Latest news with #GermanJewish
The Advertiser
27-05-2025
- The Advertiser
Cruelty returns to haunt me in the dead of night
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The ghosts arrive when all else is quiet and the mind, awake for no reason, has no choice but to listen to them. Sunday night, early Monday morning they were particularly loud. First to invade the consciousness were the phantoms of the Holocaust, stirred by reading a few hours earlier Jack Fairweather's book The Prosecutor. It's the story of German Jewish lawyer Fritz Bauer and his mission to bring to justice the functionaries of the Final Solution who had somehow escaped conviction as World War II ended and segued into the Cold War. Bauer was determined that Germany as a whole should confront its recent past. A particularly harrowing chapter recounted witness testimony in the trial of Adolf Eichmann, lodging its grim details in the back of my mind. Rivka Yoselevska told the Israeli court how she'd survived a massacre near Pinsk in Belarus in 1941 after seeing her entire family shot in front of her. When it was Rivka and her sister's turn, one of the guards asked who he should shoot first. He shot Rivka's sister and then turned the gun on her. She toppled into the pit and was soon buried by the bodies which followed. Somehow she survived. Lying awake in the dark, I tried to shut the horror out of my mind. But the ghost was insistent. It demanded thought be given to the cruelty, that imagination at least try to comprehend what it would be like to endure it and then have to remember it for the rest of your life. And then the phantom introduced more ghosts, these from a news report I'd watched that night. These were the siblings killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in Gaza. Their suffering had ended in an instant with the blinding flash of the missile which struck their home. But their mother, a paediatrician working at Nasser hospital, endured the sight of her dead children as they were rushed charred and lifeless into the emergency room. Her one remaining child and husband were critically injured. Yet she somehow finished her shift. Like Rivka more than 80 years ago, Alaa al-Najjar will live with the horror for the rest of her life. It's estimated 16,500 children have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more have sustained terrible physical injuries while an entire generation will bear the psychological scars for years to come. The toll exacted in response to the terrible massacres of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas is now stirring grave misgivings in Israel. The Times of Israel reports that a growing number of fierce advocates for the tough response are now questioning it. These include Elana Sztokman, an American-born Israeli writer, who used the word "genocide" to describe what's happening in Gaza, prompting a vicious response on social media. "Right now, We, Israel, are starving and bombing a nation to death," she wrote. "Genocide. This is genocide. This is purposeful, deliberate, unrestrained killing of a people." Last week, a former deputy chief of the Israeli Defence Force turned opposition politician Yair Golan told an interviewer: "A sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predictably condemned the comments as "blood libel" against the IDF, even though Golan said his complaint was directed not at the armed forces but at the government directing them. Knowing there is a conscience in Israel that is finding its voice, that protestors are prepared to take to the streets of Tel Aviv holding photographs of some of the children killed in Gaza, is reassuring. It won't settle the ghosts. They'll probably never be silenced, nor should they be. It's important we all confront the cruelty us humans dish out to each other, even if it means losing sleep. HAVE YOUR SAY: If the Gaza does end, should the Israeli government and remaining Hamas commanders face an international court to answer charges of war crimes? Do you avoid news from Gaza after 19 months of horror? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - A ban on the sale of machetes has been fast-tracked in Victoria after a vicious gang brawl in a shopping centre. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said the ban, originally intended to start on September 1, would now come into effect at midday on May 28. - The future of dozens of healthcare facilities hangs in the balance as one of Australia's largest private hospital operators, Healthscope, collapses into receivership. - Electricity prices are set to rise in some locations in Australia by nearly 10 per cent from July 1. The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) confirmed increases on May 26 of up to 9.7 per cent for some residential customers. THEY SAID IT: "When genocide is committed, it must be seen. People must look at it with open eyes, not minimise its impact." - Nadia Murad YOU SAID IT: Some marriages are meant to end. The Coalition's should be one of them. Christopher writes: "They'd be much better off separated and learning to be independent, to be who they are. Then they could find out whether they are even friends. I very much doubt they would be. And it would allow them to deal with the anxiety behind their co-dependency. And I am bamboozled by the idea that Zoe McKenzie is the future of the the Liberal Party... Matt Kean was quoted in The Saturday Paper as saying a similar thing. I would love an explanation." "Not that I support either party, but a government needs a viable opposition and as the Coalition is unlikely to provide one, divorce is the best