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Sydney Morning Herald

Bold call proves Albanese is qualified for the job

By recognising the state of Palestine, our government has joined the international community in decrying the immorality of the death and starvation of a nation under the guise of self-defence (' Albanese accuses Netanyahu of being in denial ', August 12). The Coalition has omitted morality, once more, in its response to the government's decision. Nothing new there: think robo-debt, refugees, the Biloela family, among other examples of its compassion. Well done prime minister, Australia can hold her head high. Selwyn Glynn, Paddington (Qld) Albanese's bold and courageous moves on Palestine in defiance of the US and Israel certainly put to bed the trope so loved by the opposition and the Murdoch press that he is weak and indecisive (' Breaking ranks is a defining moment ', August 12). Andrew Macintosh, Cromer News of the targeted killing by Israeli armed forces of journalist Anas al-Sharif is surely a chilling message from the Israeli government that it is not interested in upholding international law (' Israel kills journalist, four colleagues in Gaza air strike', August 12). If Israel thought Mr al-Sharif was an agent of Hamas it should and could have arrested him and put him on trial. Instead, Israel chose extrajudicial murder, not only of Mr al-Sharif, but his colleagues. 'Redefining civilian targets as military ones', as Dennis Glover wrote in these pages last week (' Lessons from the A-bomb remain unheeded, 80 years on', August 7) is dishonest, and morally and intellectually dubious, and undermines respect for both the law and humanity, not to mention the ability of journalists to freely report on what they see. Doubtless the reporting of Anas al-Sharif was what the government of Israel did not want us to see, and it is why his killing must be condemned by all of us who understand the importance of independent media in a democratic society. Colin Hesse, Nowra Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, says 'Australia is now recognising as a state an entity with no agreed borders' (' We will rebuild Gaza ', August 12). Mr Aghion, Palestine does have borders. That was established in 1949, the borders being the Armistice Line, more recently called the Green Line. You know, the borders that existed in May 1967? The borders that Israel invaded in June 1967 in the 'Six Day War'. Have a look at any map and you can clearly see those borders. Gay O'Connor, Manly While I congratulate the government for its long-overdue recognition of the Palestinian state (' Both sides slam Labor over recognition moves ', August 12), I agree with Palestinian activists that a far better strategy would be for Australian to start applying maximum pressure on Israel, including through boycotts, lobbying other governments to reduce their military supplies to the country, and sanctioning any company or organisation with economic or military connections to the growing settlements in the West Bank. If we announce recognition but do nothing to change the status quo, the existence of the state of a Palestine will be for the most part an illusion – a subjugated people existing within broken lines on a map, rather than a thriving population living in dignity, and respecting the rights of its neighbours. Renee Chartres, Cremorne Albanese must be on the right path. In internecine battles, as every parent knows, justice has been served when nobody is happy. Elisabeth Goodsall, Wahroonga Israel's government has twisted our recognition of Palestinian statehood into a win for Hamas. Netanyahu refuses to acknowledge that Israel's world standing has diminished greatly under his leadership. At last many Western leaders have taken a united stand against his criminal barbarity. His trite criticism of Australia for doing so indicates the importance of the PM's decision. Gerardine Grace, Leura Albanese says 'we will rebuild Gaza'. Meanwhile, the government is struggling to build enough housing for its own citizens. By what stroke of magic will they be able to rebuild an entire country? Pigs might fly. David Lloyd, Thornleigh Finding home Your writer Amal Naser, whose grandparents survived the Nakba and were expelled from Palestine in 1948, makes an impassioned plea to our government to help stop the war in Gaza (' Recognition is a mere distraction ', August 12). I agree with her that the death and destruction must stop. But stories of dispossession and violence are also common among Israelis. Like Naser, about 90 per cent of Israelis can claim third-generation refugee status. Their grandparents or parents were expelled from European countries, their homes stolen, their citizenship revoked and their families killed. A million Jews were expelled from Middle Eastern countries like Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen after 1948 with the same consequences. They found refuge in a new country. They do not have a right of return. Doreen Finkelstein, Croydon My large and extended