/qnotables/ - ===Q Notables===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20912444 (251240ZMAY24) Notable: US bans imports of all poultry products from Victoria - The United States Department of Agriculture has banned imports of all Victorian poultry products following an avian influenza outbreak. The H7N3 strain of the virus commonly known as bird flu was found on an egg farm in Meredith, west of Melbourne, on Wednesday and has since been linked to another site 130 kilometres south-west in Terang. The two properties share joint management, staff and machinery. More than 500,000 birds have had to be euthanased this week. The H7N3 is a high pathogenic strain of avian influenza and resulted in 400,000 chicken deaths at the Meredith farm in a bid to control the spread of the virus. The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said it was restricting the importation of "poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching eggs, unprocessed avian products and by-products, and certain fresh poultry products from the State of Victoria, Australia". The ban applies to products originating or transiting through Victoria as of May 22.

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US bans imports of all poultry products from Victoria

abc.net.au - 25 May 2024

The United States Department of Agriculture has banned imports of all Victorian poultry products following an avian influenza outbreak.

The H7N3 strain of the virus commonly known as bird flu was found on an egg farm in Meredith, west of Melbourne, on Wednesday and has since been linked to another site 130 kilometres south-west in Terang.

The two properties share joint management, staff and machinery.

More than 500,000 birds have had to be euthanased this week.

The H7N3 is a high pathogenic strain of avian influenza and resulted in 400,000 chicken deaths at the Meredith farm in a bid to control the spread of the virus.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said it was restricting the importation of "poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching eggs, unprocessed avian products and by-products, and certain fresh poultry products from the State of Victoria, Australia".

The ban applies to products originating or transiting through Victoria as of May 22.

Victorian Farmers' Federation vice president Danyel Cucinotta said the state's agriculture industry was focused on preventing infection.

"While export restrictions are never good news for farmers, our focus remains on containing the spread on our farms," she said.

Both Victorian farms impacted by the avian influenza outbreak have been placed under quarantine and orders are in place restricting the movement of poultry, equipment and vehicles around the properties.

Victorian government statistics say the state exported $36 million in the year 2021-2022, which accounted for 2.5 per cent of the state's food exports.

Papua New Guinea is the largest market for Victorian poultry exports ($10 million), followed by Philippines ($8 million) and the Solomon Islands ($4 million).

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2024-05-25/united-states-of-america-bans-victorian-poultry-products/103893610

https://x.com/VicGovAg/status/1793934232936468969

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-product-import

https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDAAPHIS-39ea186

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20912456 (251248ZMAY24) Notable: Former NASA boss arrives to boost Australian space race - Australia’s space effort is taking a leap forward after recruiting a retired US Air Force lieutenant general and NASA administrator. Lieutenant General Larry D. James’ 46-year career has led him from the US Air Force to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He retired from there in March as deputy director and chief operating officer after 11 years’ overseeing 6000 staff who explored solar systems and researched astronomy, physics and Earth sciences. James flew into Australia last Tuesday and starts work on June 1 at Monash University as a professor of space innovation. He will also work at the Adelaide research consortium, SmartSat, as a strategic adviser. “Australia is really doing a lot to boost its space capabilities. And this would be a good time to join in that effort,” James said from Sydney, where he will be based. He said his role would be to “continue to raise the bar for space in Australia, which is an incredible ally for the US”.

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Former NASA boss arrives to boost Australian space race

Stephen Brook - May 25, 2024

Australia’s space effort is taking a leap forward after recruiting a retired US Air Force lieutenant general and NASA administrator.

Lieutenant General Larry D. James’ 46-year career has led him from the US Air Force to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He retired from there in March as deputy director and chief operating officer after 11 years’ overseeing 6000 staff who explored solar systems and researched astronomy, physics and Earth sciences.

James flew into Australia last Tuesday and starts work on June 1 at Monash University as a professor of space innovation. He will also work at the Adelaide research consortium, SmartSat, as a strategic adviser.

“Australia is really doing a lot to boost its space capabilities. And this would be a good time to join in that effort,” James said from Sydney, where he will be based.

He said his role would be to “continue to raise the bar for space in Australia, which is an incredible ally for the US”.

The SmartSat Co-operative Research Centre, part government-backed, comprises 135 participating organisations in Australia and overseas to create technologies used in satellites and the space effort.

“It’s not that Australia has to become the US in terms of the space capabilities,” James said.

“Australia should mine the incredible technical capabilities they have to, number one, support Australian requirements and needs.”

Space technology can help us to keep a closer eye on Earth.

AquaWatch Australia, which aims to create an integrated ground-to-space national water quality-monitoring system, was one such project that could benefit from having a space component to boost its aim of providing predictive forecasting, James said.

“It’s not like you have to become a behemoth in terms of capabilities compared to the US. But you can absolutely create capabilities that are important for the nation and important for their allies.”

Enrico Palermo, head of the Australian Space Agency, welcomed the appointment.

“Lieutenant General James brings a wealth of experience in daring mighty things at JPL, which will help steer and elevate the work of SmartSat CRC and Monash University – driving further growth and investment across Australia’s space industry,” said Palermo.

James was a lieutenant general with the US Air Force who retired from active duty in 2013 after working as air force deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at the Pentagon.

He worked with Australian military and scientists throughout his time in the air force, and during his civilian career at NASA. “I deployed with them during Iraqi Freedom, worked with them during my intel time and my air force time and JPL time,” he said.

While at NASA, James formed a relationship with Monash University and National Indigenous Space Agency lead Christopher Lawrence, a Wadjak/Ballardong Noongar man and Monash University associate dean (Indigenous).

They developed a program which led to NASA hosting a cohort of First Nations interns who studied space science in Pasadena, California, for 10 weeks.

At Monash, James will work to grow the university’s space curriculum.

Australia has had a long involvement in space research, including the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex at Tidbinbilla outside of Canberra. Andy Thomas and Paul Scully-Power are Australia’s most famous astronauts.

Its space industry is growing. Two years ago, the Defence Department created Defence Space Command to secure Australia’s interests in space.

In April, Katherine Bennell-Pegg became the first Australian to graduate as an astronaut at the European Space Agency.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/former-nasa-boss-arrives-to-boost-aussie-space-race-20240524-p5jgc3.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20916892 (260918ZMAY24) Notable: Video: University of Sydney pro-Palestine ‘Trots’ ambush Jewish event, abuse former deputy prime minister - Pro-Palestine “Trots” behind encampments at Australia’s oldest university ambushed a Jewish organisation’s event dressed as terrorists and harassed former deputy prime minister John Anderson, peppering him with slurs and abuse. It has led to doxxing concerns and a police complaint in an escalation of the crisis engulfing some of Australia’s most prestigious universities. On Wednesday, activists from the “USYD Muslim Encampments” group - a spearhead behind the University of Sydney encampments - orchestrated a “Zoom bombing” of the Australian Jewish Association’s online event with former Nationals leader Mr Anderson, with one activist calling him a “c*nt. That activist, who hid behind a turned-off camera and a fake “Tony Abbott” name, hurled abuse at the former deputy prime minister, telling him to “shut the f*ck up” and “shut your mouth you old c*nt”. “You’re a bunch of Zionists, grubs … stop yapping,” the activist continued. Another accused him of being a “professional racist”.

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>>191348

University of Sydney pro-Palestine ‘Trots’ ambush Jewish event, abuse former deputy prime minister

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - MAY 26, 2024

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Pro-Palestine “Trots” behind encampments at Australia’s oldest university ambushed a Jewish organisation’s event dressed as terrorists and harassed former deputy prime minister John Anderson, peppering him with slurs and abuse.

It has led to doxxing concerns and a police complaint in an escalation of the crisis engulfing some of Australia’s most prestigious universities.

On Wednesday, activists from the “USYD Muslim Encampments” group – a spearhead behind the University of Sydney encampments – orchestrated a “Zoom bombing” of the Australian Jewish Association’s online event with former Nationals leader Mr Anderson, with one activist calling him a “c*nt

That activist, who hid behind a turned-off camera and a fake “Tony Abbott” name, hurled abuse at the former deputy prime minister, telling him to “shut the f*ck up” and “shut your mouth you old c*nt”.

“You’re a bunch of Zionists, grubs … stop yapping,” the activist continued. Another accused him of being a “professional racist”.

The event was not about Israel but on Australia’s foreign and domestic policy, which its organisers have said rubbishes the protesters’ claims they are solely opposing Zionism and not targeting Jewish people.

“We will be Zoom bombing this meeting – (there will be instructions) … please follow them to ensure maximum interference,” one of the group’s WhatsApp admins wrote.

AJA president Dr David Adler spoke with NSW Police over the weekend, and will formally send the material as part of a complaint on Monday. The organisation’s CEO, Robert Gregory, called the university the “headquarters of harassment and intimidation”.

“The university stood by while Jewish students and staff have been intimidated, now the campus has become the headquarters for the harassment of the wider community,” he said, saying the “lie” that encampment activists were “only” targeting Israel had been exposed.

“It’s clear that the university campus is being used to target the Jewish community.”

Mr Gregory urged the university to expel any student involved and said he hoped police would consider charging anyone with using a carriage service to harass or menace.

It’s understood at least one person involved is a board member of the Sydney University Muslim Students’ Association, who have been contacted for comment.

“Dressing up as Islamic terrorists while doxxing members of the Jewish community is intended to intimidate Jews,” Mr Gregory said.

A “Zoom bombing guide” told members to create “dummy emails… which cannot be traced back” and a list was circulated for members to choose display names that “looked legit” and weren’t “obvious”.

“Don’t make it like ‘Abu Yahood’ or something,” an admin wrote, encouraging members to tape over their cameras so they were “safe”.

About 15 members “Zoom bombed” the event with one wearing attire similar to Hamas militants.

Videos were then plastered across social media, platforming the activists’ ambush, but also those members of the public who were on the call.

Mr Gregory said that many elderly participants were now scared to attend future events and one, who wished not to be named, said it was “frightening”.

“I am concerned that (the activists) got my name and also what I look like…. I never imagined this could happen,” they said.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20916909 (260942ZMAY24) Notable: The Aussie pop star who became queen of the Trump party scene - For those of a certain political persuasion and bank balance, there will be only one party in London on June 7 at which to be seen: Donald Trump’s fundraiser. “It will be the best party,” one Republican operative told me. “It’s kind of a must-attend, if you can afford a ticket.” Tickets cost up to AUD$150,000 (USD100,000) per couple. If you’re feeling flush, you can pay an extra $25,000 for a picture with two of the hosts: Donald Trump Jr and his fiancee, a former Fox News anchor called Kimberly Guilfoyle. The former president will not be there. But there’s another name on the host list that stands out: the Neighbours star and Kiss Kiss singer, Holly Valance Candy, 41. For those on the right-wing social scene, her name on the invitation is a promising sign. “It’s a Holly party,” said Nigel Farage, who will, of course, be there. “So you can guarantee it’s going to be enormous fun.” To some of her fans the Australian celebrity’s political views might come as a surprise. “She kept quiet for many, many years,” Farage said. The pair have been discussing their shared views for nearly a decade, but the politician always warned Valance that “once you go public there’s no way back”.

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The Aussie pop star who became queen of the Trump party scene

CHARLOTTE IVERS, THE TIMES - MAY 26, 2024

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For those of a certain political persuasion and bank balance, there will be only one party in London on June 7 at which to be seen: Donald Trump’s fundraiser.

“It will be the best party,” one Republican operative told me. “It’s kind of a must-attend, if you can afford a ticket.”

Tickets cost up to AUD$150,000 (USD100,000) per couple. If you’re feeling flush, you can pay an extra $25,000 for a picture with two of the hosts: Donald Trump Jr and his fiancee, a former Fox News anchor called Kimberly Guilfoyle. The former president will not be there.

But there’s another name on the host list that stands out: the Neighbours star and Kiss Kiss singer, Holly Valance Candy, 41. For those on the right-wing social scene, her name on the invitation is a promising sign. “It’s a Holly party,” said Nigel Farage, who will, of course, be there. “So you can guarantee it’s going to be enormous fun.”

To some of her fans the Australian celebrity’s political views might come as a surprise. “She kept quiet for many, many years,” Farage said. The pair have been discussing their shared views for nearly a decade, but the politician always warned Valance that “once you go public there’s no way back”.

Now she has taken the plunge. Trump is, she told me last week, “charming, polite, very quick-witted. Most surprising of all, a great listener. That was not expected.”

She met the former – and perhaps future – president through Farage, who invited Valance and her husband, the billionaire property developer and Tory donor, Nick Candy, 51, to Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s home in Florida, in April 2022.

When Farage posted a picture of the four together on Twitter/X, all hell broke loose. “Great dinner at Mar-a-Lago!” he wrote, in a photo that was liked 17,000 times and, intriguingly, has a photo of Trump with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, on the wall behind him.

Some fans threatened to boycott Valance’s music, expressing horror at this hint towards her political persuasion.

For those on the political right in London, however, it was no surprise.

Valance and Candy, who met in 2010 at a dinner party, married in Los Angeles in 2012 and have two daughters, have for more than a decade been at the heart of a glamorous and wealthy right-wing social circle that wields great influence on both sides of the Atlantic.

They were guests at Boris Johnson’s third wedding and attended the glitziest Tory fundraising bashes, as well as being noted hosts in their opulent west London and Cotswolds homes. But it is only recently that Valance has started to talk publicly about her political views.

In a series of GB News interviews, she has spoken about Farage ("Ambassador Nigel Farage would be fantastic"), Greta Thunberg ("demonic little gremlin high priestess of climatism"), climate change ("I just think the climate crisis – or lack of – is not a crisis. The air is better than when I was growing up"), and her home country ("the woke stuff’s really gone big in Australia").

Valance did not intend to “speak out”, she told me last week. “It was a funny sliding doors moment because I didn’t think anything I said was particularly edgy or profound or revolutionary. But maybe it was a good moment for someone in the entertainment industry to buck the trend of only contributing their latest project pitch or their pronouns.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20921838 (270936ZMAY24) Notable: ‘Anti-Semitic’: Education Minister Jason Clare slams ‘Israel should not exist’ UniMelb protesters - Education Minister Jason Clare has slammed as “repugnant” and “anti-Semitic” a statement from pro-Palestine student protesters at the University of Melbourne that “Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”. The ‘unimelbforpalestine’ Instagram account on Monday shared with its 20,000 followers a post that said “calls need to emphasise that Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”. The account was sharing a post from Palestinian-American blogger Mariam Barghouti, who claimed on social media that “Israel has lost all legitimacy … No more simple calls for the end of bombs, no more calls to ceasefire, the calls need to emphasise that Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”. Mr Clare, when contacted by The Australian, said of the comment: “it’s repugnant and anti-Semitic”. “There is no place for anti-Semitism on our university campuses or anywhere else,” he said.

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>>191363

‘Anti-Semitic’: Education Minister Jason Clare slams ‘Israel should not exist’ UniMelb protesters

NOAH YIM - MAY 27, 2024

Education Minister Jason Clare has slammed as “repugnant” and “anti-Semitic” a statement from pro-Palestine student protesters at the University of Melbourne that “Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”.

The inflammatory comment came just a week after the group proudly claimed victory over the university after they occupied a campus building for over a week.

The ‘unimelbforpalestine’ Instagram account on Monday shared with its 20,000 followers a post that said “calls need to emphasise that Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”.

The account was sharing a post from Palestinian-American blogger Mariam Barghouti, who claimed on social media that “Israel has lost all legitimacy … No more simple calls for the end of bombs, no more calls to ceasefire, the calls need to emphasise that Israel cannot, will not, and should not exist”.

The account chose to share specifically the frame that called for the end of the Jewish state.

Mr Clare, when contacted by The Australian, said of the comment: “it’s repugnant and anti-Semitic”.

“There is no place for anti-Semitism on our university campuses or anywhere else,” he said.

“Universities should be enforcing their student codes of conduct.”

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the students were a “stain on our education system”.

“It may come as a shock to these students but Israel exists, has existed in its modern form for 76 years, and will continue to exist on the same lands the Jewish people called home more than 3,000 years ago,” co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said.

“It is a shining example of decolonisation and an exiled people returning to their ancestral lands. The ignorance and prejudice of these students prevents them from seeing that. The days when the Jewish people plead for their rights and acceptance are over.

“These students are a stain on our education system but they should at least be commended for dropping any pretence to seeking peace and now openly aligning with the genocidal aims of Hamas. This makes it much easier for the university to pursue disciplinary action against them.”

Zionism Victoria president Yossi Goldfarb said the statement was a product of “weak leadership in our parliaments and on our campuses”.

“Who can honestly be surprised by the extreme anti-Semitism of these civic terrorists?” He asked. “No longer masking their hatred and openly calling for the destruction of the only Jewish state in the world.

“We know what comes next, we’ve heard this refrain before. Next they’ll call for Jews to be eradicated. Heaven help whoever is next in their targets.

“This is what happens as a result of weak leadership in our parliaments and on our campuses. Too gutless to call out or act against anti-Semitism, our leaders are happy to allow these radicals to pour salt on to the festering anti-Semitic wounds their permissiveness has created.

“Enough is enough.”

The inflammatory comment by the student protesters comes just a week after they proclaimed victory against the University of Melbourne following their 10 days-long occupation of the Arts West building on campus.

Last Thursday, the activists claimed a victory in negotiations after the university committed to being more transparent in its research, apparently following protesters’ demand that the university disclose and cease research partnerships with weapons manufacturers.

They have since left the Arts West building.

The Australasian Union of Jewish Students president Noah Loven said the protesters’ comment “once again demonstrates the hateful nature of these protests that promote division on our campuses”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/israel-should-not-exist-unimelb-protesters/news-story/84aebb0011ded43cd1f07ffc84654ff8

https://x.com/MenachemV/status/1794915656359612545

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20921874 (270949ZMAY24) Notable: ABC: Hamas rockets a ‘show of resilience’ - Jewish leaders have slammed the ABC for an “activist-like” Instagram post, which called the terror group’s rocket launch towards Tel Aviv a “show of resilience”. It comes after Hamas on Sunday launched rockets towards Tel Aviv for the first time in months, with warning signs heard in the Israeli city as the Israel Defence Forces confirmed eight projectiles launched from Rafah had been identified and a number intercepted. The “resilience” turn of phrase was included in a Monday morning Instagram post from the ABC News account, promoting a story about Israeli air strikes killing 35 people in Rafah. “The Israeli air strike was reported hours after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv,” the post read. “… In a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel’s massive air, sea and ground offensive.”

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ABC: Hamas rockets a ‘show of resilience’

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - MAY 27, 2024

Jewish leaders have slammed the ABC for an “activist-like” Instagram post, which called the terror group’s rocket launch towards Tel Aviv a “show of resilience”.

It has led to formal complaints made to the broadcaster by leading Jewish organisations, who have said it appeared the news organisation was placing “activism over journalism”.

It comes after Hamas on Sunday launched rockets towards Tel Aviv for the first time in months, with warning signs heard in the Israeli city as the Israel Defence Forces confirmed eight projectiles launched from Rafah had been identified and a number intercepted.

The “resilience” turn of phrase was included in a Monday morning Instagram post from the ABC News account, promoting a story about Israeli air strikes killing 35 people in Rafah.

“The Israeli air strike was reported hours after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv,” the post read.

“... In a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel’s massive air, sea and ground offensive.”

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry formally lodged a complaint on Monday morning to the broadcaster about the post, which remained online at the time of publication, with its co-CEO taking to social media querying the terminology.

“Hamas rockets fired from densely populated civilian areas at Israeli civilian centres are a double war crime,” Alex Ryvchin wrote on X.

“They endanger Palestinians by turning the launch site into a lawful military target and their aim is to kill as many Israelis as possible. How dare the ABC laud war crimes as ‘resilience’.”

Mr Ryvchin told The Australian that “glamourising war crimes is immoral and dangerous”.

“The post should never have been made and the fact it remains up is unacceptable,” he said, saying that “appropriate steps” needed to be taken to ensure similar didn’t happen again.

The Australian understands that the Zionist Federation of Australia was also set to lodge a complaint, with its president Jeremy Leibler saying that the ABC should “immediately review” its social-media practices.

“The ABC seems to forget that launching rockets at civilians is a war crime, not a show of resilience,” Mr Leibler said.

“For the ABC’s social media team, it seems activism takes precedence over journalism. First the ABC on TikTok encouraged an economic boycott of Israel, and now on Instagram it’s celebrating rockets indiscriminately fired towards civilian populations by a proscribed terrorist group.”

Fighting has centred around Rafah, where Israel has vowed to destroy the last remaining Hamas battalions, although it comes as the UN’s top court ordered its forces to stop its invasion of the city last week.

Israel began its invasion of parts of Rafah earlier this month and at least 800,000 Palestinians have fled from the city since.

The copy itself was taken from a story from a wire service, as opposed to an ABC journalist’s own.