option," writes Sue. "Alone, the Libs have a chance of putting together a new right-wing party but in their uneasy-at-best alliance with the Nats they are hamstrung. The past week has demonstrated the ineffectiveness of future togetherness. I suspect the Nats will continue to have a revolving door leadership situation. This probably isn't fair but then, a lot isn't in politics. I doubt Sussan Ley will survive for long. She will probably get things running better then be challenged because she hasn't improved things well enough, or quickly enough or because they don't like what she wore on the opening day of Parliament and decide a man can do it better. I doubt that is fair either." Murray writes: "It is always encouraging when you see someone else has the exact same take on something. When I saw Michael McCormack swear he was not after the leadership, and 'fully supported' Littleproud, I called out to my wife, 'He's gone!' In politics a sincere denial of something can usually be taken as an admission that it ranges from being at least a possibility to a dead certainty. As John says, the knives are not drawn, but thumbs have been run over blades in readiness. Sussan Ley is described here as a moderate. Moderate what? If she is a moderate leader of a conservative party we should shortly see some clear points of difference from the Labor left. That will be the test. If she can do that the Liberal Party will have some purpose again and the Nationals can return to their proper place, being the minor partner and adding the numbers. McCormack or Littleproud, Makes little difference." "The marriage of convenience will eventually rehappen," writes Old Donald. "Why? Because it is the only way Lib and Nat will ever assume their rightful place (i.e. in charge of us poor sods - divine right and all that Louis XIV stuff). Anybody who believes there is sincere principle or moral honour involved at the core is just not with it." Phil C writes: "In trying to gaslight the CSIRO and AEMO over the viability of current nuclear power options in Australia, the Coalition proved it has a problem understanding commerce, science, and statistics. You would think that catastrophic electoral failure might have taught them something about objectivity, but apparently not. The Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says the answer is not to move to the centre. It's a simple observation that the Millennials and Gen X constitute a rapidly increasing majority of Australian voters, but just 22 per cent of them vote for the Coalition. Henderson's call for an ongoing right-wing stance won't attract young voters or bring back the teal vote. But it will absolutely guarantee ongoing atrophy of the Liberal Party. Our Parliament needs a strong opposition to work as it should. Country people need a prominent voice to advocate for better phones, roads, medical care, and schools. It is everyone's interest that Sussan Ley's moderation plans prevail, and the Nats come on board with that." "Sussan Ley wants to take the Liberals forward but is being pulled back by the old guard Liberals past their use-by date and the out-of-touch Nationals attempts to bully her," writes Jennifer. "Getting together and compromising the future direction for the sole purpose of regaining power will lead to destruction. Whilst I dislike the policies and much of the ideology of both parties, I don't want to see Labor without effective opposition to hold them to account. Looks like we'll have to rely on independents for that, again." Mick writes: "No marriage will work when both participants are suffering from an existential identity crisis. A Liberal Party abandoned by its corporate father that doesn't know if it's Right or Left. A National Party that used to be Country but is now transitioning to Mining/Outer Urban. God knows what the offspring will be like." "I think you nailed it, Echidna," writes Robin. "There was hope for a renewed Liberal Party sans the Nationals. But now we are back to having the tail wag the dog again. As for Littleproud, as impossible as it is for an invertebrate to grow a spine, you don't lead by blaming your poor decisions on the team standing behind you." Ian writes: "It would be interesting to see the Clampetts (the Nats) and the Liberals come out publicly with separate competing policies, and see how these resonate with the electorate. Then they can undertake a negotiation to 'marry' them together. However, it seems like the Libs are still quite internally polarised, having lost a lot of their moderates in 2022, so the differences within the Libs is probably not much different to the differences between the Libs and the Clampetts. There seems to be plenty of overlap with the right-wing extremists of both parties, who think the electorate 'doesn't know what's good for 'em' (to be fair, sometimes I agree). They also both keep blathering about 'values'. They are right in needing to better articulate what those are, because I don't know. But, they also need to better understand the difference between values and ideology, because values should be universal, not political." "It is despicable that the Coalition and more specifically the Nationals are fighting amongst themselves in Canberra professing to fight and represent the bush and regional areas while their constituents are inundated with the floods," writes John from Mentone. "They should have been in their local areas helping people stay safe and survive. Transparency is certainly not the Nationals strong point. If we knew their recent voting numbers for their leadership we could see how precarious Littleproud's situation is."