family were expelled from Arab lands, with no hope of return, in the 1950s because of our religion and ethnicity. We settled all over the world. My parents were refugees yet despite that, I certainly do not consider myself, or my children, second or third-generation refugees. Manuela Epstein, Pyrmont Like the weekly protests she helps organise and speaks at, Amal Naser's article makes no criticism of Hamas and its ultimate goal – the elimination of Israel. That omission is what keeps me an observer, not a participant, at her protests, and makes me read her passionate and compelling article with just a touch of scepticism. Allen Greer, Sydney Untouchable Israel The murderous attack on the King David Hotel by Zionist extremists in 1946 is but one example of the violence that preceded Israel's contentious establishment in 1948 and has continued ever since. How disturbing, then, that Prime Minister Netanyahu's recalcitrance is fomenting antisemitism, rather than ameliorating it. Peter Hartcher's devastating indictment of the Israeli PM, arguing that he is 'making Israel untouchable' is widely shared (' Netanyahu cares only for himself', August 12). It includes the fears of many Jewish people disturbed by his warmongering determination to stay in power, his lack of care for the lives of innocents, including those of his own soldiers and citizens, his government's smashing of life, limb and property in Gaza and, in all, his failure to contemplate a two-state solution in a Middle East incessantly plagued by brutal conflict. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne Human cost A young girl in Gaza was recently shown on the international news, trying to play a board game with her feet because her arms had been amputated above the elbow. The heartbreaking image indeed said a thousand words: she is unable to eat, drink, dress herself, draw a picture or engage in most normal childhood activities unassisted. UNICEF estimates 3000 to 4000 Gazan children have lost at least one limb, with Gaza having the world's highest rate of child amputees relative to population size. What of those who have no surviving family to care for them? Please, let's focus on ameliorating the devastation to innocent lives, especially the children, hostages and other civilians. In Albert Einstein's words: 'We can't solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them'. Great respect to Dr Victoria Rose, Dr Graeme Groom and the other medical personnel working in the most egregious of circumstances (' The doctors bearing witness to Gaza ', August 10). Humanitarianism is above politics and doesn't take sides; it acts justly and with care to protect, improve and save imperilled lives, wherever the need may be. Dare we hope that the amputee children may be compassionately expedited by those wielding power to at least be assisted with prosthetics? Barbara Chapman, South Yarra (Vic) Get real on climate change Claire Snyder is dead right in her assertion that we should be aiming for real zero rather than net zero, and provides examples of companies that are well on the way to doing so (' Forget net zero. We need 'real zero' ', August 12). The net zero concept allows companies to buy carbon credits to offset their emissions. Woodside's North West Shelf project, to which Environment Minister Murray Watt has given conditional approval, blew its emissions limit in 2023-24 and used carbon credits to offset this. When claiming offsets, companies usually only offset their operations and not the emissions from the product itself. According to figures from the Australia Institute, up to 75 per cent of Australia's carbon credits do not result in real emissions reductions, so, as Twiggy Forrest has said, 'now is the time to walk away from net zero 2050. That hasn't been anything really but a con to maintain fossil fuels'. Peter Nash, Fairlight Claire Snyder's article cherry-picks a small selection of examples and proclaims that we should forget net zero because real zero is in reach. Is this really credible across the economy? Fortescue, one of her case studies, is struggling and failing to deliver on its ambitious plans, which doesn't bode well for the 'real zero now' movement. While environment groups may not like the real politick, if Australia did drop net zero for real zero, there would be a real risk that climate action would lose its social license when the economic and social impacts hit the regular person. We already see that in regional communities today that are fighting against renewable energy projects. Undermining the fragile consensus around net zero to push for the perfect 'real zero' may very well lead to the opposite of what Claire Snyder wants. Ash Roth, Sydney It's no surprise that Advance has taken the next step down the Trumpian road, threatening Coalition members with 'dump net zero or we dump you' (' Right-wing group targets 'weakling' Liberals ', August 11). Bullying tactics have been remarkably effective for Trump in turning the Republican Party into yes-men and getting him the presidency. The