The ABC were contacted about the Instagram post and phrasing used.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/abc-hamas-rockets-a-show-of-resilience/news-story/9325cab54661f556bacca74b17e37cc0

https://www.instagram.com/abcnews_au/p/C7crhZNSvdC/?hl=en&img_index=5

https://x.com/AlexRyvchin/status/1794887003902996700

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20921946 (271005ZMAY24) Notable: Ukraine pleaded for help from Australia six months ago. It hasn’t received a reply - Ukraine has appealed directly to Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong for an urgent shipment of Australian coal to help meet its energy needs as Russia bombards its power plants with missile and drone attacks. The Eastern European nation lodged an official request with the government in December for a supply of coal but has yet to receive a response, leading officials to become increasingly worried a shipment may not arrive in time for the European winter. In a letter to Wong sent on May 6, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said that “events over the last five months have increased Ukraine’s need for energy security and the assistance of its allies in that regard”. “The stark reality is that no power plant in Ukraine has been exempt from Russian targeting or not sustained [damage], and this is having direct impact on Ukraine’s people and the quality of their lives,” he wrote, adding that Russia had targeted Ukrainian power plants, oil refineries and heating facilities. “You would appreciate that the need for energy security, including ensuring Ukraine’s remaining hydro-thermal generation capacity, has increased as a result of the most recent wave of attacks, and I therefore again ask for Australia’s consideration.”

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>>>/qresearch/20789168 (pb)

Ukraine pleaded for help from Australia six months ago. It hasn’t received a reply

Matthew Knott and Rob Harris - May 27, 2024

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Ukraine has appealed directly to Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong for an urgent shipment of Australian coal to help meet its energy needs as Russia bombards its power plants with missile and drone attacks.

The Eastern European nation lodged an official request with the government in December for a supply of coal but has yet to receive a response, leading officials to become increasingly worried a shipment may not arrive in time for the European winter.

In a letter to Wong sent on May 6, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said that “events over the last five months have increased Ukraine’s need for energy security and the assistance of its allies in that regard”.

“The stark reality is that no power plant in Ukraine has been exempt from Russian targeting or not sustained [damage], and this is having direct impact on Ukraine’s people and the quality of their lives,” he wrote, adding that Russia had targeted Ukrainian power plants, oil refineries and heating facilities.

“You would appreciate that the need for energy security, including ensuring Ukraine’s remaining hydro-thermal generation capacity, has increased as a result of the most recent wave of attacks, and I therefore again ask for Australia’s consideration.”

Myroshnychenko said Ukrainian officials had assured him the country can make good use of Australian coal despite Russian attacks on Ukrainian thermal power plants.

Such a shipment would free up resources for Ukraine to invest in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, he added.

Ukrainian officials have been concerned that Labor may be reluctant to send coal to Ukraine because of fears it could damage its climate change credentials.

Myroshnychenko told this masthead a decision would be needed soon for coal supplies to reach Ukraine by October when temperatures start falling, as it can take up to four months for a shipment to arrive.

“This is not a lifestyle choice for us. We need it to survive,” he said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “The Australian government is actively considering ways in which we can provide additional support to meet Ukraine’s high-priority needs.”

The spokesman noted the government announced a new $100 million assistance package for Ukraine in April, taking Australia’s total contribution to over $1 billion.

However, Australia ranks among the lowest donors of all countries supporting Ukraine as a proportion of gross domestic product, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

The Coalition has attacked the government for declining to commit to sending coal to Ukraine. Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the initial December request should have received a speedy yes. He said it was “embarrassing” that the government had not provided an answer to Ukraine’s coal request.

“For six long months Labor has swept Ukraine’s request for thermal coal under the carpet when it should have been approved immediately,” he said. “Of all the goods that Australia can give to Ukraine, thermal coal is one of the easiest for us, so why is it so hard for the Albanese government to say yes?”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20921983 (271022ZMAY24) Notable: Operation Ironside: Aussies at heart of global criminal plot smashed by cops - Two Australians at the heart of a global plot to help crime gangs communicate on encrypted devices have pleaded guilty, three years after the scheme was smashed in the police sting of the century. Sydney pair Edwin Kumar and Osemah Elhassen - who distributed the AN0M devices without realising they were being secretly monitored by law enforcement - are the first of 17 foreign nationals charged by the FBI to admit to their role in the conspiracy. It marks a major breakthrough in the world-first investigation, spearheaded by the Australian Federal Police, in which 27 million intercepted messages helped police allegedly foil murder plots and block a multibillion-dollar drug trade involving the Mafia, bikies and South American cartels. It can also be revealed US authorities have arrested two other alleged device distributors - Dragan Nikitovic and Miwand Zakhimi - in the past six months as they continue to round up those allegedly behind the app that its creators bragged was “designed by criminals for criminals”.

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Operation Ironside: Aussies at heart of global criminal plot smashed by cops

Two Australians have entered guilty pleas amid new revelations police are still rounding up those connected to a trojan horse app “designed by criminals for criminals”.

Tom Minear - May 27, 2024

Two Australians at the heart of a global plot to help crime gangs communicate on encrypted devices have pleaded guilty, three years after the scheme was smashed in the police sting of the century.

Sydney pair Edwin Kumar and Osemah Elhassen – who distributed the AN0M devices without realising they were being secretly monitored by law enforcement – are the first of 17 foreign nationals charged by the FBI to admit to their role in the conspiracy.

It marks a major breakthrough in the world-first investigation, spearheaded by the Australian Federal Police, in which 27 million intercepted messages helped police allegedly foil murder plots and block a multibillion-dollar drug trade involving the Mafia, bikies and South American cartels.

Kumar’s plea agreement revealed how he told his co-conspirators: “I’m AN0M Australia and look after Australia … I have an entire country to look after.”

“Welcome to Team Australia, this team is solid and we will conquer Australia … Nothing will stop us,” he said in another message less than a month before the plot came crashing down.

It can also be revealed US authorities have arrested two other alleged device distributors – Dragan Nikitovic and Miwand Zakhimi – in the past six months as they continue to round up those allegedly behind the app that its creators bragged was “designed by criminals for criminals”.

Kumar was arrested in Australia in 2021 and extradited to the US in April last year, shortly before Elhassen was extradited from Colombia. Their guilty pleas to racketeering conspiracy charges were accepted last week by the US District Court for California’s Southern District.

Both Kumar and Elhassen distributed AN0M devices “to criminal end-users” between October 2019 and June 2021, according to their plea agreements, while knowing they would be used to facilitate the trafficking of drugs including cocaine and methamphetamine.

At the outset of the plot, Kumar sent a message to Hakan Ayik – one of Australia’s most wanted men until his arrest last year and an alleged AN0M administrator – saying he was “touching base” about obtaining an encrypted device for Elhassen.

Elhassen later focused on distributing and setting up devices in Colombia, the world’s cocaine capital, writing in one message: “I am anom colombia.”

Kumar dealt with hundreds of devices in Australia and spoke to Zakhimi, a citizen of the Netherlands, about creating “the ultimate (AN0M) user guide”.

Elhassen and Kumar sent multiple messages that were intercepted by authorities about drug trafficking, with Kumar selling and setting up devices for a gang that shipped 156 kilograms of pseudoephedrine – a methamphetamine precursor – from India to Australia in 2020.

Both men also admitted they had remotely deleted content from AN0M devices that were seized by police, obstructing law enforcement operations, and that they had laundered drug trafficking profits including through cryptocurrency.

They are expected to be sentenced in July, and while both face a maximum of 20 years in prison, prosecutors indicated in court filings that they would seek for them to be sentenced at the “low end of the advisory guideline range recommended by the government”.

More than 12,000 AN0M devices were used by at least 300 criminal syndicates operating in some 100 countries before a stunning two-day operation three years ago in which more than 500 people were arrested worldwide, including at least 100 in Australia.

Device distributors like Elhassen and Kumar charged fees of about $1700 every six months and provided technical support to organised crime gangs seeking to hide their dealings from law enforcement agencies that had secretly commandeered the AN0M app.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/aussies-at-heart-of-global-criminal-plot-smashed-by-cops/news-story/6c1118c7862722f234253875400bd710

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20926898 (280925ZMAY24) Notable: Threats, abuse, as Deborah Conway targeted by pro-Palestine protest at gig - A video has emerged of ugly scenes at a Hobart theatre as pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a performance by Jewish singer songwriter Deborah Conway, who accused those involved of “extreme intolerance”. Palestinian-flag bearing protesters demonstrated outside Hobart’s Playhouse Theatre on Saturday night and some then disrupted the performance inside. Conway, appearing alongside husband and musical collaborator Willy Zygier, had to repeatedly suspend the performance due to shouted questions, accusations and flag waving from protesters. A self-described “autonomous group of pro-Palestine protesters” said the theatre disruption was a response to “publicly hateful” statements Conway had made about Palestinian children. They said this included an ABC interview last year when, after being challenged to condemn the mass murder of Palestinian children, responded: “It depends on what you call kids.”

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>>191348

Threats, abuse, as Deborah Conway targeted by pro-Palestine protest at gig

MATTHEW DENHOLM - MAY 28, 2024

A video has emerged of ugly scenes at a Hobart theatre as pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a performance by Jewish singer songwriter Deborah Conway, who accused those involved of “extreme intolerance”.

Palestinian-flag bearing protesters demonstrated outside Hobart’s Playhouse Theatre on Saturday night and some then disrupted the performance inside.

Conway, appearing alongside husband and musical collaborator Willy Zygier, had to repeatedly suspend the performance due to shouted questions, accusations and flag waving from protesters.

At one point, a woman appears to break a glass and threaten one of the protesters, while audience members are heard abusing protesters.

Tasmania Police on Tuesday night advised it had received a formal complaint relating to the disturbances and was investigating.

A self-described “autonomous group of pro-Palestine protesters” said the theatre disruption was a response to “publicly hateful” statements Conway had made about Palestinian children.

They said this included an ABC interview last year when, after being challenged to condemn the mass murder of Palestinian children, responded: “It depends on what you call kids.”

Conway, a leading figure in Australia’s music scene for decades and former lead singer of Do Re Me, was later quoted as explaining her remarks:

“I was trying to tell listeners, in the cut and thrust of a live interview situation, that when Hamas put guns in the hands of their adolescent sons to point at the enemy, Hamas steals their childhood, turns them into fighters and then turns them into casualty figures.

“It’s unbearably cruel. I wasn’t talking about babies or little children, nor was I defining what I think to be a child. It goes without saying that the deaths of innocents are always tragic.”

In the wake of the protest, Conway praised security staff for their handling of the situation and accused the protesters of “a dreadful display of extreme intolerance”.

“We were all confronted with a micro example of civilisational breakdown but the forces for civil discourse triumphed in the end,” Conway and Zygier posted on social media. “We completed our show.

“No matter how much we try to understand this movement, it defies understanding. Whoever funded this (and it’s hard to believe the protesters paid for their own tickets but if they did, thank you, it’s nice to have a sold out show!) they must be smart enough to realise they will not achieve any kind of altered course in the Middle East.

“They choose a few words out of a long interview and twist them to turn Deborah into a villain. It is the classic ancient blood libel, centuries old. In the interview Deborah was trying to explain how Hamas uses children, not who she thinks is a child, let alone who is worthy of life and death.”

The protest group said the Playhouse had ignored pleas to cancel Conway’s show in light of her “hateful statements”.

They accused some of her audience members of responding with “aggression … to our non-violent protest”. “We are disgusted yet unsurprised by the aggressive response,” they said in a statement.

The group vowed to continue to target venues that featured performances by “Zionists”.

Audience members described the event as “tense” and unsettling. However, Hobart Repertory Theatre Society president David Clements praised security and volunteer staff for their handling of the disruptions to the “Book of Life” performance.

“There were three interruptions which were managed by security and Playhouse staff and the performance was able to continue each time,” Mr Clements said.

“Patron safety and enjoyment are very important to us and we are grateful that no one was injured, although we acknowledge it may have been confronting for some of our patrons attending the performance.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/threats-abuse-as-deborah-conway-targeted-by-propalestine-protest-at-gig/news-story/050086a7810a5a906524fbfbb7323dae

https://www.facebook.com/conwayzygier/posts/1008210440676587

https://tasmaniantimes.com/2024/05/anti-genocide-protest-at-deborah-conway-performance/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20937517 (301114ZMAY24) Notable: Fatima Payman resigns from parliamentary committees after ‘genocide’ comments - Fatima Payman has stepped down from two parliamentary foreign affairs committees after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticised the Labor senator for using the controversial phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. Payman accused Israel of conducting a genocide in Gaza, in a dramatic intervention two weeks ago, also calling for Australia to end trade with Israel, implement sanctions and immediately recognise a Palestinian state. Government sources confirmed that Payman had resigned from the Senate Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. “The government’s policy is clear - we support a two-state solution,” a government spokesperson said. Labor MPs said they did not believe Payman had been ordered to step down by government leadership, but had instead decided to do so herself to avoid being targeted by the Coalition and the Greens.

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Fatima Payman resigns from parliamentary committees after ‘genocide’ comments

Matthew Knott - May 30, 2024

Fatima Payman has stepped down from two parliamentary foreign affairs committees after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticised the Labor senator for using the controversial phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

Payman accused Israel of conducting a genocide in Gaza, in a dramatic intervention two weeks ago, also calling for Australia to end trade with Israel, implement sanctions and immediately recognise a Palestinian state.

Government sources confirmed that Payman had resigned from the Senate Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.

“The government’s policy is clear – we support a two-state solution,” a government spokesperson said.

Labor MPs said they did not believe Payman had been ordered to step down by government leadership, but had instead decided to do so herself to avoid being targeted by the Coalition and the Greens.

Payman did not respond to a request for comment.

Liberal MP Julian Leeser, who called for Albanese to remove Payman from her committee positions, said: “Someone who uses a phrase that calls for the violent destruction of the Jewish people has no place on the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.”

Jewish groups regard the “From the river to the sea” slogan as a coded call for the elimination of Israel, while others have insisted it is simply a call for freedom and equal rights for Palestinians.

Speaking at Parliament House during budget week, Payman said: “Instead of advocating for justice, I see our leaders performatively gesture defending the oppressor’s right to oppress, while gaslighting the global community about the rights of self-defence.

“My conscience has been uneasy for far too long and I must call this out for what it is.

“This is a genocide and we need to stop pretending otherwise.

“The lack of clarity, the moral confusion, the indecisiveness is eating at the heart of this nation.”

Labor senators joined with the Coalition to condemn the “river to the sea” slogan Payman used at the end of her remarks, while Albanese said he considered Payman’s use of the phrase inappropriate.

The Senate voted 56-12 to criticise the slogan, saying it “opposes Israel’s right to exist, and is frequently used by those who seek to intimidate Jewish Australians via acts of antisemitism”.

Payman, 29, was born in Afghanistan and is the first woman to regularly wear a hijab in the federal parliament.

Asked about Payman’s comments during question time in the House of Representatives, Albanese said: “The chant, ‘From the river to the sea’, has been used from time to time by some in the pro-Palestinian movement, by some who argue that Israel should be just one state as well and that Gaza and the West Bank should be wiped out. It is inappropriate.

“I very strongly believe in a two-state solution. I strongly believe in the right of Israel to exist within secure borders. I strongly believe as well in the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people.”

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/fatima-payman-resigns-from-parliamentary-committees-after-genocide-comments-20240530-p5ji2q.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20955138 (021032ZJUN24) Notable: No investigation into terror-praising preacher after bishop stabbing comments - A terror-praising Sydney preacher who applauded a teen for “standing up for prophet Mohammed” when he allegedly stabbed Assyrian Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel will not be investigated by police, as political leaders said authorities have “to get serious” on hate speech. The Australian can reveal that a southwest Sydney cleric known only as “Brother Ismail” made the intervention on the alleged stabbing to a packed crowd at the Al Madina Dawah Centre in late May. But that praise does not fall foul of commonwealth legislation outlawing “praising” a terrorist act, with state police confirming it would not investigate the cleric. “These are our red lines and insults from a man (Bishop Emmanuel) followed by billions … it’s not a good idea, and this was the outcome and consequences,” the preacher said, referring to the Wakeley alleged terror incident on April 15. The sermon, posted to an online video platform, also appears to cut as Brother Ismail continues criticising the bishop and he lashed mainstream Islamic leaders for urging social cohesion in the wake of the attack. A NSW Police spokesman said: “the force has sought legal advice and it has been determined that the comments in question do not meet the (criminality) threshold”.

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No investigation into terror-praising preacher after bishop stabbing comments

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - JUNE 2, 2024

A terror-praising Sydney preacher who applauded a teen for “standing up for prophet Mohammed” when he allegedly stabbed Assyrian Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel will not be investigated by police, as political leaders said authorities have “to get serious” on hate speech.

The Australian can reveal that a southwest Sydney cleric known only as “Brother Ismail” made the intervention on the alleged stabbing to a packed crowd at the Al Madina Dawah Centre in late May.

But that praise does not fall foul of commonwealth legislation outlawing “praising” a terrorist act, with state police confirming it would not investigate the cleric.

“These are our red lines and insults from a man (Bishop Emmanuel) followed by billions … it’s not a good idea, and this was the outcome and consequences,” the preacher said, referring to the Wakeley alleged terror incident on April 15.

“That kid, in his actions, stood up and defended the honour of Mohammed …”

A boy, 16, was charged with committing a terror offence after allegedly stabbing Bishop Emmanuel, who sustained, but recovered from, multiple injuries.

Police later launched raids to break up what they alleged was a teen terror cell, with six boys arrested and charged.

The sermon, posted to an online video platform, also appears to cut as Brother Ismail continues criticising the bishop and he lashed mainstream Islamic leaders for urging social cohesion in the wake of the attack.

“(Mainstream leaders) said ‘we don’t know him (the teenager), this was against Islam and is not the approach of Islam’,” he continued.

“Other (mainstream leaders) said they were praying for the bishop’s recovery. What kind of leadership is that? They (the bishop) stepped on our team and red lines, and yet our leadership did nothing about it.”

The cleric won’t be investigated for possible breaches of section 80.2C (1) in the criminal code, which outlaws a person “praising” a terrorist act, “in circumstances where there is a risk that such praise might have the effect” of motivating a person to commit another.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said police and prosecutors “have got to get serious”.

“Open praise for alleged terror attacks must result in investigation, charges and prosecution,” the senator said.

“Right now our laws are being openly defied and mocked. Inaction and weakness will only lead to more tragedy.”

A NSW Police spokesman said: “the force has sought legal advice and it has been determined that the comments in question do not meet the (criminality) threshold”.

The Australian Federal Police had no comment.

It is the same preacher who, in November, warned of “security risks” if the Muslim community were pushed and that Muslims were “looking forward to joining the mujahideen”, and comes as both the federal and state governments separately looked at strengthening “ineffective” hate-speech laws.

Brother Ismail is a regular speaker at Bankstown’s Al Madina Dawah Centre, run by Abu Ousayd, who is also known as Wissam Haddad.

The country’s peak Jewish body has lodged vilification complaints against the centre and Mr Ousayd at the Australian Human Rights Commission, who has given a raft of incendiary and anti-Semitic sermons since October 7.

It comes as the federal government prepared to legislate stronger hate-speech provisions, possibly expanding the breadth of criminality and introducing new penalties. A NSW government review into its own “inoperable” hate-speech provisions, instigated in January, is expected to reveal its recommendations soon.

The Al Madina Dawah Centre was contacted for comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/no-investigation-into-terrorpraising-cleric-after-bishop-stabbing-comments/news-story/9f1a335eaabf127e6f226029c41fe525

https://rumble.com/v4whj8b-the-reality-of-our-leaders-firday-khutbah-brother-ismail.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20969698 (051020ZJUN24) Notable: Fury on the floor: Dutton and Albanese clash with Greens over Gaza protests - Labor and the Coalition have berated the Greens for lending support to pro-Palestinian activists who have targeted federal MPs and vandalised electoral offices, sparking a fierce debate in parliament over domestic protests and the war in the Middle East. Greens leader Adam Bandt accused the government of being complicit in the Israeli invasion of Gaza after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton blamed the Greens for encouraging the protests. Stung by the criticism from the two leaders, Bandt sought to condemn the government for shipping arms to Israel but was shut down after Labor MPs branded him a “fraud” and a “liar” who was spreading misinformation. The final vote left the Greens isolated in parliament when Labor, the Coalition and crossbenchers including Kate Chaney, Zoe Daniel, Rebekha Sharkie, Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall and Kylea Tink voted in favour of adjourning the debate.

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>>191347

>>191348

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Fury on the floor: Dutton and Albanese clash with Greens over Gaza protests

David Crowe - June 5, 2024

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Labor and the Coalition have berated the Greens for lending support to pro-Palestinian activists who have targeted federal MPs and vandalised electoral offices, sparking a fierce debate in parliament over domestic protests and the war in the Middle East.

Greens leader Adam Bandt accused the government of being complicit in the Israeli invasion of Gaza after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton blamed the Greens for encouraging the protests.

