Netanyahu hints focus shifts to release all hostages at once
Arab officials told The Associated Press last week that mediators Egypt and Qatar were preparing a new framework for a deal that would include the release of all remaining hostages in one go in return for a lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
AP
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Sydney Morning Herald
43 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Recognising Palestine won't stop the killing, on either side
Reality is reflected in the mirror of the response issued by the Palestine Action Group, who organised last weekend's Sydney Harbour Bridge march and the Sydney Opera House hate fest in October 2023: 'We must be clear: recognition of a Palestinian state has never been a demand of this movement ... we will take to the streets again … until the Australian government takes real, decisive action to end its complicity.' Hamas has 'applauded' the announcement. Both of these should give the government pause. Loading Australia's white-saviour act at the UN next month won't stop the killing or the associated conflict on our streets. It won't release from hell the Israeli, Thai and Nepalese hostages starved and tortured by Hamas for almost two years now. No pronouncement by any foreign leader will have the slightest impact on peace, security or co-existence for Israelis or Palestinians. Israelis are screaming and IDF generals threatening to resign because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's latest plan for Gaza will prolong both the horror of war for all, and the longevity of his coalition. West Bank Palestinians despise the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has no ability to implement any of the 'commitments' it has made to the international community. I remember a Palestinian academic sneering to our 2023 tour group that the only thing PA leader Mahmoud Abbas could organise was a parade for himself. Hamas still has a stranglehold on Gaza's population, whom it's terrorised for 18 years, using civilians as human shields, stealing food from them, beating and murdering dissenters. Loading Let Palestine be recognised as a state, and held accountable as a state actor, finally. Let the corrupt and complicit UNRWA be shut down because Palestinians won't be refugees any more; they'll have a state to return to. Let there be elections where the PA losers don't get thrown to their deaths off roofs by the Hamas winners, as in 2007. Let them reconcile their contradictory commitments to 'statehood' (the PA) and a global caliphate (Hamas Charter). May our government's great faith not be misplaced. I wish Wong and Albanese had been on the tour I led this May, meeting Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze and Palestinian women who graciously shared with us their intertwined lived experiences. One was the very first non-Jewish person to reach out to me after October 7: a Palestinian friend who lives in East Jerusalem. The sisterhood, mutual empathy and pragmatism of these women in the middle of a war zone stood in stark contrast with the performative sloganeering that fills our social media feeds and shamefully, our Hansards, too. The women we met in May were focused on the future. They look into the faces of their children every day. After WWII, the defeated Germany needed to rebuild its economy and deprogram its people after years of antisemitic indoctrination and warmongering had crippled them. The international community helped them with both, and the result was a spectacular success. Why don't we offer a similar, strength-based approach to Palestine? Let's put people ahead of political posturing and give the faces of both Palestinian and Israeli children something to turn to with hope in their eyes.
The Age
43 minutes ago
- The Age
Recognising Palestine won't stop the killing, on either side
Reality is reflected in the mirror of the response issued by the Palestine Action Group, who organised last weekend's Sydney Harbour Bridge march and the Sydney Opera House hate fest in October 2023: 'We must be clear: recognition of a Palestinian state has never been a demand of this movement ... we will take to the streets again … until the Australian government takes real, decisive action to end its complicity.' Hamas has 'applauded' the announcement. Both of these should give the government pause. Loading Australia's white-saviour act at the UN next month won't stop the killing or the associated conflict on our streets. It won't release from hell the Israeli, Thai and Nepalese hostages starved and tortured by Hamas for almost two years now. No pronouncement by any foreign leader will have the slightest impact on peace, security or co-existence for Israelis or Palestinians. Israelis are screaming and IDF generals threatening to resign because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's latest plan for Gaza will prolong both the horror of war for all, and the longevity of his coalition. West Bank Palestinians despise the Palestinian Authority (PA), which has no ability to implement any of the 'commitments' it has made to the international community. I remember a Palestinian academic sneering to our 2023 tour group that the only thing PA leader Mahmoud Abbas could organise was a parade for himself. Hamas still has a stranglehold on Gaza's population, whom it's terrorised for 18 years, using civilians as human shields, stealing food from them, beating and murdering dissenters. Loading Let Palestine be recognised as a state, and held accountable as a state actor, finally. Let the corrupt and complicit UNRWA be shut down because Palestinians won't be refugees any more; they'll have a state to return to. Let there be elections where the PA losers don't get thrown to their deaths off roofs by the Hamas winners, as in 2007. Let them reconcile their contradictory commitments to 'statehood' (the PA) and a global caliphate (Hamas Charter). May our government's great faith not be misplaced. I wish Wong and Albanese had been on the tour I led this May, meeting Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Druze and Palestinian women who graciously shared with us their intertwined lived experiences. One was the very first non-Jewish person to reach out to me after October 7: a Palestinian friend who lives in East Jerusalem. The sisterhood, mutual empathy and pragmatism of these women in the middle of a war zone stood in stark contrast with the performative sloganeering that fills our social media feeds and shamefully, our Hansards, too. The women we met in May were focused on the future. They look into the faces of their children every day. After WWII, the defeated Germany needed to rebuild its economy and deprogram its people after years of antisemitic indoctrination and warmongering had crippled them. The international community helped them with both, and the result was a spectacular success. Why don't we offer a similar, strength-based approach to Palestine? Let's put people ahead of political posturing and give the faces of both Palestinian and Israeli children something to turn to with hope in their eyes.
Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
US stops visitor visas for people from Gaza
The US State Department says it is halting all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza while it conducts "a full and thorough" review. The department said a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas had been issued in recent days, but did not provide a figure. The US issued more than 3800 B1/B2 visitor visas, which permit foreigners to seek medical treatment in the United States, to holders of the Palestinian Authority travel document, according to an analysis of monthly figures provided on the department's website. That figure includes 640 visas issued in May. The State Department's move to stop visitor visas for people from Gaza comes after Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and an ally of President Donald Trump, said on social media on Friday that the Palestinian "refugees" had entered the US this month. Loomer's statement sparked outrage among some Republicans, with Randy Fine describing it as a "national security risk". Gaza has been devastated by a war that was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza since then has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. The US has not indicated that it would accept Palestinians displaced by the war. However, sources told Reuters that South Sudan and Israel are discussing a plan to resettle Palestinians.