Coalition would like nothing better than to do the same thing here, despite its drubbing at the election under a hard-right leader. George Brandis and others never tire of telling the Coalition that the Australian electoral system favours parties of the centre. Why persist with hard-right politics when the rise of the teals shows they were heading in the wrong direction? The answer probably is that the hard right, or the hard left for that matter, are not for turning, and Trump's astounding success helped by the likes of Fox News has given the right a boost worldwide, which they are intent on increasing. It would be nice to say it couldn't happen here. A year ago, many US citizens would have said it couldn't happen there. Gary Barnes, Mosman Predictable problem Of course Donald Trump is 'a little bothered by the fact' that President Zelensky has to get constitutional approval for a land swap (' Trump praises 'respectful' Putin, criticises Zelensky ahead of crucial summit ', August 12). As someone who blatantly ignores his own constitution, it is beyond Trump's comprehension that others abide by theirs. James Mahoney, McKellar (ACT) Hard housing truth Although underquoting might lead to more competition and result in some bidders paying more than planned, the harsh reality is that there are people prepared to pay the higher price (' Underquoting exposed '). We haven't heard from any sellers disappointed that there property sold for more than expected. Oh no – that sounds like I'm defending real estate agents. Neil Reckord, Gordon (ACT) Like Gerard Baz (Letters, August 12), we spent more than a year researching the local market, and I think we are being unfair to estate agents. In the heat of an auction, prices can be driven to high levels. I recall a villa being sold for $2.67 million when the suburb record was less than $2 million. No one could have predicted that. The remedies suggested by your correspondents amount to private treaty with a stated price. An auction, however, remains the best method of price discovery and maximising vendor returns. John Christie, Oatley Clip course price If licensing cost is a major factor pushing up the price of hairdressing, the solution is not to loosen the regulation, but to lower the cost of the prerequisite courses (' Regulation in NSW overdue for a trim ', August 12). First, let those who already have some training sit a test, like learner drivers get their driving licences, combining knowledge testing and practical testing. Do not force them to go through another Cert III course costing $13,000-28,000 and wasting time. Second, make those courses cheaper for novices. This is where government and industry can co-operate. Very often we hear complaints that regulation stifles economies, with the private sector wanting less scrutiny on their behaviour, service or product standards. What they should advocate is a smarter way to work with regulators. Kim Woo, Mascot Mixed choices When survey respondents are asked to rank alternative government priorities, it's important that the alternatives really are separate. In the latest Resolve Political Monitor, 41 per cent of respondents said they 'believe 'keeping the cost of living low' should be the government's top priority, with 'housing and rental accessibility' a distant second on 10 per cent' (' How inflation hits your hip pocket ', August 12). But isn't it possible that many who opted for 'keeping the cost of living low' would have considered 'housing and rental accessibility' to be part of this, and that many who opted for 'housing and rental accessibility' would have seen this as part of 'keeping the cost of living low'? Murray Goot, Macquarie University Billy goats The Troll Bar under that bridge is a great idea, and what a joyless bunch of burghers they are at North Sydney Council (' Sydney Council banishes 'troll bar' from under the Harbour Bridge ', August 12). Just imagine the frisson of having to answer a really hard question to gain entrance to the bar like: 'What is an acceptable cost overrun for rebuilding a public swimming pool?' or 'How much should you charge out-of-towners to watch a fireworks show?' Seriously, I fail to see how such a bar could detract from the heritage of our bridge. How sad that the pathetic fun police rule that part of the city: the trolls should gobble you up. Yours gruffly. Russ Couch, Woonona From the small bar epicentre of the inner west, I'm at a loss to understand the thinking behind the veto of a small bar under the Harbour Bridge, citing a lack of connection with the Scandinavian 'troll' myth. Of course, Opera House architect Jan Utzon immediately springs to mind. Might I suggest resubmitting the request with the name Grinch Bar – it seems a good fit given the attitudes of our northern neighbours. Janet Argall, Hurlstone Park The North Sydney NIMBYs have morphed into NOTUMBYs (No trolls under my bridgey). I suggest the proposed business be called Whine Bar – a nod to the locals who could meet there to mull over their next campaign. Donald Proctor, Cremorne