Stung by the criticism from the two leaders, Bandt sought to condemn the government for shipping arms to Israel but was shut down after Labor MPs branded him a “fraud” and a “liar” who was spreading misinformation.

The final vote left the Greens isolated in parliament when Labor, the Coalition and crossbenchers including Kate Chaney, Zoe Daniel, Rebekha Sharkie, Allegra Spender, Zali Steggall and Kylea Tink voted in favour of adjourning the debate.

Labor MPs are increasingly angry about pro-Palestinian protests that have vandalised the electorate offices of caucus members including Peter Khalil, Ged Kearney, Lisa Chester and Daniel Mulino as well as ministers including Government Services Minister Bill Shorten, Immigration Minister Andrew Giles and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

With tempers flaring during an hour of argument on Wednesday, Speaker Milton Dick ordered Dreyfus to leave the House of Representatives for heckling Bandt, while the Greens leader received several warnings for yelling over others.

Albanese responded to a question from independent MP Sophie Scamps about the need for social cohesion during the war in the Middle East, saying the parliament condemned the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israelis on October 7 and that the government had backed calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Right now, our communities are distressed. People, especially with relatives either in Israel or the occupied territories, are distressed,” he said.

“We have a responsibility to not add to that distress through misinformation. It is unacceptable that misinformation is being consciously and deliberately spread by some Greens senators and MPs who have engaged in this at demonstrations outside offices and online.

“That includes knowingly misrepresenting motions that are moved in this parliament.”

At issue is the way the Greens have portrayed a vote in the House that denied them time to put a motion calling for Palestinian statehood. Some Greens said this was a vote by the parliament to reject a Palestinian state. Labor MPs were incensed at this because they regarded the vote as a procedural matter, not a decision by the parliament on statehood.

Labor and the Coalition support a two-state solution including statehood for Palestinians on a settlement with Israel, although Foreign Minister Penny Wong has raised the prospects of other paths to recognition.

Albanese said the Greens should not make any remarks that encouraged protests that shut down electorate offices, saying they were anti-democratic because they stopped the work of elected MPs and their staff.

“Enough is enough. The time for senators and members of parliament to continue to inflame tensions outside these offices must end,” he said.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20969717 (051029ZJUN24) Notable: Anthony Albanese locked out of Sydney electorate office by anti-war protests - Anthony Albanese has been locked out of his Sydney electorate office this year because of pro-Palestinian protests, amid official security warnings that Islamist extremists are attending anti-­Israel demonstrations on university campuses and outside parliamentarians’ offices. The Prime Minister’s Marrickville office has not been used since January because of fears for the safety of staff from continuous protests from pro-Palestinian demonstrators and warnings from federal police. Security around Mr Albanese, other MPs and in Parliament House has been tightened since late last year after the Hamas terror attacks on Israel in October and the conflict in Gaza sparked protests and vandalism at MPs’ offices and even in parliament. Parliamentarians requested a security briefing from the AFP and ASIO as concerns rose about protests and security. The Australian understands there was formal advice Islamist extremists and political activists were appearing together at university campus protests around the nation, outside ministerial offices and at public demonstrations.

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>>191347

>>191348

Anthony Albanese locked out of Sydney electorate office by anti-war protests

DENNIS SHANAHAN and ROSIE LEWIS - JUNE 5, 2024

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Anthony Albanese has been locked out of his Sydney electorate office this year because of pro-Palestinian protests, amid official security warnings that Islamist extremists are attending anti-­Israel demonstrations on university campuses and outside parliamentarians’ offices.

The Prime Minister’s Marrickville office has not been used since January because of fears for the safety of staff from continuous protests from pro-Palestinian demonstrators and warnings from federal police.

Security around Mr Albanese, other MPs and in Parliament House has been tightened since late last year after the Hamas terror attacks on Israel in October and the conflict in Gaza sparked protests and vandalism at MPs’ offices and even in parliament.

Parliamentarians requested a security briefing from the AFP and ASIO as concerns rose about protests and security. The Australian understands there was formal advice Islamist extremists and political activists were appearing together at university campus protests around the nation, outside ministerial offices and at public demonstrations.

The official advice was that there could be co-ordination between extremists and political activists, and they were certainly appearing together at protests and demonstrations.

One aspect of the security concerns was the ability of the groups to organise flash protests when the Prime Minister was at a venue, even a private one.

Mr Albanese has raised the ­security concerns with Peter Dutton as late as Tuesday afternoon in parliament.

Tensions between Labor and the Greens over the war in Gaza also deepened on Tuesday after Mr Albanese denounced the “blockade” at electorate offices of Labor MPs, which he said was being supported by Greens senators and state Greens.

During a Labor caucus meeting in which three of his MPs expressed concerns about the protests and behaviour of the Greens, the Prime Minister declared “actions to intimidate have no place in a democracy”.

The Opposition Leader backed the Prime Minister’s concerns and told The Australian: “A violent protester who breaks the law by attacking a person of Jewish faith on a university campus or seeks to intimidate an MP should be dealt with by the police.

“The fact no one has been arrested for the hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to electorate offices just encourages the next criminal protester to trash another office. We celebrate peaceful protest but criminal behaviour by these anti-Semitic hate protesters should result in arrests and strong penalties.”

Mr Albanese noted it had been a difficult period for a number of Labor MPs and their staff whose electorate offices were targeted.

Referencing his own office in Marrickville, Sydney, Mr Albanese said the idea constituents would be blocked from getting help on social security or immigration matters was “appalling”.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20969809 (051051ZJUN24) Notable: Judge grants bail to alleged teen terrorist, branding case 'thin' in bruising ruling for AFP - A Supreme Court judge has granted bail to a Sydney teenager accused of terrorism and branded the case against him as "thin", in a bruising ruling for the Australian Federal Police. The 15-year-old was among six boys arrested in sweeping police raids on an alleged Sydney terrorist network in April, after another teenager stabbed an Assyrian Orthodox bishop in a church in Wakeley, in the city's west. Four of those boys are accused of planning a terrorist attack in the wake of the stabbing, allegedly plotting to obtain guns and exchanging messages about their willingness to kill and die as so-called martyrs. The 15-year-old was part of a chat group called "Plans", on the encrypted messaging app Signal, where they allegedly conspired to plan a terrorist act between April 18 and 24. The boy, who cannot be identified because he is a juvenile, allegedly wrote: "I really want to target the yahood [Jewish people] … we will plan it".

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Judge grants bail to alleged teen terrorist, branding case 'thin' in bruising ruling for AFP

Sean Rubinsztein-Dunlop - 5 June 2024

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A Supreme Court judge has granted bail to a Sydney teenager accused of terrorism and branded the case against him as "thin", in a bruising ruling for the Australian Federal Police.

The 15-year-old was among six boys arrested in sweeping police raids on an alleged Sydney terrorist network in April, after another teenager stabbed an Assyrian Orthodox bishop in a church in Wakeley, in the city's west.

Four of those boys are accused of planning a terrorist attack in the wake of the stabbing, allegedly plotting to obtain guns and exchanging messages about their willingness to kill and die as so-called martyrs.

The 15-year-old was part of a chat group called "Plans", on the encrypted messaging app Signal, where they allegedly conspired to plan a terrorist act between April 18 and 24.

The boy, who cannot be identified because he is a juvenile, allegedly wrote: "I really want to target the yahood [Jewish people] … we will plan it".

In another message, he allegedly said: "I really wanna do an attack now … because I have so much hatred for these kuffar [nonbelievers] it's not funny and I wanna do jihad now."

But late yesterday afternoon, NSW Supreme Court Judge Deborah Sweeney questioned whether Crown prosecutors could prove the boy had agreed to plan for an act of terrorism or had done "any overt act in support of that agreement beyond talking".

"It's clear this young person expresses violent views," Justice Sweeney said.

"He talks in concerning ways, but … the [police] facts statement seems a bit thin. In my view, the Crown case does not appear strong."

Despite his "violent intentions", she said the public would be safer if he was released from youth detention, put under house arrest and treated for his "mental health and self-esteem issues".

"If those issues are treated, community safety will be enhanced, especially in what will be a long period of two years or so until his trial," Justice Sweeney said.

She said the need for psychological treatment was among the "exceptional circumstances" justifying bail, including his age, the long time to trial and the "lack of strength of the prosecution case".

Sitting in the public gallery, the boy's father burst into tears when the judge announced her decision, while the teenager watched the proceedings via video link from youth detention.

The 15-year-old's parents had watched silently as the court heard of their struggles to manage his behavioural issues since kindergarten.

His barrister, Avni Djemal SC, described him as "a troubled kid" with a disrupted education, who was "neglected a lot" as a young child when a sibling died in hospital from illness.

Justice Sweeney described them as "dedicated, concerned parents" who had done their best to provide him with an education despite "significantly disrupted schooling".

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20993059 (091018ZJUN24) Notable: Bandt challenges Labor to sanction Benjamin Netanyahu’s ‘extreme war cabinet’ - Greens leader Adam Bandt has challenged Labor to punish Israel’s “extreme war cabinet” and has told the pro-Palestine camp that the Albanese government is attempting to slander them. After coming under fire this week from both Labor and the Opposition and threatening to sue Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Mr Bandt took to the stage at a Free Palestine rally in Melbourne to demand the Albanese government slap Benjamin Netanyahu’s government with sanctions, expel the Israeli ambassador, and cut a contract with weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems. He also called on the Prime Minister to join South Africa’s case against Israel in the International Criminal Court, and ensure F-35 fighter jet parts are not used “in acts of aggression”. “Our government could have recognised Palestine, our government could … in the last 35 weeks, have put sanctions on this extreme war cabinet of Benjamin Netanyahu that is now subject to court orders to stop genocide,” Mr Bandt told the hundreds of activists on Sunday afternoon.

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Bandt challenges Labor to sanction Benjamin Netanyahu’s ‘extreme war cabinet’

TRICIA RIVERA - JUNE 9, 2024

Greens leader Adam Bandt has challenged Labor to punish Israel’s “extreme war cabinet” and has told the pro-Palestine camp that the Albanese government is attempting to slander them.

After coming under fire this week from both Labor and the Opposition and threatening to sue Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Mr Bandt took to the stage at a Free Palestine rally in Melbourne to demand the Albanese government slap Benjamin Netanyahu’s government with sanctions, expel the Israeli ambassador, and cut a contract with weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.

He also called on the Prime Minister to join South Africa’s case against Israel in the International Criminal Court, and ensure F-35 fighter jet parts are not used “in acts of aggression”.

“Our government could have recognised Palestine, our government could ... in the last 35 weeks, have put sanctions on this extreme war cabinet of Benjamin Netanyahu that is now subject to court orders to stop genocide,” Mr Bandt told the hundreds of activists on Sunday afternoon.

“If you (the Albanese government) think there’s been some misrepresentation of your position ... then turn up next week at a press conference and announce that the government will recognise Palestine.”

He said until Labor met their demands, people would continue to “peacefully and powerfully” hold them to account.

Mr Bandt’s comments came after Anthony Albanese last Wednesday took aim at pro-Palestine supporters targeting the electorate offices of MPs, and claimed the demonstrators had been whipped-up by Greens MPs who had “consciously and deliberately” spread misinformation about the government’s position on the Middle East war.

“The other strategy that (the government) are deploying at the moment is to slander all of you, and say that not only are you misinformed, but that somehow what you’re doing is wrong or even in the words of our Prime Minister, has no place in a democracy,” Mr Bandt told the rally.

“We all know that there is no place for violence against people, against politicians, against the people who work for them or against their offices. We all know that. What we are pushing for is peace.”

On the rescue of four hostages held in Central Gaza, Mr Bandt told The Australian that all hostages should be freed.

Gaza officials said 210 Palestinians were killed in the Israel Defense Forces rescue operation in al-Nuseirat.

“All the political prisoners should be released, and I hope that the government will also make comment on the reported one-to-two hundred Palestinians who have been killed over this period as well,” Mr Bandt said.

“We need an immediate ceasefire now, our government still continues to put conditions on its call for a ceasefire.

“The Labor government needs to put pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s extreme war cabinet otherwise this horror will continue.”

The rally MC introduced Mr Bandt by speaking of the “ludicrous claims” against the progressive minor party “by our Prime Minister cry baby Albanese” and “fascist Dutton”.

“It is these cronies that are actually spreading misinformation. It is the so-called members of Labor and Liberal parties that are the evil ones,” she said.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said there were “tears of joy” in Jewish households at the news the Israeli hostages had been rescued.

He blamed Hamas for the Palestinian lives lost as a result of the mission.

“I don’t view it as a trade, I view it as a tragedy. It’s a tragedy entirely from Hamas’ choosing,” the ECAJ boss said.

“No doubt civilian casualties will occur. They’re a tragedy. But this is the war that we’re in. This is the situation that Hamas has chosen.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/bandt-challenges-labor-to-sanction-benjamin-netanyahus-extreme-war-cabinet/news-story/b15f9e9ca39ffe4041be29ff9b636de2

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20993088 (091025ZJUN24) Notable: Labor to pick first Palestinian Australian to replace veteran MP - The first Palestinian-Australian federal politician is likely to be installed in place of a veteran Labor MP, providing a new voice for the government in its ferocious political dispute with the Greens over the conflict in Gaza. Maria Vamvakinou, one of the party’s most sympathetic Palestinian supporters, told this masthead she had informed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese she would end her 23-year-long political career at the next federal election. Basem Abdo, a communications specialist, has won the support of key Socialist Left figures, including Vamvakinou. Preselection for the seat will take place later this year, but Abdo’s backing from the Socialist Left means he is poised to replace the veteran MP. Born in Kuwait to parents from a village in the occupied West Bank, Abdo’s family sought refuge in Jordan during the Gulf War before migrating to Australia in 1991. Labor sources said Abdo had been a mature and conciliatory voice during a heated factional dispute over the wording of a motion on the Middle East conflict at last month’s Victorian Labor conference.

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>>191348

>>191371

Labor to pick first Palestinian Australian to replace veteran MP

Paul Sakkal - June 9, 2024

The first Palestinian-Australian federal politician is likely to be installed in place of a veteran Labor MP, providing a new voice for the government in its ferocious political dispute with the Greens over the conflict in Gaza.

Maria Vamvakinou, one of the party’s most sympathetic Palestinian supporters, told this masthead she had informed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese she would end her 23-year-long political career at the next federal election.

Basem Abdo, a communications specialist, has won the support of key Socialist Left figures, including Vamvakinou. Preselection for the seat will take place later this year, but Abdo’s backing from the Socialist Left means he is poised to replace the veteran MP.

Born in Kuwait to parents from a village in the occupied West Bank, Abdo’s family sought refuge in Jordan during the Gulf War before migrating to Australia in 1991.

Labor sources said Abdo had been a mature and conciliatory voice during a heated factional dispute over the wording of a motion on the Middle East conflict at last month’s Victorian Labor conference.

Abdo told this masthead his father had “left Palestine as a result of the 1967 war and my family has lived through displacement. My grandparents died living under occupation.

“We need to see the advancement of justice for Palestine and the Palestinian people, and their right to self-determination. Advancing peace can only come about through the application of justice and international law,” he said.

Vamvakinou said Abdo would be a formidable voice in parliament as a person with genuine understanding of the community of Calwell, where he lives. Abdo has been working in Vamvakinou’s office in recent years.

“Calwell has grown remarkably in the ensuing years and continues to write the history of contemporary multicultural Australia, a focus which has guided and informed my work over the years,” she said.

About a quarter of voters in the outer-Melbourne seat are Muslim, according to the 2021 census. Labor insiders fear a backlash among some Muslim and other, largely left-wing, voters sympathetic to the Palestinian cause in multicultural seats and inner-city progressive ones.

Labor suffered significant swings against it in working-class Melbourne and Sydney seats at the previous election, including a 10 per cent primary vote drop in Calwell, which is now held by a 12 per cent margin.

A fierce debate erupted in federal parliament last week when Labor and the Coalition berated the Greens for lending support to pro-Palestinian activists who have targeted federal MPs and vandalised electoral office.

Greens leader Adam Bandt accused the government of being complicit in the Israeli invasion of Gaza after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton blamed the Greens for encouraging the protests.

Labor senator Fatima Payman quit an internal party committee last week, in a further sign of the West Australian’s isolation within the government following her comments on Gaza. She had earlier stepped down from two parliamentary foreign affairs committees following a rebuke from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the first-term senator used the controversial phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

Labor sources said Abdo, as well as being a broadly well-credentialed candidate, would be able to authoritatively counter what they described as false Greens claims that Labor has sided with Israel in its military response to the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.

Even before the war in Gaza created tension between Labor and an Arab diaspora that has long backed the party, senior party figures raised the alarm about a lack of culturally diverse candidates in seats with large migrant populations.

The Socialist Left faction in Victoria has not selected a culturally diverse MP since Vamvakinou entered parliament in 2001.

Before the Gaza conflict, Bandt said his focus was on winning the Labor seat of Macnamara to add to the Greens’ tally of four federal seats. But recently the party has shifted focus to Wills, which has a large Muslim population and is the heart of the left-wing pro-Palestine protest movement in Melbourne.

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/labor-to-pick-first-palestinian-australian-to-replace-veteran-mp-20240609-p5jkbx.html

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20998305 (100922ZJUN24) Notable: Video: Australia PM condemns graffiti attack on US consulate in Sydney - Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese on Monday condemned vandalism of the U.S. consulate in Sydney after the building was defaced in what local media said appeared to be a pro-Palestinian protest. The building in the northern suburbs of Australia's largest city was attacked and sprayed with paint by a person carrying a small sledgehammer at around 3 a.m. local time on Monday. "I would just say that people should have respectful political debate and discourse," Albanese said in a televised media conference from Canberra when asked about the incident. "Measures such as painting the U.S. Consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is of course a crime to damage property," he added. Nine windows of the consulate were damaged and the building's door was graffitied, police said. A spokesperson for the U.S. consulate confirmed the building had been damaged but said staff and operations were unaffected. "Australian Federal Police and New South Wales Police are investigating the incident," the spokesperson said in a statement.

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>>191348

>>>/qresearch/20983586

Australia PM condemns graffiti attack on US consulate in Sydney

Sam McKeith - June 10, 2024

SYDNEY, June 10 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese on Monday condemned vandalism of the U.S. consulate in Sydney after the building was defaced in what local media said appeared to be a pro-Palestinian protest.

The building in the northern suburbs of Australia's largest city was attacked and sprayed with paint by a person carrying a small sledgehammer at around 3 a.m. local time on Monday.

"I would just say that people should have respectful political debate and discourse," Albanese said in a televised media conference from Canberra when asked about the incident.

"Measures such as painting the U.S. Consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is of course a crime to damage property," he added.

Nine windows of the consulate were damaged and the building's door was graffitied, police said.

"CCTV has been sourced that shows a person wearing a dark coloured hoodie with their face obscured carrying what appears to be a small sledgehammer," a police spokesperson told Reuters by phone.

A spokesperson for the U.S. consulate confirmed the building had been damaged but said staff and operations were unaffected.

"Australian Federal Police and New South Wales Police are investigating the incident," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Photos of the consulate on the website of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper showed inverted red triangles sprayed on the building's front. The symbol is used by some pro-Palestinian activists, it reported.

The same building was sprayed with graffiti in April, while the U.S. consulate in Melbourne was graffitied by pro-Palestine activists in May, according to the newspaper.

Long a stalwart ally of Israel, Australia has become increasingly critical of its conduct in Gaza, where an Australian aid worker was killed in an Israeli attack earlier this year.

Last month, camps sprang up at universities in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and other Australian cities protesting Israel's war in Gaza and claiming the Australian government has not done enough to push for peace.

https://www.reuters.com/world/australia-pm-condemns-graffiti-attack-us-consulate-sydney-2024-06-10/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20998311 (100927ZJUN24) Notable: NSW Premier Chris Minns blasts ‘reprehensible’ US consulate damage, warns of rising anti-Semitism - NSW Premier Chris Minns has warned of “rising anti-Semitism” across the state as he slams “reprehensible” damage to the United States consulate, which was smashed and tagged with Hamas symbols on Monday morning. The North Sydney consulate, on Miller St, was left with nine hammer holes and two red inverted triangles, commonly used by Hamas in propaganda videos to identify the Israeli targets it seeks to destroy. Mr Minns said the incident alienated the “overwhelming majority of Australians”. “It (the damage) is a criminal act and you’ll be charged by police,” Mr Minns said. “It’s not the kind of public debate the overwhelming majority of Australians want to have … no one wants to see violence or malicious damage, and I think it’s reprehensible.” Mr Minns also made a clear warning against rising anti-Semitism in NSW, something he said was “regrettable”. “I particularly want to say vilification of the Jewish community … anti-Semitism in NSW is on the rise,” he told reporters on Monday. “That (anti-Semitism) is a shameful and regrettable event, and we need to make sure that we’ve got the laws in place to keep pace with contemporary events.”

