10 July 2025: We are deeply alarmed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s embrace of recommendations that would see public funding withheld from universities, media organisations, and arts institutions unless they adopt a deeply contested definition of antisemitism—one that dangerously conflates criticism of Israel with hatred of Jews.
Palestine Israel Media Report 10 July 2025
1/ Israel’s plan for ‘humanitarian city’ on ruins of Rafah paves way for Trump’s ‘Gaza Riviera’ (The Age, SMH, 10/7/2025)
2/ Letters (The Age, 10/7/2025)
3/ ‘Not our job’ to police keffiyehs in classrooms, says NSW Education Department (The Australian, 10/7/2025)
4/ Netanyahu and Trump talk hostages as Gaza war grinds on (Canberra Times, 10/7/2025)
5/ Nothing to see or hear on website against racism (The Australian, 10/7/2025)
6/ Labor to move quickly on special envoy’s plan to combat antisemitism (The Guardian, 10/7/2025)
7/ Sweeping antisemitism plan expected to be handed down by government’s envoy (ABC News, 10/7/2025)
.
JOIN THE MEDIA WATCH GROUP >> Search Google Groups “Palestine Israel Media Monitoring” group.
.
Police told not to confront CBD protesters
The Age | Cameron Houston, Chip Le Grand & Rachel Eddie | 8 July 2025
Victoria’s new chief commissioner has ordered a review into police handling of a violent attack on an Israeli restaurant in Melbourne after it emerged officers were earlier given orders not to interact with a rowdy demonstration in the CBD.
Premier Jacinta Allan said it was reasonable for people to ask why there were not more arrests after a group that splintered from the demonstration rampaged through Miznon restaurant in the CBD on Friday night.
She said it was also fair to ask why slogans such as “Death to the IDF” were tolerated at pro-Palestinian rallies. “That is a fair question,” she said after visiting the East Melbourne Synagogue fire bombed on the same night as the restaurant attack. “The police minister and I were briefed this morning by the chief commissioner, and he is examining the operational response.”
Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush, who was sworn into the job last week, will join a new anti-hate taskforce established by Allan in response to the weekend’s series of attacks at Miznon, the synagogue and a defence contractor in Greensborough where a car was torched and others damaged.
The taskforce includes Allan, Police Minister Anthony Carbines and Lord Mayor Nick Reece and will hold its first meeting on Tuesday. A well-placed government source not authorised to publicly discuss the work of the taskforce said a permit system for protests would probably be an early item for consideration.
Police responded swiftly to the firebombing of the historic East Melbourne Synagogue in Albert Street, which is also known as the City Shul. Angelo Loras, a 34-year-old with a last known address in Sydney, was arrested and charged within two days of the attack, which caused only superficial damage to the front door of the synagogue.
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, and federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley are expected to visit the synagogue this week. At Miznon, police were caught unprepared for the violence after officers were given instructions not to engage with the earlier anti-police demonstration at the State Library of Victoria, according to a well-placed source not authorised to speak publicly.
About 20 people broke away from this gathering and stormed Miznon in nearby Hardware Lane. During the incident at Miznon, which unfolded when Hardware Lane was packed with Friday night diners, a window was broken, food was thrown and tables were turned over while protesters shouted slogans including “Death to the IDF”.
The same chant was heard at Sunday’s pro-Palestinian rally, where the attacks on the restaurant and synagogue were also condemned by organisers. One person was arrested at Miznon for allegedly hindering police. Officers ordered others to move on.
This masthead has confirmed, through the well-placed source, that dozens of officers were assigned to the anti-police demonstration, which was promoted online by various hard left and pro-Palestinian activist groups.
At a Friday afternoon tactical briefing, a decision was taken for police to not have a physical presence at the protest, to avoid inflaming the group.
Instead, officers are understood to have waited on buses parked in surrounding streets when the demonstration began shortly after 5.30pm. This meant police were unaware when, sometime before 8.15pm, some of the pro testers started walking towards Miznon. The restaurant had in previous days been identified on social media as a target by activists because one of its owners is involved in a controversial Israeli and US-linked charity, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The foundation has faced criticism for its role in Gaza food distribution sites where hundreds of Palestinians have been killed. A police spokeswoman confirmed resources were allocated to the anti-police protest but did not say how they were deployed.
“Victoria Police was aware of a planned protest in Melbourne on Friday 4 July. Victoria Police had specific resources available to respond when needed, as was the case in the incident that took place at a restaurant on Hardware Lane,” a spokesperson said.
A source with knowledge of the police investigation said that most of the protesters questioned by police at the restaurant were known to police because of their frequent attendance at the regular Sunday rallies.
Allan described the decision to protest on Sunday, less than two days after the synagogue attack, as “particularly odious, hateful behaviour” and said she was open to taking further action to stop public demonstrations of hate speech.
New anti-vilification laws which carry jail terms for serious offences were passed by parliament after last December’s arson attack which destroyed the Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea but are yet to come into force. Legislation is still being drafted to prohibit face masks at protests and flags and symbols associated with terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
“If there is more to do we will take that action,” Allan said. Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said that the government had acted too slowly in response to previous attacks and surging antisemitism.