New European
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New European
Letters: Tory members have killed their own party
Critical was the Faustian bargain Tory MPs made in allowing Boris Johnson to reach the last two, so going forward to the inevitable coronation from the membership. Tory MPs knew perfectly well that Johnson was without integrity, but allowed him to become leader anyway, for short-term electoral gain. Well, they got their reward, but reaped the long-term destruction of their party. Re: 'The Tories are dead' (TNE #435). I trace the root of the Conservative Party's decay (so ably chronicled in Matthew d'Ancona's piece) to allowing the members to vote for their leader. Apart from David Cameron, I think it's fair to say most of the subsequent choices have been either poor or disastrous. I presume it is now impossible for a 'One Nation' candidate to become leader, given that the membership will invariably select the least electorally suitable candidate. Martin Treacey Superb piece. Puts me in mind of my old MP, Dominic Grieve, an intelligent, thoughtful, and incredibly decent man (whom I never voted for, but I would today). Such figures are now as far from today's Conservative Party as the Earth is from the moon. RSP Zatzen Robert Jenrick will end up as Tory leader and do a deal with Nigel Farage, who will demand a very high price – he will want to be leader of a combined 'Conservative and Reform Party'. I guess as the decades go by that may get shortened to simply 'Conservative', and then younger generations without first-hand memory of the merger may treat it as a continuation of the Conservative Party of old. It will, of course, be very different, a bit like how Donald Trump's Republicans are very different to Dwight D Eisenhower's (or even George Bush's). A revolutionary rather than evolutionary change. David Roberts Matthew d'Ancona's obituary for the Tories is, I fear, premature. They are very much alive and as cruel, self-serving and misguided as always. The same policies. The same disgusting rhetoric. They just call themselves the Labour Party these days. Clive Foster Nottingham, Notts To celebrate, or not? 'The wrong way to celebrate VE Day' was a good and apt piece by Patience Wheatcroft (TNE #435). There is a difference between patriotism and nationalism which many fail to distinguish. I'm tired of these over-the-top jingoistic celebrations marking VE Day. It's part of looking backwards to a bygone 'golden age' when Britain 'ruled the waves'. Of course defeating Nazism and fascism was the right thing to do (my parents came to Britain as small children – German Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany), but it's time to move on. We are friends with Germany now and have been for many years. We desperately need a new relationship with the EU that lays the foundations for the new course this country will need to take in a rapidly changing world. Katherine Eisner Patience Wheatcroft deserves absolute praise. The painful and embarrassing union jack-adorned Mall last weekend was terrifying. Remember this was Victory in EUROPE Day. Where were the flags of our numerous allies and the countries that suffered under the yoke of abject nationalism? More column centimetres for Patience, please. Neil Davies Brixham, Devon I didn't enjoy Patience Wheatcroft's piece. The entire article had this running theme of shame for the idea that people would be happy to celebrate a monumental day of achievement for the allied nations. What is branded as 'zealous patriotism' adds up to face painting and waving a flag. The author rightly highlights the solemn experiences of the soldiers in both world wars and beyond, and we do in fact have a national day of mourning; Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday are a time of solemn reflection and mourning for the countless lives that have been lost in conflict. VE Day is important specifically because it is a celebration. It celebrates the end of six years of conflict that engulfed Europe and beyond, which culminated in the defeat of an evil fascist government and its conquest and subjugation of millions of people. VE Day is a pinnacle achievement that denotes the hardship and sacrifice that came before it. The current political climate isn't lost on any of us. The increase in support for Reform is concerning, the clear evidence that Britain is not great but is in fact in a state of managed decline isn't lost on anyone. VE Day is one of the few days of legitimate pride I believe we can feel as a country for doing something unequivocally good, for having something to actually celebrate and bring us together as a country. Antony Lee Labour's hollow victory Re: 'A complete unknown', by James Ball on Morgan McSweeney. The election Ming Vase strategy suggested there was a grand plan to protect. We now know there never was any plan. The government is as clueless as Liz Truss's government. That's one hell of an achievement. Guy Masters If anything, blame should have been levelled at Morgan McSweeney last July for the amazing lack of depth there was in Labour's 'victory'. It took years for the combined might of the Tories to make themselves unelectable. McSweeney has done it for Labour on his own in little time at all. Steve Buch Choosing your time The most inappropriate feature of Sonia Sodha's 'Assisted dying: a price too high' (TNE #435) was the emphasis she placed on her survey of SEND 16-year-olds. I know from personal experience that when you are in your 80s, your perspectives change, even if you have made it so far without any terminal or even threatening condition. Much more germane, then, is the experience related by Esther McVey MP of a visit to a care home in her constituency. While admitting to being instinctively drawn to the 'slippery-slope' side, to her credit she described how, in a discussion of the issue among the 50 or so residents, the question was put, 'When your time comes, would you rather it came in a setting, in company, at a time, and in a manner of your choosing, or to just let nature take its course?' How many takers were there for option B? One. Charles Baily Bedford, Beds