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>>191348

>>>/qresearch/20983586

>>191379

NSW Premier Chris Minns blasts ‘reprehensible’ US consulate damage, warns of rising anti-Semitism

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - JUNE 10, 2024

NSW Premier Chris Minns has warned of “rising anti-Semitism” across the state as he slams “reprehensible” damage to the United States consulate, which was smashed and tagged with Hamas symbols on Monday morning.

The North Sydney consulate, on Miller St, was left with nine hammer holes and two red inverted triangles, commonly used by Hamas in propaganda videos to identify the Israeli targets it seeks to destroy.

NSW Police has said it’s investigating the incident, and that CCTV footage captured a hooded person holding a small sledgehammer.

Mr Minns said the incident alienated the “overwhelming majority of Australians”.

“It (the damage) is a criminal act and you’ll be charged by police,” Mr Minns said.

“It’s not the kind of public debate the overwhelming majority of Australians want to have … no one wants to see violence or malicious damage, and I think it’s reprehensible.”

Mr Minns also made a clear warning against rising anti-Semitism in NSW, something he said was “regrettable”.

“I particularly want to say vilification of the Jewish community … anti-Semitism in NSW is on the rise,” he told reporters on Monday.

“That (anti-Semitism) is a shameful and regrettable event, and we need to make sure that we’ve got the laws in place to keep pace with contemporary events.”

The premier also lamented the “coarsening” of public debate and damage to electorate officers, urging people to make their point “without resorting to violence or malicious damage”.

“There’s a level of arrogance (of) occupying or preventing other constituents from seeing a local member of parliament, or even damaging a public building like the US consulate,” Mr Minns said.

“In the long run it probably does more damage to your cause by disrupting public life … It is malicious, often violent and it’s not what we want.”

Earlier on Monday, Anthony Albanese said it was “not the Australian way” and urged for tensions to be cooled.

“People should have respectful political debate and discourse that is in everyone’s interest,” the Prime Minister said.

“I reiterate my call to turn the heat down … measures such as painting the US consulate do nothing to advance the cause of those who have committed what is a crime.”

Hamas’ red triangle symbol has been used often by pro-Palestine activists in recent months, who tagged Mr Albanese’s electorate office with it last week.

Mr Minns also touched on NSW recording its first conviction under the state’s hate-speech laws, enclosed in section 93Z of the crimes act.

“Hate-speech laws, vilification laws in NSW are serious, they’re strong and they’ll be applied,” he said.

On Friday, in the first successful conviction since the offences 2018 enactment, an Indian man had an appeal to quash a 93Z conviction dismissed after his involvement in threats and a brawl in southwest Sydney in mid-2020.

“This is the first conviction and my government made a decision to allow police more authority and discretion to charge people with these offences,” Mr Minns said.

“Everybody has got a responsibility to ensure that when you live in NSW, there are obligations to not vilify and not incite hatred within our community.”

The US consulate is closed today for the King’s Birthday public holiday.

A NSW Police spokeswoman said officers were attending and investigating.

“Officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command were called to Miller St after a person damaged nine windows with a hammer shortly after 3am today,” she said.

“Graffiti was also painted on the door.

“Police have sourced CCTV following a canvass of the area which shows a person wearing a dark-coloured hoodie – with their face obscured – carrying what appears to be a small sledgehammer.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/nsw-premier-chris-minns-blasts-reprehensible-us-consulate-damage-warns-of-rising-antisemitism/news-story/47ded51bd8a6546542c4e195447215e7

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20998335 (100948ZJUN24) Notable: ‘My heart burns, my blood boils’: Houli’s vow to speak up on Gaza suffering after King’s Birthday award - Three-time Richmond premiership player and Muslim community leader Bachar Houli says he feels conflicted about receiving a King’s Birthday Honour while the Israel-Hamas war continues and that his blood boils at the suffering of innocent people in Gaza. Houli has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Islamic community, multiculturalism and Australian rules football. The 36-year-old former AFL champion used the occasion to urge the federal government to push harder for a ceasefire. “The conflict that is happening around the world, particularly in Gaza, is affecting us, mate, and this recognition for me is quite hard at this given time,” said Houli, who retired from football in 2021. “But the reality is this is not about me; it is about celebrating what the community has contributed to my life and doing our best to celebrate it while there is so much bad stuff happening around the world which nobody prays for. Everyone prays for peace, everyone prays for happiness, and that’s exactly what I hope for.”

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>>191348

‘My heart burns, my blood boils’: Houli’s vow to speak up on Gaza suffering after King’s Birthday award

Michael Gleeson - June 9, 2024

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Three-time Richmond premiership player and Muslim community leader Bachar Houli says he feels conflicted about receiving a King’s Birthday Honour while the Israel-Hamas war continues and that his blood boils at the suffering of innocent people in Gaza.

Houli has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Islamic community, multiculturalism and Australian rules football. The 36-year-old former AFL champion used the occasion to urge the federal government to push harder for a ceasefire.

“The conflict that is happening around the world, particularly in Gaza, is affecting us, mate, and this recognition for me is quite hard at this given time,” said Houli, who retired from football in 2021.

“But the reality is this is not about me; it is about celebrating what the community has contributed to my life and doing our best to celebrate it while there is so much bad stuff happening around the world which nobody prays for. Everyone prays for peace, everyone prays for happiness, and that’s exactly what I hope for.”

Since October 7, when Hamas militants crossed from Gaza into southern Israel, killed 1200 Jews and took some 250 hostages, Hamas officials say more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed.

The Albanese government has called for a humanitarian ceasefire “so civilian life can be protected”, for the release of all Israeli hostages by Hamas, and for Israel to allow aid to flow into Gaza.

“They are his [Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s] words, and hopefully, he sticks by that; that’s all our community and the wider community asks for,” Houli said.

“My culture, my background is Lebanese, and they are Palestinians, but the reality is we have something in common. That is that they are my brothers and sisters in faith, and my heart burns, my blood boils. The fact is that so many innocent people, civilians, are suffering as a result of this.”

Houli was the first devout Muslim to play top-level AFL when he was drafted to Essendon in 2006. He became a hero for the Tigers as an important player in the 2017, 2019 and 2020 premiership sides, and used his profile to advance understanding of Islam.

He created the Bachar Houli Foundation, a non-profit organisation run in collaboration with, and out of offices at, Richmond Football Club. The foundation gives about 5000 young Muslims each year the opportunity to participate in organised sport.

The retired footballer was criticised last October for reposting to social media a pro-Palestine video that he deleted several hours later after it was explained to him it had caused offence as it included factually incorrect information.

Houli said the incident had made him feel “sick in the guts because my intention was to create awareness”.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20998353 (101007ZJUN24) Notable: Vandals behead King George V statue in Melbourne on King’s Birthday - A statue of King George V has been beheaded and covered in red paint in Melbourne’s CBD in the latest attack by activists on colonial monuments in Victoria. Police were called to the King George V statue in Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue, near the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, just after 9am on Monday. Victoria and most other states in Australia held a public holiday on Monday to observe King Charles III’s birthday. “It appears the head of the statue has been removed and red paint thrown at the monument,” a police spokesman said in a statement. In a 54-second video posted to X by the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance account @akaWACA, a group of people deface the statue as the song God Save the Queen by UK punk rock band the Sex Pistols plays. One person, wearing a fluorescent green high-vis jacket, uses a power tool to cut off the head of the former British monarch’s statue in the early morning darkness. As the video continues, a man in a black hoodie spray paints “the colony will fall” on the statue’s plinth, that was already red with paint. In another shot, the video shows the statue’s head on the floor, with the words “Happy Birthday Motherf-cker” edited over the image.

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>>191348

Vandals behead King George V statue in Melbourne on King’s Birthday

Najma Sambul - June 10, 2024

A statue of King George V has been beheaded and covered in red paint in Melbourne’s CBD in the latest attack by activists on colonial monuments in Victoria.

Police were called to the King George V statue in Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue, near the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, just after 9am on Monday.

Victoria and most other states in Australia held a public holiday on Monday to observe King Charles III’s birthday.

“It appears the head of the statue has been removed and red paint thrown at the monument,” a police spokesman said in a statement.

In a 54-second video posted to X by the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance account @akaWACA, a group of people deface the statue as the song God Save the Queen by UK punk rock band the Sex Pistols plays.

One person, wearing a fluorescent green high-vis jacket, uses a power tool to cut off the head of the former British monarch’s statue in the early morning darkness.

As the video continues, a man in a black hoodie spray paints “the colony will fall” on the statue’s plinth, that was already red with paint.

In another shot, the video shows the statue’s head on the floor, with the words “Happy Birthday Motherf-cker” edited over the image.

The account @akaWACA did not claim responsibility for the act but did caption the video.

“We’ve been sent a birthday greeting for his majesty. Happy birthday mofo! #thecolonywillfall #landback #freepalestine From the river to the sea #alwayswasalwayswillbe,” the group wrote.

Some X users celebrated the statue’s demise, and one user wrote: “Down with all empires”.

A spokesman for the City of Melbourne said the council was aware of the “alleged incident of vandalism” at Kings Domain.

“The incident was reported to Victoria Police and council has covered the damaged statue while we assess the next steps,” the spokesman said.

Other statues have been the target of vandals this year, including a statue of Captain James Cook that was cut at the ankles before it toppled in Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne on February 27.

Another Captain Cook statue in St Kilda’s Jacka Boulevard was also sawn off at the ankles the day before Australia Day. At an Invasion Day rally in Melbourne on Australia Day, protesters cheered when a speaker mentioned that the statue had been damaged.

That same day, a statue of Queen Victoria at Queen Victoria Gardens, near the CBD, was covered in red paint and graffiti.

A second monument to Captain Cook at Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy was found broken and covered in graffiti over the Australia Day long weekend.

The repeated vandalism of statues depicting colonial figures has increased over the years, with memorials for Cook becoming the focal point of Australia Day protests amid growing discomfort over the country’s colonial past.

Two inner-city councils, Port Phillip and Yarra, have debated over the past year whether to remove Captain Cook monuments altogether.

According to the City of Melbourne, the King George V Memorial statue was erected in 1952 and funded by the council and public subscription. It was sculpted by renowned artist William Leslie Bowles.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

https://www.crimestoppersvic.com.au/

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/vandals-behead-king-george-v-statue-in-melbourne-on-king-s-birthday-20240610-p5jko8.html

https://www.instagram.com/aka.waca/reel/C8A5tPghsWO/

https://x.com/akaWACA/status/1799992568379592818

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21004539 (111129ZJUN24) Notable: Marles enforces his veto on all potential defence shipments to Israel - Australian defence exports are facing tighter scrutiny under federal rules that alert Defence Minister Richard Marles to every potential shipment to Israel, ensuring no military equipment has been supplied to the country since the invasion of Gaza. Approvals are being escalated to Marles regardless of the value of the defence contract, superseding an earlier protocol that allowed low-value deals to be approved by a delegate within the Defence Department. On Monday, the government revealed more about its exports after rejecting claims by the Greens last week that it was “complicit in genocide” and supported the “slaughter” by the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza. Labor accused the Greens of spreading lies about defence exports, because no weapons or ammunition had been sent from Australia to Israel over the past five years. The rules have ensured no other military components have been supplied to Israel since October 7, when Hamas terrorists killed 1200 people and Israel responded with an incursion into Gaza that is estimated by Palestinian health authorities to have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.

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>>191348

>>191374

>>191377

Marles enforces his veto on all potential defence shipments to Israel

David Crowe - June 10, 2024

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Australian defence exports are facing tighter scrutiny under federal rules that alert Defence Minister Richard Marles to every potential shipment to Israel, ensuring no military equipment has been supplied to the country since the invasion of Gaza.

Approvals are being escalated to Marles regardless of the value of the defence contract, superseding an earlier protocol that allowed low-value deals to be approved by a delegate within the Defence Department.

On Monday, the government revealed more about its exports after rejecting claims by the Greens last week that it was “complicit in genocide” and supported the “slaughter” by the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza.

Labor accused the Greens of spreading lies about defence exports, because no weapons or ammunition had been sent from Australia to Israel over the past five years.

The rules have ensured no other military components have been supplied to Israel since October 7, when Hamas terrorists killed 1200 people and Israel responded with an incursion into Gaza that is estimated by Palestinian health authorities to have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.

The dispute over claims of Australian complicity has intensified after pro-Palestinian activists blockaded and damaged the electorate offices of federal Labor MPs in recent weeks. In the latest instance of vandalism, protesters sprayed red paint on the windows of the US consulate in North Sydney on Monday and sought to smash the reinforced glass.

Asked whether the incidents damaged Australia’s reputation overseas, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “I think they damage our reputation with ourselves, how we see ourselves. It’s not the Australian way.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns called the attack reprehensible.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said some items had been sent from Australia to Israel in recent months but all involved equipment being repaired or modified so it could be returned for use by the Australian Defence Force. The equipment is not used by the Israel Defence Forces.

“Since the conflict has begun, we’ve been only approving export permits to Israel for equipment that is returning to Australia for the ADF – that is really, really important to say,” he told ABC Radio National.

“What we’ve been saying is that, due to the high-intensity nature of this conflict and the complex circumstances, we’ve been applying the existing export control system. And since the conflict began, no permits have been approved except for items that have been returned to Australia.”

In one example, a $917 million contract with Israeli company Elbit Systems, cited by the Greens as proof of defence exports, involved sending a small amount of armoured steel to Israel so the company could design a turret prototype to be fitted to infantry fighting vehicles for the ADF. The turrets are to be made in Australia.

The federal government has a $7 billion contract with South Korean company Hanwha to build 129 Redback vehicles in Geelong. Hanwha has signed the subcontract with Elbit Systems and has promised to use Australian steel from Bisalloy, which is based in the Illawarra region of NSW.

In another example, Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defence Systems has a joint venture with Australian company Varley Group to supply missile equipment for use on new armoured vehicles for the ADF.

The federal government signed a $5.2 billion contract with German company Rheinmetall six years ago to make the Boxer vehicles in Queensland.

While Varley Rafael Australia will make launch equipment for the missiles at its base in the NSW Hunter region, the missiles will be supplied by Rafael from Israel. The government said this meant no weapons or components would be exported to Israel.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21009097 (121121ZJUN24) Notable: Muslim leader Sheik Wesam Charkawi driving the bid to topple Labor in southwest Sydney - Community leader Wesam Charkawi is mobilising the Muslim vote across key southwest Sydney federal seats to topple Labor at the next election as prominent figures warned the ALP of electoral abandonment. Sheik Charkawi, a Western Sydney University PhD candidate, is the brains and organiser behind The Muslim Vote campaign, The Australian can reveal. It is one among many websites to emerge recently targeting Muslim Australians to support pro-Palestine candidates or oust sitting members who are not, including some Labor ministers, and rates them on their voting record and stance on Israel. The emergence of such campaigns, and popular and well-connected figures such as Sheik Charkawi driving them, will remain a headache for Labor HQ until and during the federal election, likely to be early next year. Last month Sheik Charkawi - a Sunni Muslim - led calls for the dismissal of ASIO chief Mike Burgess, who had said Sunni Islamic extremism posed the “greatest religi­ously motivated threat in Australia”.

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>>163226 (pb)

Muslim leader Sheik Wesam Charkawi driving the bid to topple Labor in southwest Sydney

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - JUNE 12, 2024

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Community leader Wesam Charkawi is mobilising the Muslim vote across key southwest Sydney federal seats to topple Labor at the next election as prominent figures warned the ALP of electoral abandonment.

Sheik Charkawi, a Western Sydney University PhD candidate, is the brains and organiser behind The Muslim Vote campaign, The Australian can reveal.

It is one among many websites to emerge recently targeting Muslim Australians to support pro-Palestine candidates or oust sitting members who are not, including some Labor ministers, and rates them on their voting record and stance on Israel.

The emergence of such campaigns, and popular and well-connected figures such as Sheik Charkawi driving them, will remain a headache for Labor HQ until and during the federal election, likely to be early next year.

Last month Sheik Charkawi - a Sunni Muslim - led calls for the dismissal of ASIO chief Mike Burgess, who had said Sunni Islamic extremism posed the “greatest religi­ously motivated threat in Australia”.

The Australian revealed in April how Labor feared key Sydney heartlands, such as Jason Clare’s Blaxland, Anne Stanley’s Werriwa and Tony Burke’s Watson, could be at risk, given community anger about the Gaza war.

Sheik Charkawi, a frequent presence at the University of Sydney’s pro-Palestine encampment, was unreachable but has told his large following “things were in motion” for the next election and the Muslim vote had been “taken for granted”.

Outside Parramatta MP Andrew Charlton’s electorate office - another seat the campaign has targeted - Sheik Charkawi said it was “time to change the status quo” and a campaign was “mobilising for the election”.

Last month the campaign warned Labor its stance on the war would cost it at the election, particularly among young voters, saying it was “alienating its base”.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 29 of the 151 federal electorates have 5 per cent or more people of Islamic faith – 27 of those 29 seats are held by Labor.

Of those 29, 16 are held by Labor on margins of 10 per cent or more, and at the previous election it suffered primary vote swings against it of up to 18.5 per cent.

Six of the 10 biggest swings were in seats with large Muslim communities. Mr Clare’s Blaxland and Mr Burke’s Watson are each held with about a 15 per cent margin. Muslim voters make up 35 per cent and 27 per cent respectively in the two seats.

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21030777 (161107ZJUN24) Notable: Australia among 93 countries in show of support for ICC - Australia has joined almost 100 other countries to sign a statement in support of the International Criminal Court. Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the move on Saturday after Belgium, Jordan, Chile, Senegal and Slovenia initiated the statement. "Australia is among 93 countries reiterating our commitment to the independence of the International Criminal Court," she wrote on social media platform X. Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Japan, Germany and France also committed to the statement. "As States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, we uphold that the Court, its officials and staff shall carry out their professional duties as international civil servants without intimidation," the pledge read. "The ICC, as the world's first and only permanent international criminal court, is an essential component of the international peace and security architecture. "We therefore call on all States to ensure full co-operation with the Court for it to carry out its important mandate of ensuring equal justice for all victims of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression, grave crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world."

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>>191347

>>191348

Australia among 93 countries in show of support for ICC

Holly Hales - June 15 2024

Australia has joined almost 100 other countries to sign a statement in support of the International Criminal Court.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the move on Saturday after Belgium, Jordan, Chile, Senegal and Slovenia initiated the statement.

"Australia is among 93 countries reiterating our commitment to the independence of the International Criminal Court," she wrote on social media platform X.

Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Japan, Germany and France also committed to the statement.

"As States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, we uphold that the Court, its officials and staff shall carry out their professional duties as international civil servants without intimidation," the pledge read.

"The ICC, as the world's first and only permanent international criminal court, is an essential component of the international peace and security architecture.

"We therefore call on all States to ensure full co-operation with the Court for it to carry out its important mandate of ensuring equal justice for all victims of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression, grave crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world."

The Rome Statute was the treaty that established the International Criminal Court in 1998.

Earlier this month, Senator Wong defended Australia's vote in support of Palestine at the United Nations and the role of the International Criminal Court.

The three-stage offer called for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners and Gaza's reconstruction.

Weeks earlier, Opposition MPs backed Peter Dutton's call to consider boycotting the International Criminal Court after chief prosecutor Karim Khan sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Mr Khan found there were reasonable grounds to suspect Israeli ministerial involvement in possible war crimes, including starvation and intentionally attacking civilians.

Mr Dutton branded the decision an "obvious anti-Semitic act", called for its reversal, and said withdrawing from the court in protest could not be ruled out.

However, Mr Albanese noted Australia became a party to the Rome Statute under former Liberal prime minister John Howard.

He said he was not going to "go into hypotheticals about things that haven't happened" given the court had not officially issued warrants.

Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1200 people and taking more than 200 hostages, according to local authorities.

A counter-offensive in Gaza has since killed more than 35,000 people, the local health ministry says, with many more Palestinians facing starvation as Israel chokes the flow of aid into the territory.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8663689/australia-among-93-countries-in-show-of-support-for-icc/

https://x.com/SenatorWong/status/1801780500371280148

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21036247 (171149ZJUN24) Notable: Political, Jewish leaders urge crackdown on activists’ Hamas, Hezbollah symbols - Pro-Palestine activists in Melbourne have been displaying and wearing Hezbollah and Hamas emblems unimpeded, despite criminal legislation outlawing the usage of the two terror groups’ symbols. Photographs obtained by The Australian from recent Melbourne pro-Palestine rallies stretching back weeks show a cohort of activists wearing Hamas’ distinctive emblem on their clothing - one activist donning the insignia is pictured less than a metre from Victoria Police officers. In another from early June, two activists hold up a cardboard poster of the Hezbollah flags. One of those pictured, and a prominent leader of the rallies, is Mohammad Sharab, shown wearing a Hamas badge while leading one of the protests. Sharab was charged in February after an alleged abduction, alongside another prominent activist, Laura Allam, after an incident in Melbourne’s western suburbs. The entirety of both Hamas and Hezbollah are recognised by the federal government as terrorist organisations, and in certain circumstances the public display of the groups’ insignias is a breach of section 80.2 of the commonwealth criminal code. The outlawing of the groups’ emblems was introduced into the criminal code in January, alongside the display of Nazi symbols. For someone to be charged with the offence, one further element is that the display of the symbols would also have to incite others to offend, insult or intimidate people of a certain race or religion, or advocate “hatred” of that group. It is punishable with up to a year imprisonment.