++++++
Gaza buffer zone plan outlined ahead of meeting
The Age (& Sydney Morning Herald) / AP | Wafaa Shurafa & Abby Sewell | 8 July 2025
Deir al-Balah, Gaza: New details of the Gaza ceasefire proposal have emerged, including a possible buffer zone and a major increase in humanitarian aid, as Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met in Qatar ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s White House visit.
“There are 20 hostages that are alive, 30 dead. I am determined, we are determined, to bring them all back. And we will also be determined to ensure Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said before departing, emphasising the goal of eliminating Hamas’ military and governing power.
A person familiar with the negotiations shared with the Associated Press a copy of the latest ceasefire proposal submitted by mediators to Hamas, and its veracity was confirmed by two other people familiar with the document. All three spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the talks with media. The document outlines plans for a 60-day ceasefire during which Hamas would hand over 10 living and 18 dead hostages, Israeli forces would withdraw to a buffer zone along Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, and significant aid would be brought in.
The document says the aid would be distributed by UN agencies and Palestinian Red Crescent, but does not specify what will happen to the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been distributing food aid since May.
The Qatar talks ended inconclusively, two Palestinian sources told AP, adding that the Israeli delegation didn’t have a sufficient mandate to reach an agreement with Hamas. As in previous ceasefire agreements, Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli facilities would be released in exchange for the hostages, but the number is not yet agreed upon.
The proposal stops short of guaranteeing a permanent end to the war – a condition demanded by Hamas – but says negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would take place during the 60 days. During that time, “President [Donald] Trump guarantees Israel’s adherence” to halting military operations, the document says, adding Trump “will personally announce the ceasefire agreement”.
The personal guarantee by Trump appeared to be an attempt to reassure Hamas Israel would not unilaterally resume fighting as it did in March during a previous ceasefire, when talks to extend it appeared to stall.
Trump said last week that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire, but it was un clear if the terms were those in the document reviewed by AP. Hamas has requested some changes, but not specified them.
Separately, an Israeli official said the security cabinet late on Saturday approved sending aid into northern Gaza, where civilians suffer from acute food shortages. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the decision, declined to give more details.
Northern Gaza has had just a trickle of aid since Israel ended the latest ceasefire in March. In Gaza, hospital officials said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 38 Palestinians on Sunday. Israeli strikes hit two houses in Gaza City, killing 20 Palestinians and wounding 25 others, said Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Shifa Hospital, which serves the area.
Israel’s military said it had struck several Hamas fighters in two locations in the area of Gaza City. In southern Gaza, Israeli strikes killed 18 Palestinians in Mawasi, on the Mediterranean coast, where thousands of dis placed people live in tents, said officials at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis.
It said two families were among the dead. Israel’s military had no immediate comment on those strikes but said it had struck 130 targets across Gaza in the past 24 hours, including Hamas command and control structures, storage facilities, weapons and launchers, and that it killed a number of militants.
Separately, Israel attacked Houthi targets in three Yemeni ports and a power plant, the Israeli military said yesterday.
++++++
Antisemitism
The Age | Letters (1) | 8 July 2025
I stand with Jews but marches must continue
While The Age’s editorial, “Sunday’s Gaza protest a glaring example of tone-deaf intransigence” (7/7), denigrates Sunday’s pro-Palestine rally as disrespectful and inappropriate: “Yesterday, of all days they should have paused”, the genocide in Gaza intensifies.
I, too, deplore the recent events in Melbourne involving arson and the destruction of property and stand with the Jewish community at this time. However, I strongly believe that the continuation of peaceful protest against the atrocities being perpetrated by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank is more important than ever.
Just when I thought I could take no more, this morning I watched footage on the ABC (7/7) of amputees in Gaza, including children, who are having more and more of their bodies amputated, bit by bit, due to the poor conditions and lack of medical aid causing infection.
The appalling suffering of the people of Gaza is inhumane and barbaric. All people of good con science must stand up to end this horror.
Jody Ellis, Thornbury
Excusing antisemitism is antisemitic
The attitudes expressed in your correspondent’s letter (“Violence is counterproductive”, 7/7) are part of the problem. She condemned Friday night’s antisemitic violence not because it is immoral and rips at the fabric of our multicultural society, but because it is counterproductive to the Palestinian cause.
Then, she falsely claims that antisemitism is weaponised by Israel’s supporters. This is not true. Those of us who support Israel accept that criticism of Israel, the same as could be made of any other country, is not antisemitic. Claims such as hers seek to excuse actual antisemitism and are also arguably antisemitic themselves.
They suggest those sneaky Zionists, mainly Jews, are fraudulently claiming antisemitism to prevent supposedly legitimate criticism of Israel. And then, to round it off, she has an unfair swipe at Israel, when it’s the demonisation of Israel that motivated Friday night’s violence.
Robbie Gore, Brighton East
Protest and violent acts elsewhere conflated
Your July 7 editorial unfairly equates a peaceful protest calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza with unrelated and condemnable criminal acts that occurred two days prior. This conflation is not only inaccurate but dangerous, as it misrepresents a movement grounded in non-violence, solidarity, and international law.
For nearly two years, people from diverse backgrounds have gathered weekly in Melbourne to call for justice, not to incite division. To suggest that Palestinians and their supporters should remain silent out of fear of “offending Australian values” is to ignore the very essence of those values – democracy, free expression, and standing against injustice.
