Free Palestine Melbourne - Freedom and Justice for Palestine and its People.

Week in Review

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It has been a tropubling week for Palestine. I summarize some of the events that have caught my attention: These events include:


Protests of Tel Aviv residents angry that Israeli judge surprisingly rules in favour of NOT demolishing Palestinian house.

Israeli demolition of Palestinian home blocked by High Court

but then a review of the case has been requested. I am not aware of any democracies that allow punishment to extend to the whole family through the demolition of the family’s property.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/prosecutors-to-ask-high-court-to-review-ruling-barring-demolition-of-accused-soldier-killers-home/

House demolitions. “Israel has implemented a policy of mass demolition of Palestinian houses in the Occupied Territories,” B’Tselem reports, and since September 2000 “has destroyed some 4,170 Palestinian homes.” Until just recently Israel routinely resorted to house demolitions as a form of collective punishment. According to Middle East Watch, apart from Israel, the only other country in the world that used such a draconian punishment was Iraq under Saddam Hussein. http://normanfinkelstein.com/2006/01/13/economic-boycott-of-israel/


Response to Beinart article “I No Longer Believe in a Jewish State” from conservatives very damning, no chance of two parties living together and resigned to a necessary apartheid but no shame in calling it such either.

https://mondoweiss.net/2020/08/segregation-liberal-zionists-embrace-unliberal-ideas-to-combat-beinart/


Unbalanced response to incendiary balloons, yet again!! Social media showing images of balloons alongside fighter jets and bombings of Gaza. In the meantime, little mainstream media coverage although there is some activity on other social media channels such as Twitter and Instagram. Apart from the ‘light’ bombings, other measures imposed further plummet the people of Gaza into destitution: no power, further movement restrictions etc.

“A statement from the fire service says most of the blazes were small and didn’t pose any danger.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/gaza-fire-balloons-spark-16-blazes-in-south/

AND

Video shows new laser system intercepting Gaza fire balloon

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/video-shows-new-laser-system-intercepting-gaza-fire-balloon/


UAE/Israel alliance condemned by many nations. UAE quickly (within a few days, no less!) moves to stifle any dissent and jails many!

https://www.albawaba.com/node/help-us-find-critics-uae-smart-app-allows-reporting-residents-who-tweet-against-normalization

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200817-uae-arrests-opponents-of-israel-peace-deal/

https://emiratesleaks.com/en/uae-one-repressive-countries-world/

In an interview with Dr Norman Finkelstein On UAE-Israel Normalization, the issue is discussed along with the implications for the ICC case against Israel.





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JOIN THE BIG RIDE FOR PALESTINE!

5 – 20th September 2020

We’re organising The Big Ride for Palestine 2020 differently this year to make the ride safer for people taking part during the COVID 19 pandemic. This year we are asking people to nominate a ride or other activity (walking, jogging, etc.) of their choice to complete during the second and third weeks of September. You can ride as an individual or in small teams. Riders register … and seek sponsorship from supporters, friends, and relatives.

https://thebigrideaustralia.weebly.com/

Melbourne supporters, please stay tuned for the details of a group walk with FP Melbourne members COVID restrictions permitting.




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Constant surveillance: Israeli drones over Gaza

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https://kiaoragaza.wordpress.com/2020/08/11/constant-surveilance-israeli-drones-over-gaza/

sign the petition

For Israel, the world’s biggest exporter of these population-control military machines, the testing of spy drones in Gaza brings great profit.

Palestinians in Gaza speak about the trauma and fear they feel being under constant surveillance by Israel’s drones.




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Kufiya – Palestinian Scarf

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Interested in purchasing a Kufiya?

3CR, a Melbourne-based public radio station, is selling Kufiya Palestinian scarves to support the last factory that produces them in Hebron, Palestine. All profits will be donated to the reconstruction efforts in Gaza and support Palestinian industry. There are traditional scarves available in red and black or you can choose from a modern design.

Click Here to Purchase




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Delegitimizing Solidarity: Israel Smears Palestine Advocacy as Anti-Semitic

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https://jps.ucpress.edu/content/49/2/65

Ben White – Journal of Palestine Studies

An interesting and well researched article from the Journal of Palestine Studies, that sheds light on the tactics used to delegitmize Palestinian advocacy and the lengths that have been taken to battle campaigns such as BDS. For example, the establishment of GONGO’s and organisations such as NGO Monitor.

“Steinberg had found his niche. That year, he founded NGO Monitor, initially run from the Institute of Contemporary Affairs within the well-known right-wing Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA).”

The reach of these efforts is quite extraordinary and include lawsuits in countries outside of Israel.

”Shurat HaDin’s efforts are deployed through a plethora of lawsuits, including one in 2011 (that “went nowhere”) claiming that Carter [former President of the US] had “defrauded consumers” with Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid and another against a pro-BDS Australian academic on the grounds that he was “in breach of the country’s anti-racism laws” (the case was dismissed by the Federal Court of Australia).”




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