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>>191348

>>>/qresearch/20695650 (pb)

Political, Jewish leaders urge crackdown on activists’ Hamas, Hezbollah symbols

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - JUNE 17, 2024

Pro-Palestine activists in Melbourne have been displaying and wearing Hezbollah and Hamas emblems unimpeded, despite criminal legislation outlawing the usage of the two terror groups’ symbols.

Photographs obtained by The Australian from recent Melbourne pro-Palestine rallies stretching back weeks show a cohort of activists wearing Hamas’ distinctive emblem on their clothing – one activist donning the insignia is pictured less than a metre from Victoria Police officers.

In another from early June, two activists hold up a cardboard poster of the Hezbollah flags.

One of those pictured, and a prominent leader of the rallies, is Mohammad Sharab, shown wearing a Hamas badge while leading one of the protests.

Sharab was charged in February after an alleged abduction, alongside another prominent activist, Laura Allam, after an incident in Melbourne’s western suburbs.

The entirety of both Hamas and Hezbollah are recognised by the federal government as terrorist organisations, and in certain circumstances the public display of the groups’ insignias is a breach of section 80.2 of the commonwealth criminal code.

The outlawing of the groups’ emblems was introduced into the criminal code in January, alongside the display of Nazi symbols. For someone to be charged with the offence, one further element is that the display of the symbols would also have to incite others to offend, insult or intimidate people of a certain race or religion, or advocate “hatred” of that group.

It is punishable with up to a year imprisonment.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said the prevalence of the terror groups’ symbols was concerning.

“It is alarming so many Australians are openly and proudly displaying the symbols of listed terrorist organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah,” the Liberal Senator said.

He urged authorities to “prosecute every single person” found to be breaching the law, saying ­failure would “embolden the ­extremists on our streets”.

Hamas’s emblem depicts two crossed swords in front of the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem while Hezbollah’s flag is a distinctive green rifle on a yellow backdrop.

In other instances during pro-Palestine Melbourne rallies, Hamas bandannas can be seen worn by activists, T-shirts with the group’s logo and of its spokesman, Abu Oubaida, as well as one protester wearing a shirt with the words “Khaybar, Khaybar, ya yahud, Jaish Muhammad soufa yaoud” in Arabic, which translate to an anti-Israel call that: “Oh, Jews, the army of Mohammed will return.”

Australian Jewish Association chief executive Robert Gregory – the group as been active in finding and highlighting on social media the symbols’ usage – said it was “concerning” to see insignias of terror groups flying in major Australian cities. “There’s little point in having anti-terror laws if they are not enforced,” he said, adding that anti-Israel rhetoric and the display of the symbols had been “steadily escalating”.

“Many people are questioning why the authorities are so timid in the face of Islamist extremism.

“Extremists will likely interpret the failure to act as a green light for further escalation.”

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the force respected the right for peaceful protest but unlawful behaviour would “not be tolerated”.

“Victoria Police provide a visible presence at rallies in Melbourne to keep the peace and ensure the safety of those attending and the broader community,” she said. She also said Victoria Police would investigate any specific alleged incidents brought to the attention of the force.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/political-jewish-leaders-urge-crackdown-on-activists-hamas-hezbollah-symbols/news-story/8755b02e2228335c6128ba86d1fc6c9d

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21037715 (171819ZJUN24) Notable: Video: Jerry Seinfeld and pro-Palestinian protester in heated exchange at Australian show - Jerry Seinfeld savaged a pro-Palestinian heckler in front of a crowd of thousands of people at his stand-up comedy show in Sydney on Sunday night after the man accused the American comedian of being a Zionist who supported a “terrorist state”. Two videos of the confrontation have emerged, representing contrasting views of the exchange. One, shared via the Instagram feed of a pro-Palestinian activist campaign, captures the words of the protester, directed at the vocal support Seinfeld has shown for Israel throughout the current crisis. Another, posted online by the Australian Jewish Association and widely reported by mainstream media, captures Seinfeld’s response and shows the protester being escorted out of the QUDOS Bank Arena, which has a capacity in theatre mode of about 21,000 people. “We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen,” Seinfeld responded to the heckler. “He’s solved the Middle East! He’s solved it: It’s the Jewish comedians, that’s who we have to [get], they’re the ones doing everything.” Seinfeld’s put-down was in line with his oft-repeated position that he is merely a comedian, and not in any real sense political.

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>>191348

Jerry Seinfeld and pro-Palestinian protester in heated exchange at Australian show

Karl Quinn - June 17, 2024

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Jerry Seinfeld savaged a pro-Palestinian heckler in front of a crowd of thousands of people at his stand-up comedy show in Sydney on Sunday night after the man accused the American comedian of being a Zionist who supported a “terrorist state”.

Two videos of the confrontation have emerged, representing contrasting views of the exchange.

One, shared via the Instagram feed of a pro-Palestinian activist campaign, captures the words of the protester, directed at the vocal support Seinfeld has shown for Israel throughout the current crisis.

Another, posted online by the Australian Jewish Association and widely reported by mainstream media, captures Seinfeld’s response and shows the protester being escorted out of the QUDOS Bank Arena, which has a capacity in theatre mode of about 21,000 people.

“We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen,” Seinfeld responded to the heckler. “He’s solved the Middle East! He’s solved it: It’s the Jewish comedians, that’s who we have to [get], they’re the ones doing everything.”

Seinfeld’s put-down was in line with his oft-repeated position that he is merely a comedian, and not in any real sense political.

In the first video, the man, identified in the comments as Aboud, shouts: “It is Israel that has been killing Palestinians for eight decades.

“You are a Zionist, you support Zionism. You support the killing of Palestinians. Forty-thousand people dead, 15,000 children.”

Hamas killed about 1200 people and took 250 others hostage during its October 7 attack, Israeli authorities claim. Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel began its ground invasion of Gaza last year in retaliation; Israel claims 309 of its soldiers have died in the fighting.

The vision shows security moving in to escort the man out as he continues to shout at Seinfeld, who responds: “They’re going to start punching you in about three seconds, so I would try and get all of your genius out so that we can all learn from you.”

To loud cheers, he tells the protester: “It’s a comedy show, you moron, get out of here.

“Imagine if this guy actually did solve the current …,” Seinfeld begins before the protester again shouts and the audience yells back at him.

“You’re really influencing everyone here,” Seinfeld says. “We’re all on your side now because you’ve made your point so well, and in the right venue, you’ve come to the right place for a political conversation. Tomorrow, we will read in the paper, ‘Middle East 100 per cent solved, thanks to a man at the QUDOS Arena stopping Jew comedian’.”

As the man is led away, Seinfeld segues into a classic bit of freewheeling thought association familiar to fans of his comedy routines and his eponymous sitcom.

“I know there are problems here with Indigenous Aboriginal people and the white … so maybe to solve that I will screw up [Australian stand-up comedian] Jim Jefferies at a show in New York. If this works, that will work. You have to go 20,000 miles from a problem and screw up a comedian. That is how you solve world issues.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21042253 (181130ZJUN24) Notable: Labor Senator calls for Palestinian state, as party split deepens - Labor Senator Fatima Payman has urged her Albanese government colleagues to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, rejecting criticism that the Greens are seeking to score “cheap points” by backing the bid for statehood. In an opinion piece published in Al Jazeera, Senator Payman said Palestinian statehood was a “moral and ethical imperative” that would bring peace to the Middle East, and accused Israel of carrying out a “genocide” in the Gaza Strip under the “guise of self-defence”. The West Australian first-term senator broke ranks with her own government on Israel last month when she made a defiant address which she closed by repeating the controversial “from the river to the sea” chant. In her latest remarks on the Hamas-Israel war, Senator Payman distanced herself from the Prime Minister’s claims that the Greens were playing politics by moving a motion in parliament to recognise Palestinian statehood. The motion failed in the House of Representatives after 80 MPs voted against it. “My party, the Australian Labor Party, has consistently argued that such motions are political machinations on the part of the Greens in order to score ‘cheap points’ and sway the public,” she said. “Even if that were the case, this ‘politicking’ does not detract from the underlying fact that a genocide is ongoing, and the Australian public knows it. “Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been slaughtered, among them 15,000 children.”

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>>163229 (pb)

>>163230 (pb)

>>191371

Labor Senator calls for Palestinian state, as party split deepens

RHIANNON DOWN - JUNE 18, 2024

Labor Senator Fatima Payman has urged her Albanese government colleagues to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, rejecting criticism that the Greens are seeking to score “cheap points” by backing the bid for statehood.

In an opinion piece published in Al Jazeera, Senator Payman said Palestinian statehood was a “moral and ethical imperative” that would bring peace to the Middle East, and accused Israel of carrying out a “genocide” in the Gaza Strip under the “guise of self-defence”.

The West Australian first-term senator broke ranks with her own government on Israel last month when she made a defiant address which she closed by repeating the controversial “from the river to the sea” chant.

In her latest remarks on the Hamas-Israel war, Senator Payman distanced herself from the Prime Minister’s claims that the Greens were playing politics by moving a motion in parliament to recognise Palestinian statehood.

The motion failed in the House of Representatives after 80 MPs voted against it.

“My party, the Australian Labor Party, has consistently argued that such motions are political machinations on the part of the Greens in order to score ‘cheap points’ and sway the public,” she said.

“Even if that were the case, this ‘politicking’ does not detract from the underlying fact that a genocide is ongoing, and the Australian public knows it.

“Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been slaughtered, among them 15,000 children.”

Senator Payman accused Anthony Albanese and the ALP of backing away from its support for Palestine since being elected, calling on her colleagues to stand on the “right side of history”.

“In opposition, our Prime Minister and the Labor Party were fierce champions of Palestine and passionate voices for justice,” she said.

“I ask that we summon that spirit of old and do the same in power.

“Let historians write of us that we were on the right side of history, that we boldly reinforced international law, and that we were a shining beacon and voice for freedom.”

Senator Payman said Australia’s “global standing and democratic values” placed it in a strong position to push for peace, arguing that an “important step in this direction” was recognising a Palestinian state.

“By recognising a Palestinian state, Australia would be affirming its commitment to this universal principle and frustrate Israel’s bid to crush such aspirations of the Palestinians,” she said.

“Israel is seeking to erase the agency of the Palestinian people. Australia must stand up to restore and reinforce it. Our country must not become one that smothers voices calling for justice, or one that censors the oppressed seeking freedom.”

She also praised activists who unleashed a wave of protests on university campuses across the country, which culminated in the establishment of pro-Palestine encampments which she compared to anti-Vietnam War demonstrations.

“Australian hearts have an affinity for justice,” she said.

“This is the reason why our students across the country are standing up as their predecessors did when they denounced the wars in Vietnam, and Iraq, and Afghanistan.

“The students were right on each of these generation-defining conflicts.

“Will it be that history repeats itself again by which we ignore them again?.”

Senator Payman’s comments last month prompted the Senate to condemn the use of the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, with the Prime Minister declaring that it was “not appropriate” for Senator Payman to use the phrase.

Senator Payman has since resigned from her position on two parliamentary foreign affairs committees, following Coalition calls for her to step down.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin urged Senator Payman to use her platform to call on Hamas leadership to “accept the ceasefire that Israel and all meditating parties have supported” rather than promote a position against her own party.

“Senator Payman has taken positions on the conflict utterly antithetical to her government’s own policies, including the use of a chant that our own prime minister called ‘violent’ and contrary to a two-state solution,” he said.

“Her deceitful rhetoric on genocide has endangered our community and her own colleagues whose offices are now being targeted by thugs and vandals.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/labor-senator-calls-for-palestinian-state-as-party-split-deepens/news-story/7f170f3ea6496a86ee76c35300268765

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21042279 (181134ZJUN24) Notable: Fatima Payman: Australia must recognise Palestine to promote peace - "Over the last eight months, we have witnessed the mass killing and displacement of Palestinians and the devastation and destruction of Gaza carried out by Israel under the guise of “self-defence”. As the Israeli government continues to disregard its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and cease genocidal acts, it is imperative for influential nations to take a definitive stance. Australia, with its global standing and democratic values, is in a strong position to facilitate peace. An important step in this direction is recognising a Palestinian state. It is also a moral and ethical imperative. UN experts have stated that Israel has committed at least three acts of genocide over the past eight months. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has stated that “Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is an escalatory stage of a long-standing settler colonial process of erasure”. This is why a recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders is imperative. Australia’s recognition would be a symbolic and bold rejection of Israel’s current bid to erase the Palestinian people. Recognition of a Palestinian state would not frustrate a peace process; rather, it would rescue that very peace process and keep it alive." - Fatima Payman, Labor Senator for Western Australia - aljazeera.com

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>>191392

Australia must recognise Palestine to promote peace

Such a move would support the peace efforts, not undermine them, as some have argued.

Fatima Payman, Labor Senator for Western Australia - 17 Jun 2024

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Over the last eight months, we have witnessed the mass killing and displacement of Palestinians and the devastation and destruction of Gaza carried out by Israel under the guise of “self-defence”. As the Israeli government continues to disregard its obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and cease genocidal acts, it is imperative for influential nations to take a definitive stance.

Australia, with its global standing and democratic values, is in a strong position to facilitate peace. An important step in this direction is recognising a Palestinian state. It is also a moral and ethical imperative.

On May 29, a motion was presented to the lower house of the Australian parliament by the Greens to vote on whether Australia should follow Spain, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia, and the overwhelming majority of the world’s nations in recognising Palestinian statehood, but it failed to pass as 80 MPs voted against it.

My party, the Australian Labor Party, has consistently argued that such motions are political machinations on the part of the Greens in order to score “cheap points” and sway the public.

Even if that were the case, this “politicking” does not detract from the underlying fact that a genocide is ongoing, and the Australian public knows it. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been slaughtered, among them 15,000 children.

Australians have seen for themselves the image of seven-year-old Sidra Hassouna hanging from a wall with her legs blown off and the footage of a man holding the corpse of 18-months-old Ahmad beheaded by an Israeli bombing. They have heard the sound of six-year-old Hind Rajab’s last words, desperately pleading for help as Israeli tanks closed in on her.

Social media is rife with images and videos of children with multiple limbs amputated. Entire families have been wiped off the registry. According to the Geneva-based Euro Med Human Rights Monitor, more than 70,000 tonnes of bombs have been dropped on Gaza between Oct 2023 and April 2024.

Australians have read the endless human rights reports from the likes of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and even Israel’s own B’Tselem describing the governance in Israel as akin to “apartheid” and Gaza as an “open-air prison”.

They have heard Israeli ministers calling for the ethnic cleansing and occupation of Gaza. They have seen the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rule that there is a plausible case of genocide in Gaza. They have watched the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) request arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes.

France has affirmed its support for the ICC. Sweden has done the same. Germany has announced it would arrest Netanyahu if the ICC warrant is issued. US Senator Elizabeth Warren has stated that there is ample evidence for international courts to find Israel guilty of genocide.

Renowned American Professor John Mearsheimer who came to Australia’s Centre for Independent Studies, has emphatically asserted that Israel is choosing between apartheid and ethnic cleansing in its treatment of Palestinians.

UN experts have stated that Israel has committed at least three acts of genocide over the past eight months. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has stated that “Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza is an escalatory stage of a long-standing settler colonial process of erasure”.

This is why a recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders is imperative. Australia’s recognition would be a symbolic and bold rejection of Israel’s current bid to erase the Palestinian people. Recognition of a Palestinian state would not frustrate a peace process; rather, it would rescue that very peace process and keep it alive.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21049413 (191235ZJUN24) Notable: Albanese says MP office attack is a major escalation in local tensions over Gaza - Vandals smashing windows and using flammable liquid to set fires at the office of Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns represent a troubling escalation of radical pro-Palestinian activism in Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says. Burns said he was worried about the safety of MPs and their staff after his Melbourne inner-city office was targeted at about 3.20am on Wednesday. Police said five people sprayed the St Kilda office with red paint, which has been used across Australia by activists targeting a group of Labor MPs they regard as too close to Israel. Burns held a press conference on Wednesday morning and said police inspectors found flammable chemicals on the office site. Two small fires were lit: one to the left of the office entrance and another outside the street-facing door to apartments on the floor above the office. The attackers smashed the front windows and entered the office, the inside of which was sprayed with red paint. Burns said the incident put the lives of the apartment residents at risk and said he was worried about the safety of his Labor colleagues, whose offices have also been targeted, and his staff. “I’m nervous about someone getting hurt, or worse,” he said, adding that the vandalism was politically motivated. “How is this a peaceful act?”

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>>191348

>>>/qresearch/20983586

>>191379

Albanese says MP office attack is a major escalation in local tensions over Gaza

Paul Sakkal and Olivia Ireland - June 19, 2024

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Vandals smashing windows and using flammable liquid to set fires at the office of Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns represent a troubling escalation of radical pro-Palestinian activism in Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.

Burns said he was worried about the safety of MPs and their staff after his Melbourne inner-city office was targeted at about 3.20am on Wednesday. Police said five people sprayed the St Kilda office with red paint, which has been used across Australia by activists targeting a group of Labor MPs they regard as too close to Israel.

Burns held a press conference on Wednesday morning and said police inspectors found flammable chemicals on the office site. Two small fires were lit: one to the left of the office entrance and another outside the street-facing door to apartments on the floor above the office.

The attackers smashed the front windows and entered the office, the inside of which was sprayed with red paint.

Burns said the incident put the lives of the apartment residents at risk and said he was worried about the safety of his Labor colleagues, whose offices have also been targeted, and his staff.

“I’m nervous about someone getting hurt, or worse,” he said, adding that the vandalism was politically motivated. “How is this a peaceful act?”

“It didn’t bring about peace in the Middle East. If it did, I would have vandalised my own office.”

“Zionism is fascism” was scrawled on an image of Burns, and horns were drawn on his head. Independent MP Monique Ryan said the image amounted to antisemitism because of the trope of portraying Jews with demonic features.

The prime minister said the attack went further than any previous pro-Palestine attacks.

“This is an escalation of the attacks that we’ve seen. We’ve been talking about this, we’ve got to dial this down,” Albanese said on ABC Radio Melbourne.

“The people who were responsible for this attack should face the full force of the law, it is very distressing for Josh and for his staff. I spoke to Josh this morning, this is a pretty serious attack, windows broken, graffiti everywhere, fire.

“This has got to be seen as an attack on someone who’s a Jewish MP, someone who is running an office that looks after people’s interests.

“It does nothing, it undermines the cause that people purport to represent.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21049442 (191247ZJUN24) Notable: Video: Pro-Palestine activists disrupt second Jerry Seinfeld show - A second Jerry Seinfeld show has been disrupted by pro-Palestine hecklers, as the US Jewish comedian told them their activism was misplaced and they were “ruining the night”. Video appears to show a number of protesters standing up, waving a Palestinian flag and yelling that he was “a hack and a fraud” during the comedy routine at the ICC Sydney Theatre in Sydney, before Seinfeld fired back. “It’s working … Yes, yes, you’re doing so good. You have strong political feelings … but you don’t know where to say them,” he said, as the crowd laughed and booed. “You think ruining the night … It doesn’t affect me … all these people, you’re ruining their night,” he said to cheers and clapping. He added, to laughter: “This is all set up by me. This is a friend of mine, let me introduce him, his name is Hymie Goldstein. And this is all set up”.

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>>191391

Pro-Palestine activists disrupt second Jerry Seinfeld show

JOANNA PANAGOPOULOS - JUNE 19, 2024

A second Jerry Seinfeld show has been disrupted by pro-Palestine hecklers, as the US Jewish comedian told them their activism was misplaced and they were “ruining the night”.

Video appears to show a number of protesters standing up, waving a Palestinian flag and yelling that he was “a hack and a fraud” during the comedy routine at the ICC Sydney Theatre in Sydney, before Seinfeld fired back.

“It’s working … Yes, yes, you’re doing so good. You have strong political feelings … but you don’t know where to say them,” he said, as the crowd laughed and booed.

“You think ruining the night … It doesn’t affect me … all these people, you’re ruining their night,” he said to cheers and clapping.

He added, to laughter: “This is all set up by me. This is a friend of mine, let me introduce him, his name is Hymie Goldstein. And this is all set up”.

A woman appeared to yell “I love you”.

“Thank you sweetheart, I love you too,” Seinfeld responded. “I love them too, they just need a little direction, where to use their tremendous brain power.”

The protesters continued yelling “free, free Palestine” as they were escorted out of the venue.

“Thank you for coming. Did you like the horse bit before you left?” Seinfeld asked.