Assisted dying is for people who are suffering in a way intolerable to them from a currently incurable disease that is likely to result in death within six months. The conditions covered by AD could be listed (and not include anorexia, for instance). No suffering is inflicted on a person who is expected to die in six months but dies slightly earlier. Huge suffering is relieved by allowing people to avoid some small part of the final agonies of cancer, dementia etc if they wish. Peter Basford Trump's strategy I think Paul Mason may have missed the point in 'A reality PM in a fantasy world' (TNE #435). Trump doesn't want a strong Europe. He knows Europe is stronger with the UK than without it, just as the UK is stronger in Europe than outside it. In doing a unique deal with the UK, Trump is not doing Starmer a favour – he is trying to do his best to ensure that the UK and Europe don't develop closer ties again. He is trying to divide and conquer. Dave Norton Market Rasen, Lincs No regrets, no respects A few years ago I went to Paris in the winter. I wanted to visit Père-Lachaise ('Where Paris goes to die', TNE #435). It was a snowy day, and on reaching the entrance, I was stopped from going in and told the snow meant only those attending that day's funerals could enter. I told the gamekeeper that I wanted to pay my respects to Edith Piaf, who had entertained me, live, when I lived in the city in the 1960s. The gatekeeper solemly looked down the list of those about to be buried and told me he could not see her name. He did not understand the laughter from those near me in the queue. Anne Page Death by another name Re: Nauseating neologisms (TNE #433 & #434): 'pre-loved', 'specially abled' and 'crossing the rainbow bridge' (which means dying). Carolyn Beckingham Lewes, Sussex Dire extinctions Philip Ball (Critical Mass, TNE #434) is, rightly, massively critical of the hype around Colossal Biosciences' de-extinction of the dire wolf. All the same, we are living at a time of mass extinction, where species are being lost at a rate of knots. Maybe some of the last species lost could be brought back to life by biotech engineering. But is that pointless without also reversing the causes of habitat loss and harm? Reintroduction of some species into the wild risks other species' extinction if we don't fully understand the food chain. If we can undead extinct species, we will do it selfishly – for us, not for them. Life is for the living, but bringing back the dodo is for the birds. Roland Lazarus Billericay, Essex History foretold I have just finished reading a novel about an American president whose new far right Republican Party has won a landslide victory. With control of both houses, he sets about amending the constitution to cement his power while taking control of the judiciary, security services and the media. That might sound familiar, but this novel was written in 1998. June, 2004 was written by historian Laurence W Britt and contains eerily familiar scenarios. America's supposed economic recovery is achieved at the expense of isolation, even leaving the UN. Britt has his own version of Fox News; accusations of wrongdoing are simply denied before 'alternative facts' are disseminated through friendly media. Former friends and colleagues are promoted to senior positions in the military, security services and the judiciary, while the president enjoys the loyal support of a fanatical Christian militia. Without spoilers, it is fair to say that the book's epilogue reads like a recent edition of TNE. The final paragraph features an op-ed in the New York Times: 'Abuse of power is the greatest threat to democracy because it is the first step on the road to the end of democracy. If abuse is left unchecked, or worse, endorsed, then the path to a totalitarian state is wide open.' Avoiding spoilers may prove academic, however. Getting hold of a copy of July, 2004 is not easy. After a few months of fruitless search in this country, I finally struck lucky through a secondhand bookseller in Texas. The idea of an administration amending the Constitution may have been a little too fanciful for many potential readers, but how chillingly prescient. If you can get hold of a copy, it really is a compelling read. Stephen Rodgers BELOW THE LINE Comments, conversation and correspondence from our online subscribers Re: Germansplaining on free speech (TNE #435). The old maxim 'I disagree with every word you said, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,' was first (rightly) modified to outlaw inciting violence, then inciting hatred. And in Germany, of course, it's always been important to clamp down on lies about the Holocaust. But have we gone too far now? And in doing so, handed over a 'victim narrative' to extremists? Maybe we all need to relearn the art of debate, including ridicule of obvious nonsense! Tony Jones Rats in a Sack (TNE #435) reports rumours that Labour are pondering whether to abolish the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Given that this would be a terrible idea both in terms of finance and vote-losing potential, Keir Starmer will probably adopt it immediately. David Morris I could not agree more with Marie Le Conte on old-school photography (Dilettante, TNE #435). Our very good camera stopped working and the parts to repair it were no longer available. We bought a tiny, cheapish replacement, with a connection to upload your photos to an iPad, in a package deal. The camera is smaller than many mobile phones and easily fits in a pocket. I use it on our holidays by just pointing and clicking at whatever looks interesting, particularly architecture. It is amazing when you look at them later and see things in them you did not spot at the time. Adam Primhak 'Plato and the piano' (TNE #434) was a wonderful piece by Emily Herring. I am a lifelong music nut like her, loving all musical genres, and took up the drums in later life. I especially love the theory and the journey in getting from point A to B through persistence and practice. And I constantly seek that wonderful state of mind when it feels like the instrument is 'playing itself', which I have been lucky to experience on several occasions. I heartily recommend the book Effortless Mastery by jazz pianist Kenny Werner, which was recommended to me by my drum tutor, for those interested in the mindfulness of music. Plus anything by Howard Goodall on the music theory side. Keep playing! Mark Brandon JOIN THE CONVERSATION Subscribe and download our free new app to comment and chat with our writers