The real issue is not protest slogans, but the ongoing Israeli bombardment of civilians, including children, in breach of international law. To frame those opposing war crimes as tone-deaf is to deflect from the true horrors unfolding in Gaza, enabled by Western governments, including our own.
Blaming protesters for the actions of a few criminals is irresponsible and stifles legitimate dissent. Now, more than ever, we must amplify, not silence, voices for peace, justice, and accountability.
Ezzat Hijazi, Revesby, NSW
When moral authority of protest is lost
Any slogan or chant that includes the cry of “death to” delegitimises the moral authority of the protest, the protester, and the cause being advocated for, and unleashes and rein forces the very violence and hatred that lies at the heart of the antagonism in dispute.
Harry Zable, Campbells Creek
++++++
Antisemitism
The Age | Letters (2) | 8 July 2025
Performative attacks
Tony Wright nails it – again (“Thugs who perform violence over distant atrocities have no place here”, 6/7). There is no doubt that individuals and groups in both Israel and Gaza have committed horrendous atrocities but violent and disruptive protests and attacks on places of worship or businesses in Australia will change absolutely nothing in the Middle East.
Do the protesters really think Netanyahu or Hamas have the slightest interest in the opinions or actions of Australian protesters? The only consequence of these performative, and often criminal, actions is to cause pain and division in Australian society.
Surely, the better way, the Australian way, is to demonstrate that people of different faiths and different views can live harmoniously and respectfully together.
April Baragwanath, Geelong
++++++
Jewish community braces for more antisemitic attacks
Sydney Morning Herald / AAP | Callum Godde & Rachel Ward | 8 July 2025
Australia’s Jewish community is bracing for more antisemitic at tacks as a task force is charged with doing whatever it takes to tackle hate. Calls for action have sharpened after four incidents in Victoria over the weekend, including a fire at East Melbourne Synagogue that forced worship pers to flee.
“It’s terrifying,” Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion said. “I don’t know where the next attack will be, or when, or how. All I can say is that it is statistically likely that it will occur. So far we have been lucky in that no one has died.”
He welcomed Victoria’s new task force to tackle hate, which will examine police powers, but said the state government took too long to act. He urged authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and introduce changes such as protest zones.
Some demonstrators at Sunday’s rally in Melbourne reportedly chanted, “Death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces). Australia’s antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal said the synagogue attack was not a random incident because hatred and intimidation had been allowed to fester, calling for stronger policing and punishments. “Violent or intimidating protest activity which targets the Jewish community is not protest, it is antisemitism,” she said.
Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged with set ting fire to the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation’s front doors on Friday night, forcing about 20 people inside to flee. The attack came seven months after part of the Adass Israel Synagogue was destroyed.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan met with synagogue leaders yesterday, pledging mental health support. She said there were no plans to ban the weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations because freedom of protest was a central tenet of democracy, while hitting out at the protesters’ chanting as “odious, hateful behaviour”.
She was confident anti-vilification laws coming into force in September would give police more powers to crack down on extremist behaviour, as would future legislation to ban masks at protests.
Rally organisers hit back at criticism, stressing they were opposed to the Israeli occupation of Gaza. “To combat antisemitism, Jacinta Allen needs to learn to distinguish between the IDF, which is responsible for war crimes, and Australian Jews,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Soon after the synagogue fire, Israeli restaurant Miznon was targeted by masked pro-Palestinian protesters. A window was smashed, tables flipped and chairs thrown as police directed them to leave the area, with one person arrested.
Later the same night in the city’s north-east, a group spray painted cars with antisemitic “inferences” and set them alight. CCTV footage released by po lice shows figures in black hooded jumpers lighting the fires outside a Greensborough business, with detectives looking for five people seen fleeing on e-bikes. A fourth incident involved stencils used to spray-paint offensive images on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick.
++++++
Suffering without end
Sydney Morning Herald | Letters | 8 July 2025
I feel for Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann and all Jewish people (“Synagogue attack targets a community’s precious story”, July 7). What Jewish people have suffered for millennia weighs on the world’s conscience, and many Christians globally have been complicit.
However, my support for Jewish people does not cover Netanyahu and his gang in the slightest, just as my support for the Palestinian people does not mean I agree with the tactics of Hamas.
Some institutions and individuals refuse to distinguish between antisemitism and opposition to the current Israeli government’s destruction of Gaza and its people. This is both complicity in the current crime against the Palestinians and a gross betrayal of the Jewish people and their history.
Sister Susan Connelly, Croydon
++++++
Labor eyes school focus on antisemitism
The Australian | Greg Brown & Noah Yim | 8 July 2025
Education Minister Jason Clare “stands ready” to reform the school curriculum so children are taught more about anti-Semitism, declaring there was a role for teachers in educating young people about the “poison” of bigotry towards Jews.
As the Victorian government set up an “anti-hate” taskforce following a string of attacks against Jews in Melbourne at the weekend, Mr Clare said he was willing to back changes to the school curriculum if they were recommended by the Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism, Jillian Segal.
Mr Clare’s comments come as Ms Segal and former prime minister Tony Abbott called for a crackdown on anti-Israel protests and former Department of Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo called for an Operation Sovereign Borders-style taskforce to prevent terror attacks against Jews.