His show at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday was also disrupted by a pro-Palestine heckler who yelled “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

“We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen, he solved the Middle East,” Seinfeld said, as a man in the crowd yelled, inaudibly in the video.

The crowd laughed after booing the heckler.

“It’s the Jewish comedians, that’s who we have to get – they’re the ones doing everything!” Seinfeld said mockingly.

“Go ahead, keep going. They’re going to start punching you in about three seconds so I would try to get all of your genius out so we can all learn from you.

“It’s a comedy show, you moron, get out of here.”

As the men were escorted out, Mr Seinfeld said “you’re really influencing everyone here”.

“We’re all on your side now because you’ve made your point so well. And in the right venue. You’ve come to the right place for a political conversation.

“Tomorrow we will read in the paper, ‘Middle East 100 per cent solved thanks to man at the Qudos Arena stopping Jew comedian, they stopped him, and everyone in the Middle East went, oh my god, let’s just get along, we can’t do that’.

Seinfeld made headlines last month when his commencement address at Duke University was interrupted by pro-Palestine students. Seinfeld visited Israel following the October 7 terrorist attacks and has expressed support since.

The Seinfeld star is on a tour of Australia and is scheduled to be in the country for another week before departing for New Zealand before returning to the US.

A spokesperson for the Adelaide Entertainment Centre said the venue was “very much looking forward to hosting Jerry Seinfeld tomorrow evening”.

“As with all major events held at the Centre, Adelaide Venue Management is liaising closely with the promoter to ensure a comprehensive level of security, and other services, is provided in accordance with requirements of both the artist and his audience. As such, we are confident of a safe and an enjoyable experience for all involved.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/propalestine-activists-disrupt-second-jerry-seinfeld-show/news-story/b848e3acd94b99e9b2ed4194e8108595

https://x.com/AustralianJA/status/1803010533169520715

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21049452 (191253ZJUN24) Notable: Video: Jerry Seinfeld tells activists they’re in the wrong place at his Australian shows. Here’s why they persist - Announcing his forthcoming stadium tour last November, Jerry Seinfeld said: “I have loved Australia since my first tour there in 1998, and I cannot wait to come back to visit some of the greatest comedy fans in the world.” Three shows into that tour, he might now be having second thoughts. For the second time this week, the 70-year-old US comedian became embroiled on Tuesday night in a heated exchange with pro-Palestinian protesters at a stand-up comedy show in Australia. In a statement issued to this masthead, activists associated with the two actions explained why they had targeted the comedian. They said they hoped to “raise awareness for both Seinfeld’s audience and the wider community of the current and ongoing illegal occupation and genocide perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians” and to “generate conversation around the issue and encourage others to educate themselves and engage more deeply” with it. Comments posted in response to videos on the activist Instagram page littlepalestineatalbos suggested many people had been unaware of Seinfeld’s position on the conflict prior to the actions, they said. Accepting that their protests might make patrons uncomfortable, the activists said “but such discomfort surely pales in comparison to our community’s collective trauma at the devastating loss of life in Gaza and the West Bank for the last eight months (and indeed since 1948)”.

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>>191391

>>191395

Jerry Seinfeld tells activists they’re in the wrong place at his Australian shows. Here’s why they persist

Karl Quinn - June 19, 2024

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Announcing his forthcoming stadium tour last November, Jerry Seinfeld said: “I have loved Australia since my first tour there in 1998, and I cannot wait to come back to visit some of the greatest comedy fans in the world.”

Three shows into that tour, he might now be having second thoughts.

For the second time this week, the 70-year-old US comedian became embroiled on Tuesday night in a heated exchange with pro-Palestinian protesters at a stand-up comedy show in Australia.

The exchanges at Sydney’s 9000-seat Aware Super Theatre were, like Sunday night’s events, captured in videos posted online by the Australian Jewish Association, which claimed “Australia is earning a shocking reputation for antisemitism” around the world, and by pro-Palestinian activists.

Seinfeld has become the target of protesters over what has been interpreted as his support for Israel’s military response to the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, in which 1200 people were killed and another 250 taken hostage.

Since then, Israel’s campaign of retaliation has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 37,500 Palestinians, including a claimed 15,000 children. Israel’s military says 309 of its troops have died in the fighting.

“You’re a hack and a fraud,” a protester yells in the Tuesday night video posted by activists. “Fifteen thousand children dead … you’re complicit in genocide. You went to Israel to [live your] fantasies of killing Palestinians.”

That was a reference to a 2018 visit by Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, to Caliber 3, an “anti-terrorist” training camp in the occupied West Bank, where participants simulate attacks on Palestinians and the comedian was photographed holding a machine gun.

“Ah, you’re doing great. You’re getting them on your side, can you hear it?” Seinfeld mocks in return, in the video posted by the AJA. “You think that ruining the night … it doesn’t affect me. All these people, you’re ruining their night. That’s all you did.”

As the protesters were led away by police – no arrests were made or charges laid – Seinfeld tried to reclaim the moment for comedy by saying their heckling had been part of the show. “This was all set up by me. This is a friend of mine, let me introduce him, his name is Haime Goldstein. This was all set up.”

Responding to an audience member who said she loved him, he said: “Thank you, sweetheart, I love you too. I love them too – they just need a little direction of where to use their tremendous brain power.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21054337 (201045ZJUN24) Notable: Carlton Trades Hall defaced with vile anti-cop graffiti as vandals lashed - The iconic Trades Hall union building in Melbourne was defaced early Thursday morning with vicious anti-police graffiti in the latest incident of pro-Palestine vandalism to strike the city. Messages in orange paint reading “cops defend genocide” and “ACAB”, which stands for “all cops are bastards”, were written on the pillars of the legendary 19th-century hall, the home of Victoria’s trade union movement. “Free Palestine” and “cops out of trades hall” were also painted onto the building. Victoria Police is investigating the defacement. “Police are investigating after a building near the intersection of Victoria and Lygon streets was graffitied around 3.30am this morning,” the police said. “The investigation into the incident is ongoing.” Trades Hall secretary Luke Hilakari slammed the act as “cowardly”. “These people are broadly some left wing anarchists who think you make change through the end of a spray can rather than actually doing real work,” he said. “It’s performative activism. The people who have something to say, they don’t hide behind masks. This is cowardly.” A video posted to the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance Facebook page shows at least three people in black outfits and masks spray-painting the messages in the dark.

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>>>/qresearch/20983586

>>191379

>>191394

Carlton Trades Hall defaced with vile anti-cop graffiti as vandals lashed

Vile messages have been spray-painted on one of Australia’s iconic halls in another incident of pro-Palestine vandalism, with vandals lashed for “performative activism”.

Duncan Evans - June 20, 2024

The iconic Trades Hall union building in Melbourne was defaced early Thursday morning with vicious anti-police graffiti in the latest incident of pro-Palestine vandalism to strike the city.

Messages in orange paint reading “cops defend genocide” and “ACAB”, which stands for “all cops are bastards”, were written on the pillars of the legendary 19th-century hall, the home of Victoria’s trade union movement.

“Free Palestine” and “cops out of trades hall” were also painted onto the building.

Victoria Police is investigating the defacement.

“Police are investigating after a building near the intersection of Victoria and Lygon streets was graffitied around 3.30am this morning,” the police said.

“The investigation into the incident is ongoing.”

Trades Hall secretary Luke Hilakari slammed the act as “cowardly”.

“These people are broadly some left wing anarchists who think you make change through the end of a spray can rather than actually doing real work,” he said.

“It’s performative activism.

“The people who have something to say they don’t hide behind masks. This is cowardly.”

A video posted to the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance Facebook page shows at least three people in black outfits and masks spray-painting the messages in the dark.

Rock band Rage Against the Machine plays as background music to the footage.

Mr Hilakari said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen, and Police Association of Victoria and City of Melbourne Deputy Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece had reached out to offer their support to the union.

“We’ve been vocal in calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, but I think they’re got other agendas at play here,” he said.

WACA calls itself a “grassroots alliance supporting communities to campaign to end war, defend human, environmental and civil rights and confront corporate corruption.”

The defacement of the union hall comes one day after a shocking pro-Palestine vandalism attack on the office of Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns in St Kilda in which the words “Zionism is fascism” were painted over Mr Burns’ image.

Speaking on Wednesday morning, Mr Burns said the attackers, who also smashed in windows and lit fires, were “politically motivated”.

“At 3.20 this morning, six people turned up to my office,” he said.

“They came with kerosene, they smashed in windows with a hammer, they spray-painted on the outside of my office, they spray-painted in the inside of my office.

“They lit two fires, one on the left-hand side of my office and one outside the door to the residential apartments upstairs.

“It was a very reckless and dangerous vandalism of my office.

“This was really ugly behaviour.”

Anthony Albanese condemned the incident and said those responsible should face “the full force of the law”.

“This is a serious attack. The targeting of a Jewish MP is very distressing,” the Prime Minister said.

“There is no place for political violence in Australia.”

Tensions over Israel and Palestine have erupted into Australian streets since the Hamas terror attack on the Jewish state on October 7 last year.

Pro-Palestine protests have mushroomed across major cities, with protesters incensed by Israel’s campaign in Gaza and the sharp rise in Palestinian deaths.

There has also been a dramatic spike in anti-Semitic prejudice, with Jewish Australians suffering a 738 per cent spike in abuse across October and November 2023 compared with the same period in 2022, according to an interim report from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.

In one example, the words “bring back Hitler, finish the job” were discovered in a bathroom in Sydney.

ECAJ co-CEO Alex Ryvchin claimed the two attacks showed the emergence of a “new fascism” in Australia.

“Yesterday the target was a Jewish member of parliament, today it is Trades Hall,” he said.

“The message from those responsible is clear. Whoever fails to submit to their ideology is an enemy. No room for dissent. No room for debate.

“That is called fascism. But just as the attack on Josh Burns was principally an attack on a Jewish public figure, this attack is an assault on the labour movement and working Australians.

“Nazism targeted Jews and unionists. This new fascism is doing the same.

“We stand with the staff and members in condemning this intimidation and cowardice. It has no place in Australia.”

https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/news/carlton-trades-hall-defaced-with-vile-anticop-graffiti/news-story/2185679b4cf252d381253e2ece605d40

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21060788 (211544ZJUN24) Notable: Israeli ‘extremist’ tells Australian audience Gaza should have been reduced to ashes - A former Israeli parliamentarian who once held a position in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government told an online gathering of Australian Jews this week that Israel should have abandoned adherence to international law and reduced Gaza to ashes. In a series of incendiary claims, Moshe Feiglin, the leader of Israel’s far-right Zehut party, said there was no such thing as Palestinians, Palestinian statehood was the biggest lie of the 20th century and that Gaza should be resettled by Jewish Israelis and Arab families encouraged to leave. “What Israel should have done to Gaza, on the 8th of October, was exactly what the British people did in Hamburg and Dresden, and exactly what the American people did in every Japanese city they could reach,” he told a Zoom meeting hosted by the Australian Jewish Association (AJA). “They burnt them to ashes. No ridiculous humanitarian aid. The burnt those cities. If we had done that, we would have won the war in a few days and many of the hostages would be free today.”

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>>191348

Israeli ‘extremist’ tells Australian audience Gaza should have been reduced to ashes

Chip Le Grand - June 21, 2024

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A former Israeli parliamentarian who once held a position in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government told an online gathering of Australian Jews this week that Israel should have abandoned adherence to international law and reduced Gaza to ashes.

In a series of incendiary claims, Moshe Feiglin, the leader of Israel’s far-right Zehut party, said there was no such thing as Palestinians, Palestinian statehood was the biggest lie of the 20th century and that Gaza should be resettled by Jewish Israelis and Arab families encouraged to leave.

“What Israel should have done to Gaza, on the 8th of October, was exactly what the British people did in Hamburg and Dresden, and exactly what the American people did in every Japanese city they could reach,” he told a Zoom meeting hosted by the Australian Jewish Association (AJA).

“They burnt them to ashes. No ridiculous humanitarian aid. The burnt those cities.

“If we had done that, we would have won the war in a few days and many of the hostages would be free today.”

The association’s invitation for Feiglin to speak, at a time when the war has bitterly divided Australian communities and unleashed antisemitic attacks on Jewish people, businesses and politicians, was condemned by Palestinian and Jewish community organisations.

Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler denounced Feiglin’s views and the association’s decision to host him.

“He is an extremist, who does not reflect the mainstream views of Israelis, nor of Australian Jews,” Leibler said. “No mainstream Jewish community organisation would provide him with a platform.

“It is outrageous and unacceptable to hold any Israeli or Jewish Australian responsible for the hate promoted by Moshe Feiglin because we have as much sway over this unelected extremist as we do over any other far-right extremist in Australia.”

The Australian Jewish Association is a non-representative public affairs organisation with a punchy social media presence and political views to the right of more established Jewish community organisations.

Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said the association was “promoting fascist ideologies” and said Feiglin had no place in civil discourse.

“It should alarm all Australians that the AJA, which has been linked to extremist Israeli settler movements, and has a history of promoting anti-Palestinian racism, should choose to actively amplify Feiglin’s dangerous and genocidal message,” Mashni said.

The Jewish Council of Australia, a self-appointed expert panel of largely anti-Zionist Jewish intellectuals, accused the AJA in a submission to a Senate inquiry into right-wing extremism of being violently Islamophobic and supporting ethnic cleansing in Palestine.

“It’s disgraceful that the AJA platforms figures like Feiglin,” the council’s executive officer, Sarah Schwartz, said. “We should all be concerned that extremist views such as Feiglin’s are becoming more and more normalised within Israeli society and political discourse.”

AJA president David Adler defended the decision to host Feiglin, who he said was previously a “major player” in Israeli politics and remained a frequent media commentator in Israel and through international outlets including the BBC.

Feiglin also has strong family ties to Australia. Although born in Israel, his great-grandfather was a prominent fruit grower in the Victorian town of Shepparton, and his family lived here until the 1960s. During his time in the Knesset, Feiglin chaired the Australia-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group.

“AJA has hosted hundreds of speakers from across the political spectrum,” Adler said. “We never claim to share particular views, but we don’t do censorship or cancel culture.”

Feiglin spoke from his West Bank home to an online audience of about 500 people on Wednesday in livestreams arranged by the AJA. When asked whether his comments would make life more difficult for Jewish people living in Australia, Feiglin was unapologetic.

Two weeks ago, one of his grandsons, IDF sergeant Yair Levin, was killed serving in the southern Gaza town of Rafah when he and other Israeli soldiers entered a booby-trapped building.

“We are losing the war because we tie our hands to these rules, these European rules that did not help one Jew in Europe,” he said.

“My grandson was killed because he was sent into the building instead of destroying the building from air as we should have done, and with bulldozers. Destroying the building was the moral thing to do. Sending my grandson inside was immoral.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21070672 (231031ZJUN24) Notable: Video: Jerry Seinfeld opens up on time in Australia in exclusive 7NEWS interview amid heckler-plagued tour - Jerry Seinfeld says Australia is “the best place to be a comedian”, while urging hecklers at his shows to “go where things are political” if they want to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza. In his most in-depth on-camera interview while touring Australia, the legendary funnyman told 7NEWS of his “love” of the country despite his stand-up shows twice being interrupted by pro-Palestine hecklers. “I love Australia, of course,” he told 7NEWS in Brisbane on Thursday, the morning after his only show in the Queensland capital. After being heckled at both shows in Sydney, he said the “very polite” and “great” Brisbane crowd on Wednesday night did not follow suit. A supporter of Israel in its war on Hamas which has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, he encouraged his audiences to keep their political views to themselves. “I don’t care what your politics are, but go where things are political,” he said. “This is where we go to, kind of, forget about politics. “We all want to forget about it for a couple of hours. That’s the whole idea of the show. Forget about everything for a couple of hours.”

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>>191391

Jerry Seinfeld opens up on time in Australia in exclusive 7NEWS interview amid heckler-plagued tour

In his most in-depth interview while touring Australia, the legendary comedian has paid a compliment to a 7NEWS journalist.

Jordan Bissell and Warren Barnsley - 20 June 2024

Jerry Seinfeld says Australia is “the best place to be a comedian”, while urging hecklers at his shows to “go where things are political” if they want to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza.

In his most in-depth on-camera interview while touring Australia, the legendary funnyman told 7NEWS of his “love” of the country despite his stand-up shows twice being interrupted by pro-Palestine hecklers.

“I love Australia, of course,” he told 7NEWS in Brisbane on Thursday, the morning after his only show in the Queensland capital.

“It’s just the best place to be a comedian. Australia’s comedy heaven.

“We’re having the time of our life. I’m having such a good time.”

Asked about his favourite thing about Australia, he responded, “the people”.

“The people love to laugh and they’re so nice. There’s just a warm feeling in every show, that I love,” he said.

After being heckled at both shows in Sydney, he said the “very polite” and “great” Brisbane crowd on Wednesday night did not follow suit.

Seinfeld, 70, flew to Adelaide on Thursday morning ahead of a show that night, before appearances in Melbourne across the weekend then travelling to New Zealand.

A supporter of Israel in its war on Hamas which has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians, he encouraged his audiences to keep their political views to themselves.

“I don’t care what your politics are, but go where things are political,” he said.

“This is where we go to, kind of, forget about politics.

“We all want to forget about it for a couple of hours. That’s the whole idea of the show. Forget about everything for a couple of hours.”

Earlier this week, he mocked people at his Sydney shows who heckled him over his support for Israel, telling them, “We have a genius, ladies and gentlemen, he solved the Middle East.”

On Thursday, he couldn’t resist a comedic jibe at a 7NEWS camera operator after praising journalist Jordan Bissell for meeting him at Brisbane airport for the early morning interview.

“This is amazing that you got up, you got dressed, (turns to camera operator) ... you want credit too? No, you don’t look as nice as her,” he said.

On another note, the New York native revealed a fondness for an Australian delicacy.

“Tim Tam, what’s that?” he said.

“Oh, the little chocolate candies — the chocolate?

“There was one of those in my (hotel) room and I ate the whole thing.”

https://7news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/jerry-seinfeld-opens-up-on-time-in-australia-in-exclusive-7news-interview-amid-heckler-plagued-tour-c-15083556

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21070696 (231044ZJUN24) Notable: Video: ‘Just gave money to a Jew’: Seinfeld faces more pro-Palestine hecklers in Melbourne - US comedian Jerry Seinfeld didn’t back down when hecklers interrupted his Melbourne show on Saturday night, sending the crowd at Rod Laver Arena into laughter. Ten minutes before the evening show was due to finish, at least two protesters chanted “free Palestine”, prompting Seinfeld to draw on his trademark black comedy. “You need to go back and tell whoever is running your organisation (that) ‘we just gave more money to a Jew’,” the 70-year-old US comedian told the protesters. The response drew raucous laughter from the crowd as he continued with a two-minute spiel in response to the interruption. “Listen, dude, listen, listen, let me explain something. You and I are in the same business,” he said. He went on to tell the protesters that they were in the wrong place. “Our business is to get people to see things the way we see it,” he said. Later, before taking questions from the audience, Seinfeld mused that the protesters might’ve taken so long to make their presence known because they were enjoying the show.

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>>191391

‘Just gave money to a Jew’: Seinfeld faces more pro-Palestine hecklers in Melbourne

Cameron Woodhead - June 23, 2024

US comedian Jerry Seinfeld didn’t back down when hecklers interrupted his Melbourne show on Saturday night, sending the crowd at Rod Laver Arena into laughter.

Ten minutes before the evening show was due to finish, at least two protesters chanted “free Palestine”, prompting Seinfeld to draw on his trademark black comedy.

“You need to go back and tell whoever is running your organisation (that) ‘we just gave more money to a Jew’,” the 70-year-old US comedian told the protesters.

The response drew raucous laughter from the crowd as he continued with a two-minute spiel in response to the interruption.

“Listen, dude, listen, listen, let me explain something. You and I are in the same business,” he said.

He went on to tell the protesters that they were in the wrong place. “Our business is to get people to see things the way we see it,” he said.

Later, before taking questions from the audience, Seinfeld mused that the protesters might’ve taken so long to make their presence known because they were enjoying the show.

A handful of protesters had gathered at the entrances to Rod Laver Arena. At least 10 police officers were also on hand, but no trouble was reported. Event organisers had been expecting a crowd of up to 500 protesters.

It follows incidents at two of Seinfeld’s recent Sydney shows, where he was targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters during his performances.

In a statement issued to this masthead last week, activists associated with the protest actions in Sydney explained why they targeted Seinfeld.

They said they hoped to “raise awareness for both Seinfeld’s audience and the wider community of the current and ongoing illegal occupation and genocide perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians” and to “generate conversation around the issue and encourage others to educate themselves and engage more deeply” with it.

Accepting that their protests might make patrons uncomfortable, the Sydney activists said “but such discomfort surely pales in comparison to our community’s collective trauma at the devastating loss of life in Gaza and the West Bank for the last eight months (and indeed since 1948)”.