Middle East Eye
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Welcome to Berlin, the capital of Zionist repression
On 28 March, the Zionist German Jewish weekly Judische Allgemeine Zeitung happily announced that Tel Aviv would become Berlin's newest twin city, with all factions of the Berlin House of Representatives agreeing to the decision. A few days later, Der Tagesspiegel, one of Berlin's so-called "quality newspapers," declared that "the two metropolises have a lot in common." What an abysmal disgrace: the representatives of the self-proclaimed parties of the "democratic centre" in the Berlin House of Representatives - Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, and Greens - have decided, together with the "Left" and the fascist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), to move even closer to the genocidal butchers in Tel Aviv. They do so even as large parts of the world are gradually distancing themselves from this regime. Choosing a twin city is far more than a symbolic act, especially when that city is the capital of a state ruled by war criminals responsible for an ongoing genocide. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Such a decision reflects common interests and values that supposedly bind the cities and their populations together. And the ones on display in this partnership are telling: while one side commits genocide, the other supports, promotes, and finances it; while one carries out ethnic cleansing, the other feigns ignorance; while one deliberately targets children, journalists, and medical personnel, the other looks away and prattles on about human rights; while one starves a people to death, the other merely shrugs. Together, they share a disregard for international law and the authority of the International Criminal Court. This list is far from complete, but it is already one of the most repulsive imaginable. Berlin and Tel Aviv, as the German press rightly points out, do indeed have a lot in common. Historical amnesia The decision by Berlin's representatives sends a clear message to the world about what the German capital now stands for - and marks an unprecedented act of historical amnesia. The government of a city that was under siege decades ago, and continues to invoke that experience as central to its collective memory, has now switched sides. A city that remembers its own siege should have named Gaza City as its twin - not the capital of those enforcing one Berlin is aligning itself with the capital of a country that has not only besieged the Gaza Strip for 17 years and created the largest prison on earth and put Palestinians "on a diet" - but has also been committing genocide for more than 18 months - a campaign fully supported by the people of Tel Aviv. If the experience of siege were truly as significant and defining for Berlin as its politicians so often claim, with great solemnity, then there would have been only one natural and fitting twin city: Gaza City. Unlike Gaza, however, Berlin found help when it was besieged after the Second World War. Western countries sent "raisin bombers" and supplied the trapped enclave with food, and they were not prevented from doing so by the Soviet Union - in stark contrast to the criminal starvation of Gaza's civilian population by the settler-colonial regime in Tel Aviv. In order to live up to their historical experience and responsibility, Berlin's representatives should have sent "raisin bombers" to Gaza on 8 October 2023, instead of making themselves accomplices to genocide. They should not have wasted a single thought on becoming partners with the perpetrator capital. Zionist influence Berlin's choice of Israel's capital city underscores how deeply German politicians have, in recent years, allowed the Zionist lobby to shape the city's political agenda. In a manner incompatible with the rule of law, it now takes only the suspicion that an event or statement might be deemed antisemitic, according to the Zionist-driven IHRA definition, for the machinery of state repression to lurch into action. From smear campaigns and police raids to the prosecution of activists and the criminalisation of humanitarian solidarity, every demonstration in support of Palestinian rights is met with brutal suppression by Berlin's militarised riot police. I am pleased to announce the establishment of a Twin Cities partnership with Germany's capital, Berlin – a partnership based not only on historical memory, but also on the values of democracy, freedom, and tolerance, which are so crucial in the world today. Kai Wegner,… — Mayor of Tel Aviv (@MayorOfTelAviv) April 6, 2025 The Zionist lobby, as in other countries, does not seek to address the root causes of antisemitism. Instead, it weaponises the charge in order to pressure the German state into punishing anti-Zionist speech. Following its electoral victory, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), submitted a "minor interpellation" to the federal government titled "Political Neutrality of State-funded Organisations." It consisted of over 500 questions targeting civil society organisations critical of Israel's genocide, with the aim of stripping them of funding and charitable status if they do not conform to what the Christian Democrats define as "political neutrality." Unsurprisingly, the Christian parties did not include a single Zionist lobby organisation in their interpellation, even though these groups are anything but "politically neutral". Follow Middle East Eye's live coverage of the Israel-Palestine war On the contrary, they operate as propaganda arms for the Zionist cause and Israel's genocide against the Palestinian people in ways that are openly hostile to democratic principles and the defence