Mr Abbott accused Labor of failing to take anti-Semitism seriously enough after the October 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel.
“The only way to show seriousness now would be to ban the pro-Hamas marches and use the police to break them up like the anti-lockdown protests were broken up,” Mr Abbott said.
The West Australian government on Monday backed a fresh national cabinet meeting on anti-Semitism, although the need for this was played down by the NSW government.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan left the door open to backing a national cabinet meeting while Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said “state governments must stand shoulder to shoulder with the commonwealth against anti-Semitism”.
With the peak Jewish body calling for anti-Semitism to be part of the national curriculum as part of a 15-point plan to tackle the issue, Mr Clare told The Australian that “Holocaust education is part of the Australian curriculum”.
“It’s only by learning the lessons of the Holocaust that we can ensure it never happens again,” he said.
Mr Clare said the government was also providing funding to expand social cohesion programs in schools while establishing the National Holocaust Education Centre in Canberra.
He acknowledged, however, that there was more to be done.
“There is no place for the poison of anti-Semitism in our community, and our schools play an important role in educating young people about anti-Semitism and racism more broadly,” Mr Clare said.
“There is always more that can be done, and the government stands ready to work with the Special Envoy to Combat anti-Semitism on further reforms here.”
The Australian understands Ms Segal is likely to advise the government that there needs to be more taught about anti-Semitism in schools.
She said the “environment of hatred and intimidation that has been allowed to grow and fester needs to be tackled head on”.
“These attacks are fundamentally incompatible with Australian values, and have rightfully been condemned by political leaders. I support action, by our political leaders, that will end these violent and intimidating protests,” Ms Segal said.
“Condemnation is not enough. We urgently need stronger policing and laws that name this hate for what it is, and punish it accordingly.
“Violent or intimidating protest activity which targets the Jewish community is not protest, it is anti-Semitism. Australians know this. It must stop.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin urged Labor to act on the body’s 15-point plan to combat anti-Semitism, as was presented in a letter to Anthony Albanese in February.
“Point one of which is for the government to stand up a joint counter-terrorism taskforce before there is a mass casualty event, not after,” Mr Ryvchin said.
“The time for political rhetoric has passed. We need action.”
Mr Pezzullo said it was “imperative” the Albanese government get ahead of a potential terror attack by setting up a taskforce with members of ASIO and federal and state police.
He said the taskforce make-up should mimic Operation Sovereign Borders, set up by the Abbott government to stop illegal boat arrivals.
“Regrettably, we have to assume that such an attack is now probable (to use the ASIO rating), especially as Iranian and possibly other hostile services might decide that mass casualty attacks on Jewish people and/or places would be an effective way to strike back at Israel,” he said.
++++++
Gaza-event MPs told to focus on ALP priorities
The Australian | Paul Garvey & Paige Taylor | 8 July 2025
West Australian Premier Roger Cook has told five rogue Labor MPs who joined an event organised by a Greens pro-Palestine campaigner to focus on the government’s priorities amid the signs of tension in the government’s swollen backbenches.
Ousted Labor powerbroker Dave Kelly joined forces with the Greens’ star recruit, former ABC foreign correspondent Sophie McNeill, to create the first of what Ms McNeill says will be a series of briefings about the Gaza war for members of the WA parliament.
Four other Labor backbenchers – Hugh Jones, Lisa Munday, Klara Andric and Ayor Makur Chuot – joined the Greens MPs and Animal Justice MP Amanda Dorn for the briefing. Mr Kelly said the group heard from Amy Curtis, a Perth nurse who spent three months in Gaza with the Red Cross, and Perth man Ayman Qwaider, who Mr Kelly said had lost his sister and her children to an Israeli airstrike.
“The testimony was not about politics. It was about the staggering level of suffering,” Mr Kelly said. “We need an end to the war and all hostages and prisoners released with aid returned.”
Asked about the meeting, Mr Cook’s office did not appear to endorse the Labor MPs’ decision to participate. A spokesman said: “All state government MPs are expected to be focused on the government’s priorities of delivering jobs, healthcare and homes for Western Australians.”
Mr Kelly was a longtime powerbroker for the dominant left faction of the WA Labor Party and a cabinet minister until 2022 when then premier Mark McGowan forced him to the backbench. Labor sources said Mr Kelly was unlikely to be preselected for another term and was therefore acting with unprecedented autonomy.
Labor’s dominance in WA means its ranks include numerous MPs with little to no chance of becoming ministers. There have been growing signs of disharmony, primarily over the government’s support for the oil and gas industry, and the Gaza meeting is the most clear sign to date of disunity within state Labor over the conflict.
Ms McNeill told The Australian that she and Mr Kelly organised the event inside the WA parliament “because we thought it was really critical for parliamentarians to hear first-hand about this unfolding genocide”. She said there was a lot of support for Palestine among state and federal Labor MPs who, she said, were increasingly uncomfortable with the Albanese government’s “failure to act”.
++++++
Premier sets up taskforce to combat hate and ‘evilness’
The Australian | Lily McCaffrey | 8 July 2025
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has announced a new anti-hate taskforce, following a spate of anti-Semitic incidents in Melbourne at the weekend, including an attempted firebombing attack on a Melbourne synagogue.