The activists, who claim not to have bought tickets to Seinfeld’s shows but to have received them from people who had decided against attending after becoming aware of the comedian’s views, insist they are not antisemitic.

Seinfeld has become the target of protesters over what has been interpreted as his support for Israel’s military response to the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, in which 1200 people were killed and another 250 taken hostage.

Since then, Israel’s campaign of retaliation has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 37,500 Palestinians, including a claimed 15,000 children. Israel’s military says more than 300 of its troops have died in the fighting.

Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, visited Israel in December and toured sites of the Hamas attacks.

On her Instagram, Jessica posted on Christmas Eve that this was her fifth visit, “and I have never seen a more unified country. Among people of all walks of life, from wounded soldiers to families of peace activists whose mothers, fathers or siblings were murdered or are still held captive in Gaza, the horror of October 7th has erased divisions within Israel. Everyone has come together for a greater cause – to defeat Hamas, to build a better and safer Israel, and a better, safer world”.

On October 10, Seinfeld had himself posted an image of a young woman wrapped in an Israeli flag, with the legend “I stand with Israel”.

“We believe in justice, freedom and equality,” he wrote. “We survive and flourish no matter what. I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people.”

In an interview with podcaster Bari Weiss last month, he described the visit to Israel as “the most powerful experience of my life”.

Though his statements on the conflict have rarely been overtly political (except insofar as he has taken to dismissing so-called “woke” culture), they have been deemed partisan enough for anti-war protesters in the United States to take issue.

Last month, some students at Duke University walked out on their own graduation ceremony as honorary guest Seinfeld began a commencement speech.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/just-gave-money-to-a-jew-seinfeld-shuts-down-pro-palestinian-hecklers-in-melbourne-20240622-p5jnx1.html?js-chunk-not-found-refresh=true

https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/seinfelds-brutal-comeback-as-propalestine-hecklers-crash-another-show-on-aussie-tour-from-hell/news-story/17f5f1a059b4e4d5ac956a1aac5e8cbf

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21136515 (041046ZJUL24) Notable: Video: Pro-Palestine protesters climb onto parliament roof - A pro-Palestine protest that saw four people breach Parliament House security and unfurl black banners from the building’s roof was “designed to inflict fear and instil chaos in Australia’s society,” Peter Dutton says. The Opposition Leader and opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham wrote to Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the presiding officers of Parliament House immediately after the stunt, asking them to take “immediate and decisive action” to hold the protesters to account. Four people were charged after they climbed on top of Parliament House and draped signs across the building declaring: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. The protesters, and a group of a few dozen on the ground, chanted: “If they don’t give us justice, they don’t get no peace”. It is understood some climate protesters glued themselves to the marble floors in the foyer of Parliament House, directly beneath where other protesters are positioned on the roof. The Australian witnessed the protest unfolding, with four people able to easily jump a 2.5m security fence and access the roof above the public entrance of parliament. The fence was part of a $126.7m security upgrade in 2017.

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Pro-Palestine protesters climb onto parliament roof

SARAH ISON and MOHAMMAD ALFARES - 4 July 2024

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A pro-Palestine protest that saw four people breach Parliament House security and unfurl black banners from the building’s roof was “designed to inflict fear and instil chaos in Australia’s society,” Peter Dutton says.

The Opposition Leader and opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham wrote to Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and the presiding officers of Parliament House immediately after the stunt, asking them to take “immediate and decisive action” to hold the protesters to account.

Four people were charged after they climbed on top of Parliament House and draped signs across the building declaring: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

The protesters, and a group of a few dozen on the ground, chanted: “If they don’t give us justice, they don’t get no peace”.

It is understood some climate protesters glued themselves to the marble floors in the foyer of Parliament House, directly beneath where other protesters are positioned on the roof.

The Australian witnessed the protest unfolding, with four people able to easily jump a 2.5m security fence and access the roof above the public entrance of parliament. The fence was part of a $126.7m security upgrade in 2017.

“We write with urgency regarding the alarming security breach at Parliament House earlier today,” Mr Dutton and Senator Birmingham said.

“The world has witnessed the disgraceful scenes of protestors gluing themselves to the marble foyer and pro-Palestinian protesters displaying large inflammatory and violent banners outside the front of the Australian Parliament House. This egregious violation tarnishes the reputation of this esteemed institution and disrespects its occupants.

“This is not a protest of a normal nature. This was a protest that was designed to inflict fear and instil chaos in Australia’s society.

“Despite significant government expenditure on upgrading the security of Parliament House, these protestors managed to gain access to the exterior of the building with apparent ease and remained there for a considerable duration.

“The opposition urgently calls upon the government and presiding officers to take immediate and decisive action to hold these protestors to account and conduct a thorough investigation into this security lapse.”

The Coalition has requested a formal statement from the presiding officers to both chambers addressing the incident and prior breaches, noting there had been two disruptions during question time in the House of Representatives.

“It is imperative that we ensure the nation’s parliament operates safely, free from the interference of those who seek to undermine our critical work,” Mr Dutton and Senator Birmingham said.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie has slammed Anthony Albanese for failing to protect the Parliament House, saying the pro-Palestine protest was a show of support for radical Hamas supporters.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21136534 (041053ZJUL24) Notable: Extraordinary diplomatic dressing down puts Australia-Jewish relations at all-time low - Australia has sparked a diplomatic flashpoint after the ­Albanese government hauled in Israel’s ambassador for a dressing down over his country’s war in the Middle East. Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon was formally summoned to a meeting in Canberra 10 days ago and warned that the Jewish state could not expect Australia’s support if it goes to war against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon. In a sign of the deteriorating relationship between Australia and Israel, the federal government’s position on a potential war in Southern Lebanon was not delivered by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, but was left to Ms Wong’s underling, Assistant Minister Tim Watts. Several people familiar with the situation said Mr Maimon’s relationship with Senator Wong has been “in the freezer” for several months. Formally summoning an ambassador is considered a serious step in the diplomatic world, akin to a formal rebuke. The warning to Israel that it should not expect Australian support in the event of a ground war against Hezbollah is just the latest sign of the cooling of relations between Canberra and Jerusalem. Israeli officials have made no secret of their anger at Australia’s recent vote in favour of upgrading Palestine’s status at the UN which came months after it appointed a Special Adviser to report on the Israeli government’s investigation of the killing by the IDF of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen colleagues.

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>>191348

Extraordinary diplomatic dressing down puts Australia-Jewish relations at all-time low

Australia has sparked a diplomatic flashpoint after the ­Albanese government hauled in Israel’s ambassador for a dressing down over his country’s war in the Middle East.

James Campbell - July 4, 2024

Exclusive: Australia has sparked a diplomatic flashpoint after the ­Albanese government hauled in Israel’s ambassador for a dressing down over his country’s war in the Middle East.

Israeli Ambassador Amir Maimon was formally summoned to a meeting in Canberra 10 days ago and warned that the Jewish state could not expect Australia’s support if it goes to war against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon.

In a sign of the deteriorating relationship between Australia and Israel, the federal government’s position on a potential war in Southern Lebanon was not delivered by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, but was left to Ms Wong’s underling, Assistant Minister Tim Watts.

Several people familiar with the situation said Mr Maimon’s relationship with Senator Wong has been “in the freezer” for several months.

Formally summoning an ambassador is considered a serious step in the diplomatic world, akin to a formal rebuke.

Tensions between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which Australia officially lists as a terrorist organisation, are at boiling point with fears tit-for-tat air strikes across the border are at danger of escalating into a full-scale war.

Since the current conflict began in the wake of Hamas’s horrific attack from Gaza last October, more than 60,000 Israelis have been forced to flee from northern Israel because of Hezbollah attacks.

The Daily Telegraph understands that in recent days ­Lebanon’s ambassador has also been summoned by the Albanese government and warned against any escalation.

Although it is represented in Lebanon’s parliament, the Lebanese government is generally regarded as having little influence over Hezbollah which is trained, funded and supplied by Iran.

The warning to Israel that it should not expect Australian support in the event of a ground war against Hezbollah is just the latest sign of the cooling of relations between Canberra and Jerusalem.

Israeli officials have made no secret of their anger at Australia’s recent vote in favour of upgrading Palestine’s status at the UN which came months after it appointed a Special Adviser to report on the Israeli government’s investigation of the killing by the IDF of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen colleagues.

In recent days there have been mixed reports about the likelihood of a full-scale conflict in the Middle East.

Last week the head of Israel’s air force told an audience that fighting against Hamas in Gaza would end soon as it was close to defeat and that the IDF was ready for a conflict in the north with Hezbollah.

But in an earlier report in the New York Times, Israeli military leaders are said to have warned their government a truce with Hamas was a precondition for any war with Hezbollah, while on Tuesday Hezbollah’s deputy leader Sheikh Naim Kassem told Associated Press if there was a full ceasefire in Gaza “we will stop without any discussion”.

A spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said ministers, assistant ministers and DFAT officials regularly met with diplomats.

“Assistant Minister Watts expressed Australia’s concern about the risk of regional escalation,” she said.

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/extraordinary-diplomatic-dressing-down-puts-australiajewish-relations-at-alltime-low/news-story/8df4dae3a4210cc7a246ef6157719b55

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21153379 (071102ZJUL24) Notable: Video: Greens deputy Mehreen Faruqi refuses to say whether Hamas should be dismantled - Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi has refused to say whether terror group Hamas should be dismantled, saying that should be a decision made by Palestinians once they are granted statehood. The Greens have been vocal in parliament about the need to recognise Palestine as a state, and have accused the government of being "complicit in genocide" by refusing to sanction Israel over the war in Gaza. Speaking on ABC's Insiders, Senator Faruqi said Hamas was a listed terror organisation and the Greens were demanding no change to that. But asked repeatedly whether Hamas should be dismantled, or whether Palestinians should be allowed to choose to be ruled by Hamas under their own state, the senator avoided answering. "Listen, the situation with Hamas is, I can't keep repeating it again and again, it has nothing to do with Palestinian statehood and Palestinian self-determination," Senator Faruqi said. "The Palestinians need to decide where they want to go with their own region. It's not up to me to say who should be gone or not."

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>>191348

Greens deputy Mehreen Faruqi refuses to say whether Hamas should be dismantled

Jake Evans - 7 July 2024

Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi has refused to say whether terror group Hamas should be dismantled, saying that should be a decision made by Palestinians once they are granted statehood.

The Greens have been vocal in parliament about the need to recognise Palestine as a state, and have accused the government of being "complicit in genocide" by refusing to sanction Israel over the war in Gaza.

Speaking on ABC's Insiders, Senator Faruqi said Hamas was a listed terror organisation and the Greens were demanding no change to that.

But asked repeatedly whether Hamas should be dismantled, or whether Palestinians should be allowed to choose to be ruled by Hamas under their own state, the senator avoided answering.

"Listen, the situation with Hamas is, I can't keep repeating it again and again, it has nothing to do with Palestinian statehood and Palestinian self-determination," Senator Faruqi said.

"The Palestinians need to decide where they want to go with their own region.

"It's not up to me to say who should be gone or not."

Vilification campaign against Payman

After a tumultuous week in politics ending in first-term senator Fatima Payman's exit from Labor, Senator Faruqi claimed the government had launched a campaign of "vilification" against her for speaking out on Palestine.

Senator Payman quit on Thursday to join the crossbench, after she was suspended from Labor's caucus for voting against the party on a motion to recognise Palestinian statehood.

Senator Faruqi said even as the young Labor senator was considering her actions, there were "unsourced whispers" from Labor MPs "vilifying" Senator Payman for her expression of her faith.

"I think being the other brown Muslim woman in the senate, I can understand far better than most what Senator Payman has been going through. Not just over the last few weeks, but just in general," Senator Faruqi said.

"You know, I have been vilified for strong positions that I have taken. And so, I can understand what Senator Payman is going through."

Within hours of leaving the party, media reports also emerged citing senior Labor figures who questioned Senator Payman's eligibility to remain in the party, because of a potential dual citizenship.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said on Friday it would be "pretty red hot" if Labor had known there was a constitutional issue with Senator Payman while she was still a member of the party.

Frontbencher Murray Watt said he had no information to suggest there was an issue with Senator Payman's citizenship, and dismissed it as a "media story".

"From Labor's perspective there's no issue here," he said.

Senator Faruqi also confirmed the Greens did not make representations for Senator Payman to join their party.

But the Greens have vowed to use the winter break to pressure other Labor politicians to speak out on Palestine, including MPs Peter Khalil, Ged Kearney and Ed Husic, by campaigning in their electorates.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-07/mehreen-faruqi-refuses-say-hamas-dismantled/104068452

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21171787 (100625ZJUL24) Notable: Embattled MP slams Muslim Vote claim that Labor’s ‘weak on Palestine’ - Labor’s Peter Khalil has become the first MP to push back against claims made by a pro-Palestinian political movement aiming to unseat Labor politicians, declaring the group known as The Muslim Vote is misleading the public about the government’s stance on the Gaza war. The Melbourne MP is fighting to hold onto his inner-northern seat of Wills after a redistribution proposal five weeks ago that favours the Greens, who are reaching out to Muslims who make up 10 per cent of the electorate’s voters. The Muslim Vote’s network plans to campaign against Labor MPs they regard as “weak on Palestine” in several seats - including Wills – and met Senator Fatima Payman last month before she crossed the floor to vote with the Greens on immediate recognition of Palestinian statehood. Khalil on Monday accused the group’s leaders of failing to mention “countless” public statements by Labor such as breaking with the United States to back a ceasefire vote at the United Nations, calling for unimpeded aid, demanding Israel respect humanitarian law, and affirming Australia’s role in a peace process that could lead to a Palestinian state. Khalil has expressed the private frustration of target MPs, including senior ministers, who believe the group is fuelling misinformation and distrust, but they are unwilling to criticise the group openly.

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>>>/qresearch/21136400

Embattled MP slams Muslim Vote claim that Labor’s ‘weak on Palestine’

Paul Sakkal - July 8, 2024

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Labor’s Peter Khalil has become the first MP to push back against claims made by a pro-Palestinian political movement aiming to unseat Labor politicians, declaring the group known as The Muslim Vote is misleading the public about the government’s stance on the Gaza war.

The Melbourne MP is fighting to hold onto his inner-northern seat of Wills after a redistribution proposal five weeks ago that favours the Greens, who are reaching out to Muslims who make up 10 per cent of the electorate’s voters.

The Muslim Vote’s network plans to campaign against Labor MPs they regard as “weak on Palestine” in several seats – including Wills – and met Senator Fatima Payman last month before she crossed the floor to vote with the Greens on immediate recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Khalil on Monday accused the group’s leaders of failing to mention “countless” public statements by Labor such as breaking with the United States to back a ceasefire vote at the United Nations, calling for unimpeded aid, demanding Israel respect humanitarian law, and affirming Australia’s role in a peace process that could lead to a Palestinian state.

“I have spoken on Palestinian self-determination and statehood multiple times in parliament. I spoke most recently in parliament on July 3, 2024, in strong support of a Palestinian state and self-determination. None of this was accurately acknowledged on the scorecards or claims on [Muslim Votes Matter/the Muslim Vote],” he said in a statement.

“In addition, they do not represent the countless on-the-record statements on radio, TV, print media and social media.”

Khalil has expressed the private frustration of target MPs, including senior ministers, who believe the group is fuelling misinformation and distrust, but they are unwilling to criticise the group openly.

The Muslim Vote website – modelled on a UK version that helped elect five independent MPs last week on the Gaza issue – lists Labor MPs and rates the strength of their support for the Palestinian cause.

Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke, whose western Sydney seat of Watson is 24 per cent Muslim, is listed as being “weak” on Palestine. This is despite Burke coming out early and consistently to condemn Israel’s military action, while supporting the right of councils to fly Palestinian flags.

The prospect of well-resourced independents running on the Gaza issue in seats such as Watson, Blaxland and Chifley in NSW, and Wills and Calwell in Victoria has prompted talks among Labor MPs and strategists about the prospect of a “teal-style” independent victory or preferences flows to Liberals or Greens.

Organisers from The Muslim Vote were contacted for comment.

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21172250 (101025ZJUL24) Notable: ‘Antisemitic stereotypes’: Meta to remove more posts attacking ‘Zionists’ - Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta will start removing more posts that attack “Zionists” when the term is used to represent Jewish people or Israelis more generally. Meta usually removes posts that attack a person based on a “protected characteristic,” such as their race, nationality or religion, though political affiliation doesn’t fall into that protected class. While Zionism is a political movement to establish - and now to maintain – a formal Jewish state in the Middle East, the company said that people are also using the term “Zionist” to refer to Jewish or Israeli people more broadly. “We will remove content attacking ‘Zionists’ when it is not explicitly about the political movement, but instead uses antisemitic stereotypes, or threatens other types of harm through intimidation, or violence directed against Jews or Israelis under the guise of attacking Zionists,” Meta wrote in a blog post. Meta previously considered the term “Zionist” as a proxy for Jewish people in very narrow or explicit cases, like if Zionists were compared to rats, according to the blog post. This change in policy expands what could be a violation to phrases where “Jew” or “Israeli” are not mentioned.

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>>191348

>>191406

‘Antisemitic stereotypes’: Meta to remove more posts attacking ‘Zionists’

Kurt Wagner - July 10, 2024

Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta will start removing more posts that attack “Zionists” when the term is used to represent Jewish people or Israelis more generally.

Meta usually removes posts that attack a person based on a “protected characteristic,” such as their race, nationality or religion, though political affiliation doesn’t fall into that protected class.

While Zionism is a political movement to establish – and now to maintain – a formal Jewish state in the Middle East, the company said that people are also using the term “Zionist” to refer to Jewish or Israeli people more broadly.

“We will remove content attacking ‘Zionists’ when it is not explicitly about the political movement, but instead uses antisemitic stereotypes, or threatens other types of harm through intimidation, or violence directed against Jews or Israelis under the guise of attacking Zionists,” Meta wrote in a blog post.

Meta previously considered the term “Zionist” as a proxy for Jewish people in very narrow or explicit cases, like if Zionists were compared to rats, according to the blog post. This change in policy expands what could be a violation to phrases where “Jew” or “Israeli” are not mentioned.

Use of “Zionists” on Meta’s services was more formally reviewed over the last several months, though the company has considered how best to police the term for the past three years, said Neil Potts, vice president of public policy for Meta.

Potts and colleagues have consulted 145 stakeholders over the past three years, including academics and civil rights experts from around the world, to help decide how to address the term on its platforms. The company has also asked its external Oversight Board to weigh in on “how to treat comparisons between Zionists and criminals (e.g., ‘Zionists are war criminals’).”

Meta acknowledges that policing the new rule could be a challenge. “There is nothing approaching a global consensus on what people mean when they use the term ‘Zionist,’” according to the blog post.

But Meta will remove posts when the term is calling for physical harm, dehumanising Zionists by comparing them to animals or “filth”, or suggesting Zionists are “running the world or controlling the media”.

The expanded policy comes nine months after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing more than 1000 people and taking several hundred others hostage. Since then, the Israeli air and ground offensive has killed more than 38,000 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

The two sides are still at war, and Meta has made several policy changes in that time to cut down on posts showing violence from the attack or praising Hamas, which the US and European Union classify as a terrorist organisation.

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/antisemitic-stereotypes-meta-to-remove-more-posts-attacking-zionists-20240710-p5jsec.html

Update from the Policy Forum on our approach to ‘Zionist’ as a proxy for hate speech

Meta Transparency Center - JUL 9, 2024

https://transparency.meta.com/en-gb/hate-speech-update-july2024/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21177924 (111104ZJUL24) Notable: ‘I’ll be fighting tooth and nail’: Muslim leader vows to back Labor - Muslim leaders have warned against a new pro-Palestinian political group that vows to target Labor ministers at the next election, saying the faith-based movement could backfire by deepening community division. The government is trying to contain anger over the war in Gaza in key electorates with thousands of Muslim voters, while the Greens accuse Labor of siding with Israel, and the Coalition says Labor offers too much support for an independent Palestine. The new movement, called The Muslim Vote and backed by Sydney Sheikh Wesam Charkawi, has labelled several cabinet ministers as “weak on Palestine”, and has threatened to run candidates against Labor at the election. Muslim community leader Jamal Rifi said the new movement was wrong about senior Labor figures such as Employment Minister Tony Burke and Education Minister Jason Clare, given their public positions on the Middle East. “I totally disagree with The Muslim Vote on that. They are totally ignorant of everything those two people have done over the years and in the immediate past,” he said. “I’ll be fighting tooth and nail to protect our friends in the Labor Party.”

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>>>/qresearch/21136400

‘I’ll be fighting tooth and nail’: Muslim leader vows to back Labor

David Crowe and Paul Sakkal - July 10, 2024

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Muslim leaders have warned against a new pro-Palestinian political group that vows to target Labor ministers at the next election, saying the faith-based movement could backfire by deepening community division.

