(The Age, 27/11/2023) ( https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/we-know-your-pain-thorpe-addresses-free-palestine-crowds-in-melbourne-20231126-p5emu0.html ) A four-day truce between Israel and Hamas has been condemned by speakers at a pro-Palestine rally in Melbourne on Sunday and described as falling short of addressing the long-running plight of Palestinians living under occupation in Gaza. As some Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners were released as part of… Continue reading ‘We know your pain’: Lidia Thorpe addresses thousands at Free Palestine rally

ABC | Nicole Johnston | 26.11.23 Gaza is one of the few places in the world that’s closed off, its borders almost hermetically sealed by both Israel and neighbouring Egypt. Entry to Gaza through Israel in particular is limited and tightly controlled. While journalists, United Nations staff and aid workers are given the permits necessary… Continue reading I lived in Gaza and reported on its wars. I’ll never forget its hospitality, its children and how they lived life under siege

ABC / Reuters / AFP | 26.11.23 Hamas has agreed to release 13 Israeli hostages and seven foreign nationals in exchange for 39 Palestinian prisoners in Israel, after earlier delaying the release by several hours. The deal to release hostages appeared to stall earlier on Saturday as Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades said the plan would be… Continue reading Hostage deal back on track after Hamas delays second release, alleging Israeli violations of the truce agreement

Countdown to genocide: the year before October 7 Over 12,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military’s genocidal war on Gaza. We don’t know exactly how many have died: With the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system, it’s now impossible to count the dead. This is devastation on an unimaginable scale. How did we end… Continue reading Untitled

NASSER MASHNI The shuffle of the heavy feet of more than a million Palestinians forced from their homes in northern Gaza was barely audible against the sounds of Israeli strikes of October 13. And yet, this footfall resonated across the globe, evoking a deep sense of foreboding and horror for Palestinian communities. The Israeli state… Continue reading Empty words an intolerable injustice

From Charlotte Marshall, Miranda Pinch, and Lynn McAllister Sir, — Several readers have commented in the past two weeks on the statement by the House of Bishops concerning Gaza. We commend Dr Jonathan Chaplin’s critical analysis (Letters, 10 November) of the Bishops’ failure to condemn the attacks on civilians by Israel as violations of international… Continue reading The House of Bishops statement and Gaza’s future

From Dr Jonathan Chaplin Sir, — Two correspondents last week trenchantly exposed the weakness of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s responses to the Israeli government’s retaliatory assault on Gaza (Letters, 3 November). Since they wrote, the House of Bishops has now put its collective name to an equally inadequate statement, issued on 31 October (News, 3… Continue reading International law and Israel’s response to Hamas

31/10/2023 An appeal for Peace “They shall not learn war any more” (Isaiah 2.4)  Isaiah’s vision of peace was spoken to a nation in confusion and social discord, divided and fearful. It was a vision of a peace that, though not yet realised, was always to be sought in faith through living in obedient righteousness… Continue reading Statement from the House of Bishops on the war in Gaza

The Australian / AFP | Ella Ide | 24.11.23 The Pope has said the conflict in Gaza has gone beyond war and become terrorism after meeting Israeli and Palestinian dele­gations visiting the Vatican. Francis on Wednesday met separately with Israeli relatives of Hamas hostages and Palestinians with family in Gaza, while warning that the ongoing… Continue reading Pontiff Accuses Both Sides of Terrorism

The Age | Emma Koehn & Annie Holland | 24.11.23 Hundreds of school students across Melbourne ignored pleas from politicians to stay in school and instead took to the city streets rallying to support Palestine. About 500 young people, aged from kindergarteners through to year 12 students, gathered on the steps of Flinders Street Station… Continue reading Students rally for Palestine in defiance of school rules