Ms Allan, who on Monday visited the historic East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, said the taskforce would be in addition to the Local Escalation and Help (LEAH) group established by the government in the wake of the bombing of Ripponlea’s Adass Israel Synagogue in December.
“Where LEAH focuses on problem-solving at a local community level, the anti-hate taskforce will look at the bigger picture across our city and state,” Ms Allan said.
The Premier had tapped Police Minister Anthony Carbines, lord mayor Nicholas Reece and police executives for the taskforce, her office said.
Invitations to the first meeting, to be held this week, will also go out to representatives of Melbourne’s Jewish community.
Ms Allan said the taskforce would advise on how Victoria Police planned to operationalise the criminal components of the Anti-Vilification and Social Cohesion Act, which passed the Victorian parliament earlier this year.
The taskforce will also advise on progress from the LEAH meetings occurring within the Jewish community and the progress of community consultation and development of legislation for increased police powers to stamp out extreme and violent protests.
Ms Allan on Monday morning said she had spoken with Rabbi Moshe Gutnick and members of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and pledged funding for mental health support to those impacted.
“Hate like this has no place in any place of worship, but when it particularly attacks a synagogue, it has that horrific, that evilness, of anti-Semitism as its undertone,” she said.
“And that is why I will not rest and will continue to take every action necessary to not just strengthen the law but to respond and lead in terms of how we as a community … need to act, to say very, very clearly that acts of hate, acts of violence, acts of anti-Semitism, have no place here in Melbourne and Victoria.”
At the weekend, police arrested and charged Angelo Loras, who on Friday allegedly doused the front door of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation with an accelerant before trying to set the building alight as 20 worshippers gathered inside for Shabbat. Also on Friday night, Israeli restaurant Miznon in Melbourne’s CBD was stormed by protesters, some of whom were wearing keffiyehs.
Police are also investigating a third incident in which three cars were vandalised and set alight in Greensborough.
Anti-Defamation Commission chair Dvir Abramovich welcomed the establishment of the taskforce.
“It signals something that Jewish Australians need to hear right now: that they are not alone, and that their government sees this crisis for what it is, a sustained campaign of intimidation targeting our community’s right to live in peace, to pray in safety and to belong,” Dr Abramovich said.
“As I stood on the charred steps of the synagogue this week, I thought about the children inside who will now forever associate Shabbat with smoke and fear.
“That’s not just a Jewish problem, that’s an Australian problem.
“This taskforce must not be symbolic. It must be muscular, resourced, and fearless.”
Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin said the government had failed to deal with the hate crimes occurring in the state and called for police to be given stronger powers to move protesters on in order to crack down on hate speech.
++++++
West bank Sheiks offer to accept Jewish state
The Australian / Agencies | Ronnie Reyes | 8 July 2025
Five of the most powerful Palestinian officials in the West Bank city of Hebron have said they are willing to leave the Palestinian Authority and join the Abraham Accords, recognising the state of Israel for the first time.
In a major move aimed at peace with Israel, the sheiks have written to Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat expressing their desire to transform the West Bank’s largest city into an emirate that “recognise[s] the state of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people”, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Sheik Wadee’ al-Jaabari – one of the most influential leaders in Hebron, the West Bank’s largest region – urged Israel and US President Donald Trump, who oversaw the Abraham Accords in his first term, to back the plan for self-governance.
“If we will get the blessing of honourable President Trump and the US for this project, Hebron could be like the Gulf, like Dubai,” Sheik Jaabari told the Journal.
Accepting Israel as a Jewish state goes further than the Palestinian Authority ever has, and sweeps aside decades of rejectionism, the WSJ writes.
The Palestinian Authority has stood as the de facto ruler of the autonomous Palestinian regions since 1994 as part of the US-backed Oslo Accords, which Sheik Jaabari and other sheiks slammed as an agreement that “only brought damage, death, economic disaster and destruction”.
They said the PA was forced on the Palestinian people and never brought the prosperity and peace Israel and the US promised – as evidenced by violence along the border and Hamas’s operations inside the West Bank. Sheik Jabbari and his supporters have instead cited Mr Trump’s Abraham Accords as a road map to “coexistence” with Israel. The agreement previously normalised relationships between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
With the West Bank occupied by Israel and seeing daily violence that has only escalated since the war with Hamas began, Sheik Jaabari proposed a trial run that would see 1000 Hebron workers establish an autonomous 400ha economic zone bordering Israel.
If all went well, the zone would grow to 5000 more residents and then 50,000, with the sheiks pledging a “zero tolerance” policy against terrorism.
Sheik Jabbari accused the PA of supporting terrorist activity in the West Bank. “I plan to cut off the PA,” he said. “It doesn’t represent the Palestinians.”
Mr Barkat, who has been meeting with the sheiks since February to discuss a potential deal, touted the proposal as a step forward for Israeli-Palestinian relations.
“Sheik Jaabari wants peace with Israel and to join the Abraham Accords, with the support of his fellow sheiks. Who in Israel is going to say no?” Mr Barkat told the WSJ.
“Nobody in Israel believes in the PA, and you won’t find many Palestinians who do either.”
The WSJ reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is supportive of the initiative but remains cautious, waiting to see how it develops.
