Australia and Israel: Questions.

There is a question in the minds of many of my friends when we talk about Palestine and Israel and Australia. What really is the Australian position? I guess it is obvious, but is it coming from the experiences of those of us in primary school in the 1950's and Secondary school in the sixties; watching "Exodus" and hoping to go onto a kibbutz one day? Or is it Christian Zionism; or something else? Is it the politicians or the diplomats (or are they one and the same these days?) The final comment in this article makes those questions important! "...assistance from the Australian Embassy has brought up questions concerning Australia’s close relations with Israel."

http://tinyurl.com/yhtoljm

From the Alternative Information Centre comes this extra information:

"...Also speaking at the press conference were international solidarity activists Bridgette Chappell and Ariadna Jove Marti of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). Chappell and Jove were illegally detained by the Israeli army in Ramallah and released on bail earlier this week.
“We are not breaking any laws and are standing in solidarity with Palestinians in a non-violent and legal way,” said Chappell. ““The ISM media office in Ramallah was raided by the Israeli military last night at 3am, which was the second raid this week,” added Chappell. “The Israeli army clearly has no regard for the Oslo Accords and Area A, which is under full Palestinian control. These raids and arrests are meant to intimidate and harass us, to stop us from bearing witness to the Israeli human rights violations that help perpetuate the occupation,” stated Chappell. “However, it won’t work.”

Chappell and Jove believe their pending case before the Israeli Supreme Court will take 3-4 weeks, while they are also appealing in the Jerusalem District Court against the ruling that they are not allowed into the West Bank.
Attending the press conference were representatives from the Spanish and French consulates. Jove praised the support she has received to date from the Spanish Embassy and Consulate, while Chappell reflected that assistance from the Australian Embassy has brought up questions concerning Australia’s close relations with Israel."

The politics of maps

I grew up with maps and atlases. I remember sitting on my father's lap and looking at the world! I grew up and became a geographer. Some years ago I heard a commentator talking about the political and military uses of maps. I had thought they were innocuous beautiful things that showed you the world. Yes, but also rivers, cities, passes; all very military. Now a geographer who maps Israeli settlements in the occupied territories has been banned from travel for six months. (Not a good situation for a geographer to be in!)
http://theonlydemocracy.org/2010/02/palestinian-expert-on-israeli-settlements-and-cartography-barred-from-travel/
The settlement maps do show how some Israelis are "eating up" Palestinian land.

As Australians hear of nightime raids on a local Canberran in Ramallah we are perhaps more aware of what is happening in Israel and Palestine.

Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill (Petition)

A chance to take a stand!
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/uganda_christians/

The Petition

We call on Christians around the world, and particularly Christian leaders, to oppose the extreme and violent “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” proposed in Uganda. We call on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, to end his silence on the matter, to condemn the bill in public and to urge Ugandan Christians to oppose it.

In addition to life imprisonment for consensual sexual activity between people of the same sex, the bill would introduce the death penalty for anyone whose same-sex partner is disabled. It would introduce imprisonment for anyone in authority – such as a priest or minister - who knew of homosexual activity but failed to report it.

Most Christians, who hold a range of views on sexual ethics, will be horrified by these measures. By speaking out, Christian leaders can expose the hollowness of the religious rhetoric used by the bill’s supporters. Given the place of Anglicanism in Uganda, it is important that Rowan Williams adds his voice to the opposition to the bill.

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my comment:
"Christian voices must be raised around the world against this bill and those who use christianity to support such measures."
 
Links:
The leading organisation campaigning against the Bill in Uganda is:
       Sexual Minorities Uganda - www.sexualminoritiesuganda.org
Christian organisations opposed to the Bill include:
Accepting Evangelicals - www.acceptingevangelicals.org
Changing Attitude - www.changingattitude.org.uk
Courage - www.courage.org.uk
Ekklesia - www.ekklesia.co.uk
Inclusive Church - www.inclusivechurch2.net
Integrity Canada - www.integritycanada.org
Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement - www.lgcm.org.uk

There is Another Way.

There is Another Way.

This image is from The Sunday Canberra TImes of February 16th 2003 with a report of the massive peace protest outside Parliament House on Saturday 15th.

But when war is the way chosen what does that do to the combatants? My friend Michael (http://michaelcardensjottings.blogspot.com/) has a link on his blog to a story by Anand Gopal found in The Asia Times Online (SouthAsia) http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/LA30Df01.html "Terror comes at night in Afghanistan".

Read it and weep. There are other ways to combat human rights abuses. The courts, or simply education. Why don't we use them? War diminishes, demeans and brutalises everyone. That includes the societies who engage in it.