what is happening” – Sara Saleh, APAN campaigner

“The cage encapsulates you, there’s no where to seek refuge, there are no bomb shelters, there is no where to go… It’s just got to stop immediately. Just immediately stop the killing” – Nasser Mashni, Vice-President of APAN.

“We’re jumping up and down about the Uighurs and Hong Kong, as we should, but what we are silent on is Israel’s continued occupation. We’re saying nothing about 2 million Palestinians caged in densely… At a time when the whole world is calling for an immediate halt, Australia shouldn’t be doing business with Israel” – Nasser Mashni, Vice-President of APAN.

“It’s forced ethnic displacement. These families have lived in these homes for generations and the only reason these people are being targeted is because they are Palestinian” – Sara Saleh, Palestinian activist from APAN

“There are elements of structural control that force us to say enough and what we’ve seen now, whether it’s in Gaza, in Jerusalem, in the West Bank or in Israel proper, is Palestinians, largely led by youth, largely non-violent, saying enough” – Nasser Mashni APAN Vice President

“A number of countries and prominent commentators have argued in recent years Israel’s policies towards Palestinians, particularly in the West Bank, would eventually amount to apartheid if they continued. But this is the first time Human Rights Watch has argued they fit the legal definition of the term under the Apartheid Convention and Rome Statute,” writes Anthony Galloway.

“Senator Wong successfully moved the amendment to the ALP’s platform on Palestine, which urged a two-state solution but also called on the next Labor government “to recognise Palestine as a state”,” writes Ben Packham.

“Labor’s 2018 position on Palestine was the result of years of pressure from people like Carr and elder statesmen like Bob Hawke, which slowly dissolved fairly rusted-on support for Israel. If Labor is elected and recognises Palestine as a state, it would be one of the only Western countries to do so. And it’s a position that distances it from the Morrison government — which is more pro-Israel than any in recent history,” writes Kishor Napier-Raman.

“The parties concerned have not been at war; it cannot be about that. Peace can never prevail while gross injustice persists, while one party occupies another’s territory, while one party inflicts gross human rights violations on another, while one party builds the apparatus of apartheid, and while the Palestinian people and their representatives are absent from the process,” writes George Browning.

Australia’s intervention took its “growing, one-sided support of Israel to a new high”. “By denying Palestinians the right to justice, and protecting Israel from justice, Australia undermines the rule of law as the standard by which international behaviour is to be judged, and if necessary, sanctioned.

“Australia’s efforts to block an International Criminal Court investigation into alleged war crimes in Palestine are inexplicable,” according to APAN president Bishop George Browning.

“Australia’s request to make a submission to the International Criminal Court is a shameful support of the Trump and Netanyahu agenda to sabotage progress towards justice and freedom for Palestinians,” Browning said.