It is often argued by critics of Israel that the British custodianship of the land that is now Israel between the end of WWI and Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948,  essentially handed the land to the Jews at the expense of the hapless, helpless Palestinians. It is true that Britain hardly …

Cynicism, insecurity and opportunity abound on Holocaust Remembrance Day This year’s commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, was at once illuminated and overshadowed by extraordinary statements on the Holocaust emanating from Europe and the Middle East. The first came from a familiar …

The image of the invariably smiling Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif purring at the side of world leaders, together with the election of the so-called “reformist” president Hasan Rowhani in 2013, have cultivated an image of the Iranian regime as modern, civilised, reasonable and a welcome antidote to the inhuman …

There has long been a conventional wisdom in some foreign policy circles that runs like this: ‘solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and you will harmonise the Middle East, crush the recruitment strategy of jihadists and keep the misery of the modern Arab world far from our screens and our shores.’ Jordan’s …

Vastly outnumbered, outgunned, besieged on every front and overwhelmed by the wealth and diplomatic influence of the Arab States, Israel faced its hour of maximum danger 50 years ago. It did so alone: 100,000 Egyptian troops, armour and artillery had amassed on Israel’s southern border; the UN peace-keeping force along …

There is much to celebrate about Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Australia; the first time a sitting Israeli Prime Minister has graced our shores.  We will hear much about the common bond of nations, of shared values and destinies as liberal democracies and secular states governed by the rule of law. …

There is something about long-haul travel conducted in solitude that infuses the mind with a strange kind of focus.  As I returned to Kiev for the first time, having left that place as a boy of three, and now a man of 33, my mind returned again and again in …

Australia’s Jewish community has always understood that its fortunes will rise and fall with the fortunes of the nation. And so, when Jews gather in their holy places, they pray for the welfare of this country in a tradition that originates in 594 BCE, when the Jews lived in exile …

For the Jewish people the tiny sliver of land between the Jordan River and the eastern Mediterranean coast has always been their nation’s birthplace and homeland, the fountainhead of the Hebrew language and Jewish civilisation, thought and culture. It is from this land that the Jews were dispersed among the …

It was the night of June 1, 2001. Scores of teenagers queued outside the Dolphinarium nightclub on the long stretch of road running along the Mediterranean Sea from the old north of Tel Aviv down to the historic port of Jaffa. After the homely Friday night Sabbath dinners had concluded, …

The Australian Left must learn from British Labour’s antisemitism scandal. British Labour may be in the throes of a crisis that could keep the party out of national government for a generation and threatens its claims to be a progressive political party committed to anti-racism and social justice. The crisis …

PALESTINIAN Minister for Education Dr Sabri Saidam recently criticised a senior Australian delegation for posing “very ­explosive and very challenging” questions during a meeting in the West Bank. The Australian team included senior Liberals Christopher Pyne and Bronwyn Bishop, Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson and Labor’s Tim Watts and Glenn …

Self-righteous Westerners and Israel-hating Jews are playing a deadly role. Galway, Ireland. They stood huddled in the corner of the lecture theatre whispering ominously. A final pep talk perhaps, or a hasty revision of tactics. Then the leader surged forward, arms flailing, voice bellowing, clad in the colours of Palestine. …

On the last day of October I was given the distinct honour of addressing an Australian citizenship ceremony at which almost 100 people, from places as disparate as Cote d’Ivoire and the Czech Republic, pledged allegiance to Australia and vowed to uphold the laws and values of our nation. They …

‘PALESTINIAN’ cleric Muhammad Salah stands at the pulpit of his mosque in Gaza clutching a large kitchen knife. His hand repeatedly comes down in a violent stabbing motion.  He does not speak in an allegory, or sermonise to his flock. He delivers a very specific command: “Form stabbing squads. We …

The ABC has allowed Radio National to be used by fanatics pushing a virulently anti-Israel agenda. A series of programs on ABC Radio National, produced by a long-standing anti-Israel activist, has undermined the objectivity of the national broadcaster and exposed serious failings in its editorial process. The programs may also …