of universalist ideals. But perhaps more revealing is the fact that, two years ago, taxpayer funding for one of the Zionist lobby groups was almost doubled, reaching an annual total of 23 million euros ($25m). Another openly Zionist organisation is also financially supported by the Ministry of the Interior - even though, once again, an organisation that openly represents and defends a racist ideology can hardly be considered "politically neutral." So what, exactly, is its public benefit? State repression On 19 February 2025, Berlin's mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) deliberately pressured the president of Freie Universität (FU), Gunter M Ziegler, on behalf of the Zionist lobby to cancel an event with Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. As Forschung & Lehre reported, it was not only the mayor who exerted pressure on FU's president. Two Zionist groups - that are anything but 'politically neutral"- were also involved. Ziegler ultimately bowed to this illegitimate encroachment on FU's autonomy and cancelled the event. On 4 April, the right-wing Die Welt newspaper launched another smear campaign against Albanese, echoing official Israeli propaganda in advance of a UN vote on her reappointment. The paper quoted German politicians, including Jurgen Hardt of the CDU - a staunch Zionist advocate - who parroted Israeli military lies with shameless disregard for truth or decency. As if that were not enough, Berlin crossed a new threshold on 1 April with a Trump-like move: announcing the deportation of three EU citizens and one US citizen simply for participating in pro-Gaza demonstrations. These individuals had committed no crime. But in Berlin, freedom of expression is already too much to tolerate, especially when exercised to defend Palestinian rights. This sends an unambiguous warning: anyone who demands justice for Palestinians is now a target of state repression. If the courts fail to halt this descent into authoritarianism, German citizens could soon face prison for criticising Israeli war crimes, while non-citizens will simply be deported. All will be punished not for violence or incitement, but for defending the wrong people in the eyes of the political establishment. Institutional assault After German parliamentarians unanimously adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism in 2017, the real consequences of this move for German democracy became clear in light of the ongoing Zionist genocide of the Palestinian people. Two decisive resolutions passed in November 2024 and January 2025 dramatically changed German society and paved the way for even greater Zionist influence. Germany's support for Israel's far-right alliance shatters its 'denazified' facade Read More » The first Zionist-led attack on German democracy came in November 2024 with the adoption of the resolution "Never again is now: Protecting, preserving and strengthening Jewish life in Germany". Its passage enables the German government to intervene in social life as a matter of principle - to defame anyone, Jew or non-Jew, as an antisemite and to punish those who raise their voices against the Zionist settler-colonial-apartheid regime and its war crimes. The second attack followed on 28 January 2025 with the resolution "Antisemitism and hostility towards Israel in schools and universities". It was passed hastily, largely unnoticed by the public, after the end of the government and during the election campaign. The resolution amounts to a brazen assault on the autonomy of universities and the freedom of research and teaching. Under the guise of concern over a purported rise in antisemitism at schools and universities, the charge is being weaponised to silence critical academics and students. At a federal press conference following its adoption, German professors expressed outrage that the resolution had been drafted without the usual consultation of antisemitism experts or academic bodies. They also criticised the fact that the drafters had ignored the objections of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK), which had already rejected a similar proposal in autumn 2024 over legal concerns. According to one professor, it was not even clear who had authored the resolution. Presumably, however, the driving force is not difficult to identify. Given the resolution's explicitly Zionist agenda - threatening students and academics who take a stand against the regime and its genocide - one need only look to current and former parliamentarians who are behind the resolution. The resolution is a brazen assault on academic freedom, weaponising antisemitism to silence critical voices in schools and universities Volker Beck, a former Green MP, is president of the German-Israeli Society. Mathias Stein, a former MP from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and a member of the parliamentary group behind the resolution, is one of its vice presidents. Other current and former Bundestag members, including Marcus Faber (FDP), Lisa Badum (Greens) and Jurgen Hardt (CDU/CSU), also serve as vice presidents of the German-Israeli Society. It is hardly surprising that academic expertise and historical accuracy were of no interest when this resolution was drafted. German parliamentarians have proven either unable or unwilling to recognise its true intent. Rather than defending democratic rights or resisting Zionist encroachment, they have become willing accomplices to its sweeping "land grab" - one that dismantles Germany's institutions and democracy itself. New fascism Once hailed as "poor but sexy," Berlin attracted young people from around the world, along with the global cultural elite and influential scientists. That era is over. Today, Berlin has turned to the democracy-destroying weaponisation of antisemitism, laying the axe to freedom of opinion, thought, research and teaching. For Germany's political class, supporting Israel's genocide is naked self-interest Jurgen Mackert Read More » The right to criticise Israel for what it is - a genocidal, white supremacist settler colony carrying out ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, threatening Palestinians with Israeli citizenship, and endangering civilian populations across the region - is under active assault. Through its partnership with Tel Aviv, Berlin is becoming a safe haven for Zionist supremacists and racists, for Israeli soldiers who have committed war crimes in Gaza, and for wanted officials from the Israeli government - all under the pretext of protecting Jewish life. Instead of upholding international law or defending civil liberties, Berlin's so-called "democratic centre" is paving the way for an emerging new fascism. Welcome to Berlin, the capital of Zionist repression. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