The newspaper says the sheiks said they mostly got along with Israeli settlers in the West Bank and the settlers would find much to like in the plan, which breaks from the Oslo Accords’ scheme to divide the land. While the Hebron sheiks would gain territory, so would the settlers.
It remains to be seen how the bold proposal will be accepted by the Jewish state and Hebron residents alike, with some from the West Bank claiming it “doesn’t represent us”, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
The formation of the new zone could also cause problems along the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but the sheiks say land disputes can be easily negotiated.
Sheik Jabbari and his colleagues assured Mr Barkat they would be able to drum up support for the proposal, touting it as the only hope to prevent Hebron and the West Bank from becoming another Gaza.
Sheik Jabbari maintains that his proposal is the best solution for his people, given that Hamas crushed all hopes for a Palestinian state when it attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1200 people and kidnapping 251.
++++++
No leadership, absolute chaos: Hamas in disarray
The Australian / AFP | Sharon Aronowicz | 8 July 2025
Hamas is reportedly in a state of collapse after months of Israeli strikes that have decapitated the group’s leadership, and Gaza’s powerful clans are filling the void.
A senior officer in Hamas’s security forces has told the BBC the group has lost control of 80 per cent of the Gaza Strip, adding: “What’s stopping Israel from continuing this war?
“Let’s be realistic here – there’s barely anything left of the security structure. Most of the leadership, about 95 per cent, are now dead. The active figures have all been killed. Logically, it has to continue until the end. Israel has the upper hand, the world is silent, the Arab regimes are silent, criminal gangs are everywhere, society is collapsing.”
He spoke as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu headed to Washington to meet Donald Trump, saying he hoped a meeting with the US President could “help advance” a Gaza ceasefire deal.
Ahead of their meeting on Tuesday (AEST), Mr Trump said there was a “good chance” Israel and Hamas would agree on a ceasefire this week. “I think there’s a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the week, during the coming week,” Mr Trump said. Such a deal would mean “quite a few hostages” could be released, he added.
Speaking before boarding a flight to Washington, Mr Netanyahu said: “We are working to achieve this deal that we have discussed, under the conditions that we have agreed to.”
He added he had dispatched a negotiating team to Doha “with clear instructions”, and thought the meeting with Mr Trump “can definitely help advance this (deal), which we are all hoping for”. Mr Netanyahu had previously said Hamas’s response to a draft US-backed ceasefire proposal contained “unacceptable” demands.
But the Hamas official told the BBC the group was in disarray after the majority of its leadership in Gaza, including the feared Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammad, were assassinated by the Israeli Defence Forces.
“About the security situation, let me be clear: it has completely collapsed. Totally gone. There’s no control anywhere,” he said.
“People looted the most powerful Hamas security apparatus (Ansar), the complex which Hamas used to rule Gaza. They looted everything, the offices – mattresses, even zinc panels – and no one intervened. No police, no security.
“Hamas’s control is zero. There’s no leadership, no command, no communication. Salaries are delayed, and when they do arrive, they’re barely usable. Some die just trying to collect them. It’s total collapse.”
Sources in Gaza said a clan militia led by Yasser Abu Shabab was co-ordinating with other families to topple Hamas. Mr Netanyahu has confirmed that Israel is arming Abu Shabab, saying in a video on his Instagram page: “What’s wrong with this? It is good. It saves the lives of Israeli soldiers.”
Abu Shabab said Hamas had placed a bounty on Abu Shabab’s head, fearing he could become a unifying figure for its enemies. “For 17 years, Hamas made enemies everywhere. If someone like Abu Shabab can rally those forces, that could be the beginning of the end for us,” he said.
++++++
Israel, Hamas have different reasons for pursuing Gaza deal
The Australian / Wall Street Journal | Jared Malsin | 8 July 2025
Progress towards a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza follows a shift in the balance of power in the Middle East after June’s 12-day war between Israel and Iran.
If Israel and Hamas complete negotiations brokered by the US, Qatar and Egypt, they would pause the nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and allow more humanitarian aid into the hunger-stricken enclave.
Israel’s military campaign against Iran has given Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a window to negotiate.
The strikes on Iran followed more than a year in which Israel went on the offensive against Iran’s allies, weakening Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement and contributing to the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria.
The Iran war, which set back Tehran’s nuclear program and demonstrated Israel’s military superiority over its main adversary in the region, could allow Netanyahu to push back on his right-wing coalition partners, who have threatened to abandon government if he ends the war in Gaza.
In Gaza, Hamas is under pressure from Palestinians demanding a reprieve from the crisis after more than three months in which Israel has restricted food and other supplies allowed into the enclave. Israel has also killed a series of top Hamas leaders in recent months. The Islamist group is also facing a cash crunch that is making it harder for it to pay its rank and file.
The new proposal calls for a temporary, 60-day ceasefire that would buy time for mediators to attempt to broker a permanent end to the war, which could prove far more difficult than a temporary pause. Israel and Hamas have paused fighting twice before, in November 2023 and in January.
“It’s not his preference, but Netanyahu has some interest in saying ‘OK, I now have a new victory narrative after Iran’,” said Daniel Levy, a former Israeli official and negotiator.
