We are Jews living in Australia, on Aboriginal land, and we are angered beyond words by what Israel is currently doing to Palestine and to Palestinians.
For too long Israel has had impunity in its actions, has been able to get away with taking the actions that it likes. This must stop. We condemn the military and police attacks on Muslims praying at Al Aqsa; the stealing of homes in Sheikh Jarrah; the fascist mobs beating up Palestinians in Lydd, in Netanya, in Haifa, and throughout ‘48; the bombings in Gaza; and the ongoing settler violence in the West Bank.
It is not antisemitic to say these things. There is nothing Jewish about settler colonialism. What we see happening in Palestine today is part of a long history of European colonialism.
We have listened to Palestinians, we have read their descriptions and their analysis, we have learned from them. More people need to be listening and learning from them.
We see the inherent value and beauty in Palestinian lives, cultures, and communities.
We see the connections between settler colonialism in Australia and in Palestine, we see the ways that the governments support each other, the way the two countries work together. We say strongly that we actively oppose colonialism wherever it appears. We say that Israel does not offer safety for Jews, it is not what will bring a secure Jewish future. Decolonisation, building new futures together, is the only way forward.
We call on the media in Australia to properly and accurately report on what is going on. Too often the media claims they are afraid to properly report, out of a fear that they will be criticised. That excuse is no longer acceptable, if it ever was. There can be no more discussion of ‘clashes’, of ‘conflict’, of ‘two sides’. We need our media to use plain language to describe it as it is: occupation, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, settler colonialism, war crimes. There does not need to be so-called ‘balance’ in reporting: media coverage needs to recognise the outrageous imbalance of power, the fact that Israel is an occupier, and Palestine is occupied. The violence is imbalanced. Media coverage must reflect this.
We call on everyone to take action locally to stop the support of Israeli military and industries. What can that look like?
- Listen to Palestinians, learn from them, be led by their voices. Share their words.
- Pressure the Victorian Andrews government and the Federal government to not trade with Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms manufacturer. Write to your local MP.
- Pressure local media to properly cover what Israel is doing. Write to your media outlets, tell them to interview Palestinians, to describe accurately what is occurring.
signed by Jews (and some non-Jewish supporters),
Sivan Barak
Jordy Silverstein
Jews Against Fascism
Veronica Sherman
Sonya Goldberg
Joan Nestle
Alana Lentin
Yaelle Caspi
Roz Bellamy
Naama Carlin
Kea Cranko
Antony Loewenstein
Clare Rosen McGarry
Simonne Goran
Ben Silverstein
Sara Dehm
Vivienne Porzsolt
Alex smith
M. Benesh
Michelle Berkon
Ron Witton
Guy Gillor
Jews Against the Occupation
Scheherazade Bloul
Damiya Hayden
Joshua Fezei
M Rapeport
Nadine Cohen
Tamara Zimet
Maddy Blay
Elsa Tuet-Rosenberg
and over 350 others. To see the full list of signatories go here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y_3ysTiqvaWbmQBJ9rHpiyDs6xKeNj4tU2xXnmpfKKE/edit?usp=sharing 