The warning comes as the federal government struggles to find a consensus candidate in the Muslim community to fill a new post to combat Islamophobia, slowing the plan which would match this week’s appointment of an envoy for antisemitism.

The government is trying to contain anger over the war in Gaza in key electorates with thousands of Muslim voters, while the Greens accuse Labor of siding with Israel, and the Coalition says Labor offers too much support for an independent Palestine.

The new movement, called The Muslim Vote and backed by Sydney Sheikh Wesam Charkawi, has labelled several cabinet ministers as “weak on Palestine”, and has threatened to run candidates against Labor at the election.

Muslim community leader Jamal Rifi said the new movement was wrong about senior Labor figures such as Employment Minister Tony Burke and Education Minister Jason Clare, given their public positions on the Middle East.

“I totally disagree with The Muslim Vote on that. They are totally ignorant of everything those two people have done over the years and in the immediate past,” he said.

“I’ll be fighting tooth and nail to protect our friends in the Labor Party.”

Rifi, who founded Muslim Doctors Against Violence, has strongly criticised some Labor members in the past – including Tania Mihailuk, who later joined Pauline Hanson’s One Nation – but said it was important to support good people within the party.

“I will defend Tony Burke and Jason Clare – I’ve known them for years and they are men of integrity,” he said.

“They have worked honourably and they have not taken our votes for granted.

“As a matter of fact, The Muslim Vote are taking voters for granted by not identifying themselves and expecting everyone to follow their instructions.”

Bilal Raouf, legal affairs adviser to the Australian National Imams Council, said little was known about the new political movement.

“For instance, we are not aware that any community organisation or specific candidates are involved. We do know the underlying concern,” he said.

“We do know about what is occurring in Palestine. These factors will play out at various levels in our society, including at the ballot box.”

(continued)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21177984 (111119ZJUL24) Notable: Video: Melbourne pro-Palestine activist who openly called for 'armed resistance', 'death' to America outside city's US consulate referred to the Australian Federal Police - A leading Palestinian activist has been referred to federal and state police after openly calling for “armed resistance” on the streets of Melbourne. Sky News has exclusively obtained disturbing new video of Mohammad Sharab, who is on bail for unrelated charges of kidnapping and assault, calling for death to America and its allies and warning he and supporters would dig “tunnels”, understood to be a reference to Hamas’ terror tunnels. The tirade took place outside the US Consulate in Melbourne’s CBD on US Independence Day on July 4, in full view of police. “We believe in the armed resistance, I say bring back the armed resistance,” Sharab can be heard telling a cheering crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters. “We’re going to start the armed resistance and we’re going to celebrate the fall of that colony. Inshallah, we will. Long live the resistance.” Wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh and a cap in the colours of the Palestinian flag, the 37-year-old repeatedly calls for death to America, Israel and other Western countries. “Death - that is what America deserves,” Sharab says.

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>>191348

Melbourne pro-Palestine activist who openly called for 'armed resistance', 'death' to America outside city's US consulate referred to the Australian Federal Police

A leading Palestinian activist who urged his supporters to form an "armed resistance" and called for "death" to America outside the Melbourne US embassy has been referred to federal and state police.

Caroline Marcus - July 11, 2024

A leading Palestinian activist has been referred to federal and state police after openly calling for “armed resistance” on the streets of Melbourne.

Sky News has exclusively obtained disturbing new video of Mohammad Sharab, who is on bail for unrelated charges of kidnapping and assault, calling for death to America and its allies and warning he and supporters would dig “tunnels”, understood to be a reference to Hamas’ terror tunnels.

The tirade took place outside the US Consulate in Melbourne’s CBD on US Independence Day on July 4, in full view of police.

“We believe in the armed resistance, I say bring back the armed resistance,” Sharab can be heard telling a cheering crowd of pro-Palestinian protesters.

“We’re going to start the armed resistance and we’re going to celebrate the fall of that colony. Inshallah, we will. Long live the resistance.”

Wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh and a cap in the colours of the Palestinian flag, the 37-year-old repeatedly calls for death to America, Israel and other Western countries.

“Death – that is what America deserves,” Sharab says.

“That’s what American colony deserves. That’s what American leaders deserves [sic].

“We do have consciousness and the will to keep rising up, to come up and put an end to this colony.”

Sharab begins the speech by referring to Australia as “stolen land” and later refers to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as an “American puppet”.

“We’ve been asking nicely; now the world, consciously, is going to shift into this,” Sharab warns.

“When we say, ‘end the genocide or else’, ‘ceasefire or else’…. If you want someone to dig tunnels, you know who to call. We’re going to start the armed resistance and we’re going to celebrate the fall of that colony.”

Sharab was charged with the kidnap and assault of a 31-year-old Melbourne man in February.

Alongside Melbourne human rights activist and charity founder Laura Allam, Sharab is accused of bundling the man into a car, attacking him with a hammer and stomping on his head.

The pair’s identities could only be revealed after a court lifted a gag order in March, following a challenge from media outlets.

Sharab has frequently been seen leading protests in Melbourne and has been filmed openly wearing the Hamas emblem.

In one video posted to his Instagram account, he says: “Long live the resistance. Long live f*cking Hamas.”

He was also a regular presence at Melbourne universities’ pro-Palestinian encampments, making headlines after he was filmed abusing a Jewish Monash University student, telling him to “f*ck off”.

Victorian Opposition deputy leader David Southwick said last week’s speech was the most violent he’d seen from the radical activist.

After being shown the video by Sky News, Mr Southwick referred the matter to the AFP and Victorian Police commissioners.

“We don’t know where this is going to lead and if this isn’t hate, if this isn’t extremism and breaching our anti-terrorism and anti-extremism laws, then I don’t know what is,” Mr Southwick said.

“This is really disturbing, the fact that this extremist would be outside the US Consulate, outside the embassy and calling for death to America, death to Israel, calling for arms, also referring to the Hamas tunnels and effectively suggesting these kinds of actions should be done here on our own soil in Australia and Victoria.

“That is a sign of a very desperate individual. That should be properly investigated.”

The Liberal MP said that Sharab had become a “figurehead” and “spokesperson” for the pro-Palestinian movement at the weekly protests in Melbourne, including on the steps of state parliament.

“It’s time for people to consider who they’re standing with who’s leading the weekly protests,” Mr Southwick said.

“This is not peaceful. This is inciting hate, violence, extremism and bordering on terrorism and this guy should be properly investigated.”

Sharab’s lawyer Brett Barratt said neither he nor his client had any comment.

Sky News has gone to the AFP and Victoria Police for a response.

Sharab and Ms Allam are due to face the Melbourne Magistrates Court over the kidnapping and assault charges on Friday.

https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/melbourne-propalestine-activist-who-openly-called-for-armed-resistance-death-to-america-outside-citys-us-consulate-referred-to-the-australian-federal-police/news-story/291e7db6a844f169251ee3eb6dd2f9b3

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21185528 (121657ZJUL24) Notable: Politicians harassed as pro-Palestine supporters target ALP dinner - A 21-year-old woman has been charged with seriously assaulting police, after she allegedly spat on an officer’s face at a pro-Palestine protest targeting an ALP dinner in Brisbane on Friday. Pro-Palestine protesters descended on the event where Anthony Albanese was due to speak, jostling and harassing guests as they entered the event. Queensland Premier Steven Miles, Queensland cabinet members and other senior ALP members are also at the True Believers dinner, which is taking place at The Greek Club in Brisbane. Protesters jostled and harassed guests as they entered the venue at about 6pm, identifying some ALP members to the crowd by name and accusing them “of supporting genocide and baby killing,” one witness said. “It was quite an unhinged, vicious crowd, unlike anything I’ve seen in Brisbane so far.” The protest was organised by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin, which had advertised the event on its social media pages. “Join us to protest the Australian Government’s support for Israel’s Genocide in Palestine,” its advertisement for the protest read. “We demand the Australian Government ends its support and complicity in the Gaza Genocide and immediately sanctions Apartheid Israel.” Protestors at the event could be seen waving flags and could be heard chanting “free, free Palestine”, with one protestor recorded saying: “Albo is a satanist. All zionists are satanists.”

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>>191348

Politicians harassed as pro-Palestine supporters target ALP dinner

LILY MCCAFFREY - 12 July 2024

A 21-year-old woman has been charged with seriously assaulting police, after she allegedly spat on an officer’s face at a pro-Palestine protest targeting an ALP dinner in Brisbane on Friday.

Queensland Police confirmed it had a “planned attendance” at the protest, and said officers were present from about 4pm.

“Approximately 250 people attended the area as a protest,” Queensland Police said in a statement on Friday night.

“No other arrests or move on directions were issued, with the large crowd predominantly protesting peacefully.”

Pro-Palestine protesters descended on the event where Anthony Albanese was due to speak, jostling and harassing guests as they entered the event.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles, Queensland cabinet members and other senior ALP members are also at the True Believers dinner, which is taking place at The Greek Club in Brisbane.

Protesters jostled and harassed guests as they entered the venue at about 6pm, identifying some ALP members to the crowd by name and accusing them “of supporting genocide and baby killing,” one witness said.

“It was quite an unhinged, vicious crowd, unlike anything I’ve seen in Brisbane so far.”

The witness called the incident “a shocking display of racism and hate outside the prime Greek Orthodox Church in Brisbane.”

The Greek Club located next door to the church.

The witness said the protest was “out of control” and that police officers on the ground appeared to be “severely under-resourced”.

“The police were unable to establish control over the entrance,” they said.

As of about 8pm, the protesters remained outside the venue, as the dinner continued to take place.

The protest was organised by Justice for Palestine Magan-djin, which had advertised the event on its social media pages.

“Join us to protest the Australian Government’s support for Israel’s Genocide in Palestine,” its advertisement for the protest read.

“We demand the Australian Government ends its support and complicity in the Gaza Genocide and immediately sanctions Apartheid Israel.”

Protestors at the event could be seen waving flags and could be heard chanting “free, free Palestine”, with one protestor recorded saying:

“Albo is a satanist. All zionists are satanists.”

By 9.30pm, protesters were still present and police were escorting guests out of The Greek Club as they left the dinner.

An attendee, who wished not to be named, described the mood at the dinner as “extraordinarily subdued” and said guests were held at the venue for some time after the event ended while police cleared a safe path before they were allowed to leave.

The attendee said they were worried for their safety when the protesters harassed them on entry, calling them a “kid killer”.

They said the protesters were yelling out phrases including “you should be disgusted, you’ve got blood on your hands.”

“It was extraordinarily intimidating,” they said, adding that some protesters climbed up to the roof of The Greek Club.

“It was quite extreme.

“This was beyond the pale.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politicians-harassed-as-propalestine-supporters-target-alp-dinner/news-story/89297d5faa78bc8c176f0db9d96fea82

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9MqNQvBFGf/

https://www.instagram.com/p/C9UUObzT5t4/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21217734 (160946ZJUL24) Notable: Greens tell Muslim Vote to ‘leave Wills, Senate alone’ - Panicked Greens senators and MPs fear the burgeoning The Muslim Vote movement could cost them the prized target seat of Wills and upper house votes, pleading with the campaign to leave it and the Senate race alone. A potential split in the pro-­Palestine vote came as Muslim leaders said the Greens’ policy slate would be a “deal-breaker” for the community, regardless of its pro-Palestine stance. Amid the five days that saw senator Fatima Payman resign and the emergence of The Muslim Vote, the Greens realised the wedge they drove into the ALP may have been two-edged. Multiple figures in the progressive party picked up the phone to “preference whisperer” and political strategist Glenn Druery, who had reportedly been advising Senator Payman and, separately and informally, The Muslim Vote campaign. Mr Druery didn’t respond to questions from The Australian, but insiders said Greens figures, including NSW senator David Shoebridge, quickly contacted the strategist concerned with how an organised Muslim campaign could affect them, particularly in Wills and the Senate. Sources said some pleaded to Mr Druery that he tell The Muslim Vote to focus solely on the lower house, leaving the Senate alone so as to not take potential votes and spots from the party. The party had been “caught out” by the The Muslim Vote’s sudden mobilisation and was concerned whether its desire to oust Labor extended to the Senate, and how or if Senator Payman would lead a form of upper house ticket. “They’ve tried to wedge Labor on Palestine but they’ve also wedged themselves,” one source said.

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>>191408

Greens tell Muslim Vote to ‘leave Wills, Senate alone’

ALEXI DEMETRIADI - July 14, 2024

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Panicked Greens senators and MPs fear the burgeoning The Muslim Vote movement could cost them the prized target seat of Wills and upper house votes, pleading with the campaign to leave it and the Senate race alone.

A potential split in the pro-­Palestine vote came as Muslim leaders said the Greens’ policy slate would be a “deal-breaker” for the community, regardless of its pro-Palestine stance.

The revelations are part of an investigation by The Australian into the Greens’ policies and electoral strategy as it seeks to win the balance of power in the upcoming Queensland and federal elections.

Amid the five days that saw senator Fatima Payman resign and the emergence of The Muslim Vote, the Greens realised the wedge they drove into the ALP may have been two-edged.

Multiple figures in the progressive party picked up the phone to “preference whisperer” and political strategist Glenn Druery, who had reportedly been advising Senator Payman and, separately and informally, The Muslim Vote campaign.

Mr Druery didn’t respond to questions from The Australian, but insiders said Greens figures, including NSW senator David Shoebridge, quickly contacted the strategist concerned with how an organised Muslim campaign could affect them, particularly in Wills and the Senate.

Sources said some pleaded to Mr Druery that he tell The Muslim Vote to focus solely on the lower house, leaving the Senate alone so as to not take potential votes and spots from the party.

The party had been “caught out” by the The Muslim Vote’s sudden mobilisation and was concerned whether its desire to oust Labor extended to the Senate, and how or if Senator Payman would lead a form of upper house ticket.

“They’ve tried to wedge Labor on Palestine but they’ve also wedged themselves,” one source said.

Senator Payman ruled out formally working with The Muslim Vote but hinted to “watch this space”.

The Greens’ wedge had succeeded in splintering off the senator, but accelerated an organic movement that outflanked it on Palestine and was more palatable to Muslim voters than a party whose Venn diagram with the community only overlapped on Gaza. “(Those campaigns) could have come out and just said ‘vote Greens’, they didn’t, they’re incompatible,” a source said.

“They fanned the flames and it sort of backfired.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21234023 (181050ZJUL24) Notable: Mark Binskin report backs Israel’s findings on World Central Kitchen drone strike - Former defence chief Mark ­Binskin’s report on the Israeli drone strikes that killed Australian Zomi Frankcom and six of her colleagues is set to largely back the Jewish state’s official response to the tragedy, drawing a line under Anthony Albanese’s ­demands for “full accountability” over the deaths. The Australian understands the government’s special adviser on the incident accepted Israel’s findings that the attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza on April 1 was the result of a serious failure in its targeting ­procedures. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Air Chief Marshal Binskin was satisfied that, although mistakes were made, the Israeli Defence Forces had safeguards to avoid civilian casualties that were in line with those of Western counterparts ­including Australia. He will brief Frankcom’s family on his findings, which follow the Prime Minister’s declaration after the tragedy that it was “not good enough” to dismiss it as a wartime accident.

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>>163208 (pb)

Mark Binskin report backs Israel’s findings on World Central Kitchen drone strike

BEN PACKHAM - 17 July 2024

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Former defence chief Mark ­Binskin’s report on the Israeli drone strikes that killed Australian Zomi Frankcom and six of her colleagues is set to largely back the Jewish state’s official response to the tragedy, drawing a line under Anthony Albanese’s ­demands for “full accountability” over the deaths.

The Australian understands the government’s special adviser on the incident accepted Israel’s findings that the attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza on April 1 was the result of a serious failure in its targeting ­procedures.

According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Air Chief Marshal Binskin was satisfied that, although mistakes were made, the Israeli Defence Forces had safeguards to avoid civilian casualties that were in line with those of Western counterparts ­including Australia.

He will brief Frankcom’s family on his findings, which follow the Prime Minister’s declaration after the tragedy that it was “not good enough” to dismiss it as a wartime accident.

Air Chief Marshal Binskin, who spoke to senior Israeli military figures and WCK representatives, is expected to identify lessons for the Australian ­Defence Force and recommend new protocols for international aid organisations operating in conflict zones.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office refused to discuss details of the Binskin report, a public version of which is ­expected to be released after he briefs Frankcom’s family. The ­Israeli embassy also declined to comment.

Air Chief Marshal Binskin was pleased with the level of co-­operation he received during an eight-day fact-finding visit to Israel in May, according to a senior ­official in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“He has had a good level of ­access to very senior people within Israel,” deputy secretary Craig MacLachlan told Senate estimates. “At no point has Mr Binskin said to me that he has felt he has been short on information or detail.”

Israel supporters said the co-operation Air Chief Marshal Binskin received was unprecedented, given the country was fighting a war against Hamas in Gaza and facing repeated attacks by Hezbollah across its northern border.

The strikes on the WCK convoy triggered fury among Israel’s critics and galvanised international concern over the civilian toll of Israel’s war in Gaza.

US President Joe Biden said at the time he was “outraged and heartbroken” at the tragedy, and accused Israel of not doing enough to protect aid workers.

Mr Albanese said in the aftermath of the attack that Frankcom was an “Australian hero” who was travelling in Gaza in a clearly marked aid vehicle that should not have been at risk.

“There needs to be full accountability and transparency for this tragic event,” the Prime Minister said. “And what is not good enough is the statements that have been made, including that this is ‘just a product of war’.”

His comments followed those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed regret over the strikes but declared: “This happens in war.”

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Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21234043 (181057ZJUL24) Notable: Labor works to cool fear of Israel-Lebanon war as Wong lambasts Israel - Foreign Minister Penny Wong has demanded Israel stop killing innocent Palestinians as her government works to tamp down a boilover in local tensions if Israel and Lebanon go to war. As Israel’s parliament voted overwhelmingly against Palestinian statehood, Wong used some of her strongest language to date to condemn Israeli Defence Force strikes that Hamas-run health authorities said killed 50 Palestinians. The recently designated humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi was attacked on July 13 and another attack hit a UN-run school housing displaced people in Nuseirat refugee camp on July 15. “Australia condemns the unacceptable deaths of innocent civilians as a result of Israel’s operations in this last week, including many near schools,” Wong said on X on Thursday, as Labor urged Israel to accept a US-led ceasefire deal thwarted partly by Hamas’ refusal to release hostages. “Australia has been calling for a ceasefire for eight months. This must stop. Civilians, including women and children, are caught in the middle. They must be protected. Hostages must be released and humanitarian access must be increased.”

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>>191348

Labor works to cool fear of Israel-Lebanon war as Wong lambasts Israel

Paul Sakkal - July 18, 2024

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Foreign Minister Penny Wong has demanded Israel stop killing innocent Palestinians as her government works to tamp down a boilover in local tensions if Israel and Lebanon go to war.

As Israel’s parliament voted overwhelmingly against Palestinian statehood, Wong used some of her strongest language to date to condemn Israeli Defence Force strikes that Hamas-run health authorities said killed 50 Palestinians.

The recently designated humanitarian zone of al-Mawasi was attacked on July 13 and another attack hit a UN-run school housing displaced people in Nuseirat refugee camp on July 15.

“Australia condemns the unacceptable deaths of innocent civilians as a result of Israel’s operations in this last week, including many near schools,” Wong said on X on Thursday, as Labor urged Israel to accept a US-led ceasefire deal thwarted partly by Hamas’ refusal to release hostages.

“Australia has been calling for a ceasefire for eight months. This must stop. Civilians, including women and children, are caught in the middle. They must be protected. Hostages must be released and humanitarian access must be increased.”

This masthead has learnt of government efforts to support Australia’s Lebanese community as the prospect of an all-out Israel-Hezbollah war looms as troops continue to exchange fire along the northern border with Lebanon.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles hosted a roundtable with Lebanese community leaders to discuss how the government would help evacuate Australians or their families in Lebanon in the case of war breaking out.

The government is worried about the more than 15,000 Australians in Lebanon, many visiting during the northern hemisphere summer, and the prospect of Beirut airport closing as it has in previous conflicts, forcing sea evacuations. The government upped its “do not travel” warning this month.

As early as last October, senior department officers of Foreign Affairs and Trade called for Australians to leave Lebanon, fearing a repeat of evacuations during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

In 2006, DFAT had three weeks to move 5100 Australians and 1200 foreign nationals by ferry, plane and overland through Syria. But today, overland travel through Syria is not possible, airfields are an unknown, and there are fewer ferries available in the eastern Mediterranean.

Government figures not authorised to speak on the record are worried the local Lebanese community, already disturbed by Israel’s behaviour in Gaza, would react ferociously to an Israeli offensive in Lebanon, heightening local tensions and inflaming anti-Israel sentiment. In the 2021 census, about 248,000 Australians reported Lebanese ancestry.

While many Lebanese-Australians do not share Hezbollah’s Shiite strand of Islam – being either Sunni or Christian – government figures believe an Israel-Lebanon war would upset communities across the diaspora.

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