“He can only begin to test the waters on whether that gives him a pronounced-enough political bounce if he goes into a temporary ceasefire.”
Netanyahu has been under political pressure since Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1200 people and saw 250 hostages seized. He has sought to increase his chances of remaining in power after a public outcry over the security and intelligence failures that led to the attack, political analysts say.
Netanyahu has for years advocated for a hawkish policy on Iran, including possible military action.
In Gaza, Hamas is under pressure to accept a ceasefire from Palestinians who have had enough of the hunger and ever-present threat of airstrikes from Israeli forces.
++++++
Anti-Semitic mobs must face truth of Hamas evil
After a torrid 21 months, signs of Middle East change are emerging
The Australian | Editorial | 8 July 2025
The publication of previously unreported details about Hamas’s depraved sexual violence against women as a weapon of war should shock a cynical world. First-hand testimony from 15 returned hostages from Gaza and 17 witnesses to the slaughter of 1200 Jews on October 7, 2023, reveals a widespread and systematic onslaught of sexual savagery. Evidence collected by the Dinah Project, funded partly by the British government, reveals that among the 1200 people slaughtered were the bodies of “young women stripped and tied to trees and poles, shot through the genitalia and in the head”, The Times reports. Gang rapes were followed by mutilation and execution. For those who survived and were taken hostage, the horror continued in captivity, with returnees telling of forced nudity, physical and verbal harassment, sexual assaults and threats of forced marriage. The Dinah Project’s findings put Hamas, and those who show an inkling of support for it, beyond the pale of civilised conduct. Ideologues who blindly support the Palestinian cause and blame Israel for Gaza’s woes need a reality check. The revelations must destroy for all time any Hamas claims to a role in post-war Gaza or a Palestine state.
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Donald Trump in Washington amid hopes for a US-brokered ceasefire, and negotiators sit down in Qatar to discuss details of a ceasefire – including the release of the remaining hostages as soon as possible – the gross inhumanity of Hamas over the past 21 months must never be forgotten. While callous pro-Palestinian mobs, some of whom are foolish to the point of delusion, chant “Death to the IDF” in Melbourne, other parts of Australia and in Britain, the Dinah Project’s findings prove it is Hamas, not the Israel Defence Forces, that is mainly responsible for the worst atrocities committed in almost two years of war. The violent anti-Semitism of those mobs runs counter to Western democratic interests and values – a point the leadership of free nations needs to drive home, especially among gullible young people swayed by malign social media operatives.
Demonstrations that intimidate and lead to violence against the Jewish community or any group of Australians, as lawyer Mark Leibler wrote in Monday’s paper, are inimical to this objective. “Silence is no longer an option, if it ever was, and nor is sitting back and waiting in the hope that when the war in the Middle East finally comes to an end, life will go back to normal … the only way we can stop this creeping breakdown of our society now is to reject it as a collective of people who care about our country,” he wrote.
If accurate, BBC reports that Hamas is in a state of collapse after months of Israeli strikes eliminating its leadership are testament to the competence and will of Israel and its defence forces. It fought its existential battle against the militant, Iranian-backed terrorist army in the face of widespread international opposition, even from traditional allies. Gaza’s powerful local clans reportedly are filling the gap. If Hamas is on its last legs – though fanatics desperate to revive it will be lurking – the rest of the world has the competence and determination of the IDF to thank. Israel continued the heavy lifting on Monday to the benefit of other Middle East and trading nations, destroying Houthi terror infrastructure in Yemen ports. The IDF targeted a cargo ship seized by the rebels in November 2023 on which they installed radar to track Red Sea shipping for attacks.
And in another sign of potential progress, five of the most powerful Palestinian officials in the West Bank city of Hebron have said they are willing to leave the Palestinian Authority and join the Abraham Accords, recognising the state of Israel for the first time. In a move aimed at peace, the sheiks have written to Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat expressing their desire to transform the West Bank’s largest city into an emirate that “recognises the state of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people”. Accepting Israel as a Jewish state goes further than the Palestinian Authority ever has, sweeping aside decades of rejection. After 21 months of horrendous suffering, including by thousands of Palestinians, in one of the world’s most fragile regions, it is a promising sign.
++++++
As leaders fail us, we must stand united in fight against Jew hate
The Australian | Letters | 8 July 2025
When haters firebomb another synagogue and more cars, and protesters chant “death to the IDF”, then the time for the majority to sit back and watch is over (“Plea to nation’s leaders: unite to defeat this hate, 7/7).
The amount of protesting and increasing violence in Melbourne and other places is not a show of popularity for the cause, it is a sign that Australians are beginning to push back. More of us are seeing the denial of the atrocities perpetrated on October 7, 2023, and the hatred shown on October 9. It is very hard to stand up and be counted when it seems the rest of the world goes against what you believe to be right. But we must.
Start with something simple, such as wearing an Australian flag badge or T-shirt to show you are united against anti-Semitism or, what it should be called now, “Jew hatred”.
Let’s show each other there are more of us who believe in standing up against hate.
Joanne Foreman, Mansfield, Qld
The latest violent anti-Semitic attack on a Melbourne restaurant must surely invoke strong action against all perpetrators.
Instead, we have Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Jewish MP Mark Dreyfus spinning out the same meaningless weasel words as support to our beleaguered Jewish Australians, Burke declaring the violence was “an attack on Australia”.