CNN
29-04-2025
- CNN
The house where two countries were created
From the street, it doesn't look like anything special. Most tourists trying to find this UNESCO World Heritage site are usually looking for a grand European classical villa, so they often walk right past what they think is just a typical family home in a quiet Czech neighborhood. But this deceptively humble house is studied by architects and historians around the world. It has been a private residence, a dance studio, a recovery center for women with osteological conditions, a property owned by the Nazi Germany and the location for a major 20th century historical event. Welcome to Villa Tugendhat. In the 1920s, the Tugendhats, a wealthy German Jewish family, hired an up-and-coming architect named Mies van der Rohe — widely credited with popularizing the phrase 'less is more' — to design their home in Brno. It was completed in 1930, shortly before Hitler rose to power in Germany. And all of those lost tourists can take comfort in the fact that Van der Rohe intended for the house to blend in with the neighborhood. To truly see what's special about the villa, you need to view it from the back. It was built on the top of a small hill, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows that gave residents an uninterrupted view of the grassy landscape. '(Van der Rohe) was, despite his very bourgeois appearance, a radical thinker,' says Dietrich Neumann, who teaches the history of architecture at Brown University. 'He radically rethought the way people might want to live.' At the time, most family houses were comprised of a series of boxy rooms with express purposes: one for cooking, one for sleeping, etc. But the Villa Tugendhat has large, shared spaces made of novel-for-the-time materials like white onyx. (A single wall of onyx would cost about $60,000 in today's money.) 'You just flow between the rooms, and that was very antithetical to the German idea that you had to have closed cozy spaces inside,' says Michael Lambek. Lambek's mother Hanna was the only child of matriarch Grete Tugendhat's first marriage and spent her early years living in the villa. Lambek grew up in Canada and published the book 'Behind the Glass: The Villa Tugendhat and Its Family' in 2022. 'There was nothing left to chance,' he says about the home's design. 'The house does not rest on its walls. It rests on steel pillars that have chrome wrapped around them. And the walls, at least on one side of the house, were replaced by windows. It was the first house to have plate glass, wall-to-wall, or ceiling-to-floor windows.' Throughout the house, Van der Rohe and his collaborator Lilly Reich designed custom furniture that fit with the villa's modern aesthetic. Two pieces were so iconic they became known as 'the Brno chair' and 'the Tugendhat chair' and are still produced under license today. Rather than hanging up family portraits, fine art or ornate tapestries as many wealthy families did at the time, the Tugendhats opted to keep the interiors minimalist. The glass windows provided not only lots of natural light but a look at the changing landscapes, while a large section of one floor has an indoor winter garden. Neumann calls this concept 'radical emptiness.' 'There was no inherited furniture from the parents,' he says. 'There were no paintings on the walls. There were no Persian rugs that you brought from some exotic trip. There's almost no belongings that are there to show off your personal history or your sentimental memories.' Due to World War II and its aftereffects, the villa was only used as a family home for a short time. The Tugendhats began to feel the waves of anti-Semitism growing in Europe and fled to Venezuela. The villa, as one of the largest properties in Brno, was seized by Nazi Germany. Later, after Brno was liberated by the Russians, the home passed through multiple owners and uses until the 1960s, when the family was able to return to Brno. After the war, the Tugendhats settled in Switzerland and Czechoslovakia fell into the Soviet sphere of influence. Grete Tugendhat was able to visit the villa again during the brief break from Soviet control during the Prague Spring, before it was crushed in August 1968 when the Soviet Union and its allies invaded. Grete Tugendhat agreed to give up her ownership claim to the home under two conditions: it be restored to its original condition, and it be open to the public. The city of Brno said yes. In the meantime, Van der Rohe had emigrated to the United States and become one of the most famous architects in the world. He designed Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC, the Seagram Building in New York City and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. The restoration work at Villa Tugendhat was slow and careful. In the decades between the war and the villa's reopening as a tourist attraction, the Czech government used it as a 'hospitality center,' hosting foreign dignitaries. But its most famous historical happening took place with relatively little fanfare. On August 26, 1992, two men, Václav Klaus and Vladimír Mečiar, walked into the Villa Tugendhat. That day, the two leaders agreed to split Czechoslovakia into two countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Brno, located roughly midway between Prague and Bratislava, was chosen as a symbolic location. In the Villa Tugendhat garden, in what is now referred to as 'the meeting under the tree,' the two men addressed reporters and announced that the two countries would be split as of January 1, 1993. The peaceful separation, which did not involve any battles or bloodshed, is called the Velvet Divorce. In 2001, UNESCO nadded the Villa Tugendhat to the World Heritage List, citing it as a 'a pioneering work of modern 20th century residential architecture.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Yahoo
The house where two countries were created
From the street, it doesn't look like anything special. Most tourists trying to find this UNESCO World Heritage site are usually looking for a grand European classical villa, so they often walk right past what they think is just a typical family home in a quiet Czech neighborhood. But this deceptively humble house is studied by architects and historians around the world. It has been a private residence, a dance studio, a recovery center for women with osteological conditions, a property owned by the Nazi Germany and the location for a major 20th century historical event. Welcome to Villa Tugendhat. In the 1920s, the Tugendhats, a wealthy German Jewish family, hired an up-and-coming architect named Mies van der Rohe — widely credited with popularizing the phrase 'less is more' — to design their home in Brno. It was completed in 1930, shortly before Hitler rose to power in Germany. And all of those lost tourists can take comfort in the fact that Van der Rohe intended for the house to blend in with the neighborhood. To truly see what's special about the villa, you need to view it from the back. It was built on the top of a small hill, with floor-to-ceiling glass windows that gave residents an uninterrupted view of the grassy landscape. '(Van der Rohe) was, despite his very bourgeois appearance, a radical thinker,' says Dietrich Neumann, who teaches the history of architecture at Brown University. 'He radically rethought the way people might want to live.' At the time, most family houses were comprised of a series of boxy rooms with express purposes: one for cooking, one for sleeping, etc. But the Villa Tugendhat has large, shared spaces made of novel-for-the-time materials like white onyx. (A single wall of onyx would cost about $60,000 in today's money.) 'You just flow between the rooms, and that was very antithetical to the German idea that you had to have closed cozy spaces inside,' says Michael Lambek. Lambek's mother Hanna was the only child of matriarch Grete Tugendhat's first marriage and spent her early years living in the villa. Lambek grew up in Canada and published the book 'Behind the Glass: The Villa Tugendhat and Its Family' in 2022. 'There was nothing left to chance,' he says about the home's design. 'The house does not rest on its walls. It rests on steel pillars that have chrome wrapped around them. And the walls, at least on one side of the house, were replaced by windows. It was the first house to have plate glass, wall-to-wall, or ceiling-to-floor windows.' Throughout the house, Van der Rohe and his collaborator Lilly Reich designed custom furniture that fit with the villa's modern aesthetic. Two pieces were so iconic they became known as 'the Brno chair' and 'the Tugendhat chair' and are still produced under license today. Rather than hanging up family portraits, fine art or ornate tapestries as many wealthy families did at the time, the Tugendhats opted to keep the interiors minimalist. The glass windows provided not only lots of natural light but a look at the changing landscapes, while a large section of one floor has an indoor winter garden. Neumann calls this concept 'radical emptiness.' 'There was no inherited furniture from the parents,' he says. 'There were no paintings on the walls. There were no Persian rugs that you brought from some exotic trip. There's almost no belongings that are there to show off your personal history or your sentimental memories.' Due to World War II and its aftereffects, the villa was only used as a family home for a short time. The Tugendhats began to feel the waves of anti-Semitism growing in Europe and fled to Venezuela. The villa, as one of the largest properties in Brno, was seized by Nazi Germany. Later, after Brno was liberated by the Russians, the home passed through multiple owners and uses until the 1960s, when the family was able to return to Brno. After the war, the Tugendhats settled in Switzerland and Czechoslovakia fell into the Soviet sphere of influence. Grete Tugendhat was able to visit the villa again during the brief break from Soviet control during the Prague Spring, before it was crushed in August 1968 when the Soviet Union and its allies invaded. Grete Tugendhat agreed to give up her ownership claim to the home under two conditions: it be restored to its original condition, and it be open to the public. The city of Brno said yes. In the meantime, Van der Rohe had emigrated to the United States and become one of the most famous architects in the world. He designed Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC, the Seagram Building in New York City and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. The restoration work at Villa Tugendhat was slow and careful. In the decades between the war and the villa's reopening as a tourist attraction, the Czech government used it as a 'hospitality center,' hosting foreign dignitaries. But its most famous historical happening took place with relatively little fanfare. On August 26, 1992, two men, Václav Klaus and Vladimír Mečiar, walked into the Villa Tugendhat. That day, the two leaders agreed to split Czechoslovakia into two countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Brno, located roughly midway between Prague and Bratislava, was chosen as a symbolic location. In the Villa Tugendhat garden, in what is now referred to as 'the meeting under the tree,' the two men addressed reporters and announced that the two countries would be split as of January 1, 1993. The peaceful separation, which did not involve any battles or bloodshed, is called the Velvet Divorce. In 2001, UNESCO nadded the Villa Tugendhat to the World Heritage List, citing it as a 'a pioneering work of modern 20th century residential architecture.'