If that is the case, it suggests an act of war on our nation’s soil and would require calling in the troops to deter and deny threats to Australia. Unfortunately, it appears there is no one in government, either state or federal, who believes anti-Semitism is something we need to eradicate, not talk about.
Lynda Morrison, Bicton, WA
Without leadership, we all suffer.
Those of us who prize justice and caring for our neighbour also suffer pain and shock when seeing such appalling hatred shown towards the Jewish community.
Now, we have the shame of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu making the admonitions internationally that our own Prime Minister should have made years ago.
How can Anthony Albanese have any excuse for having neglected prompt and appropriate action?
Rosemary McGrath, Kensington, SA
++++++
Media are the truest believers of Hamas lies
Daily Telegraph | Tim Blair | 8 July 2025
In an imaginary world of good, Hamas’s rape, slaughter, torture and kidnapping spree on October 7, 2023, should have disqualified Hamas from existence.
It should also have piled a mortal level of ridicule upon anybody supporting them.
But the opposite happened.
The murder of 1200 men, women and children on October 7 somehow gave credibility to deadly cowards. The international media immediately took the side of Hamas.
On October 17, 2023, just ten days after Hamas’s bestial butchery, an explosion at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza killed a still-unknown number of people.
Hamas – the same gang that had raped and killed so many innocents not even a fortnight earlier – blamed Israel.
And the media believed them.
They believed Hamas, and they told Hamas’s story to the world. They even did Hamas the gentle favour of not referring directly to Hamas.
“Hundreds feared dead or injured in Israeli air strike on hospital in Gaza, Palestinian officials say,” the BBC reported. “Palestinian officials” are, of course, Hamas – brutal rulers of the Gaza Strip.
The New York Times wrote: “At least 500 people were killed by an Israeli air strike at a Gaza hospital, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.”
Again, the “Palestinian Health Ministry” is Hamas-controlled.
Many journalists took their cues from the United Nations, where Hamas-hugging delegates blamed Israel for “a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law”.
Those same caring delegates, the UN noted, “also engaged in a series of interactive dialogues on the right to education, cultural rights and the impact of climate change on persons with albinism”.
No offence to albinos, Albanians or anybody who voted for Albo, but the UN needs to be oxygen-depleted. This is not a metaphor.
Of course, it soon emerged that the likely cause of the Al-Ahli Hospital disaster wasn’t a deliberate Israeli strike but a misfired Palestinian rocket.
“Rather than having been an Israeli attack on civilians,” the left-leaning Atlantic reported, “the balance of evidence suggests that it was a result of terrorists’ disregard for the lives of the people on whose behalf they claim to be fighting.”
Media corrections grudgingly followed. The New York Times admitted its hospital bombing report “relied too heavily on claims by Hamas, and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified”.
Jonathan Munro, deputy chief executive of BBC News, sought sympathy. “Somewhere along the line, human beings are going to make a mistake on a bit of output,” he said – that particular “bit of output” being an accusation of mass murder.
“When it gets magnified and is used as an example of getting things wrong,” Munro continued, “it’s a very uncomfortable place to be.”
Not as uncomfortable as Melbourne, though, where Hamas-friendly goons – possibly emboldened by media support for their savage anti-Jewish cause – are repeatedly attacking Jewish properties, businesses and places of worship.
It happened again last Friday. A synagogue’s door was set alight while worshippers were inside. A nearby Jewish restaurant was stormed by Palestinian activists.
And on Saturday, cars were set ablaze outside an Israel-connected business.
While this onslaught continues, the global press keeps publishing inflammatory Hamas lies.
“At least 31 people were killed Sunday morning in southern Gaza, according to the Strip’s health ministry,” the highbrow Washington Post reported last month, “when Israeli troops opened fire on crowds making their way to collect aid.”
It’s the Al-Ahli Hospital saga all over again, featuring barbaric Israelis and tragic civilians in a storyline provided by Hamas’s Gaza health ministry. Once that fable was viewed by 2.4 million readers, the usual correction was offered.
“The article failed to make it clear if attributing the deaths to Israel was the position of the Gaza health ministry or a fact verified by the Post,” the paper wrote. “The Post didn’t give proper weight to Israel’s denial and gave improper certitude about what was known about any Israeli role in the shootings.”
Here’s an idea: instead of placing trust in lunatics who rape and kill terrified girls at a music festival, maybe just don’t.
Not only would reports be more accurate, but Jews everywhere – including in Australia – would possibly be made significantly safer by a reduction in vicious dishonesty.
Obviously, an assumption is included in that advice. That assumption – a very generous one – being that the media would care for Jewish safety.
We’ll only know that to be true when the press stop treating Hamas as a source and instead see them for the demented killers they are.
++++++
Dealing with a spiralling emergency
Daily Telegraph | Letters | 8 July 2025
If we are going to try and limit the increasing number of anti-Jewish terrorist acts, we need to deal with the perpetrators as terrorists.
They are inciting fear across the Jewish community and appears they are allowed to continue to do so.
We have politicians like Albo saying “we are acting on this problem”, while doing nothing at all.
The police try and control protests, but anyone arrested is given the lightest slap on the wrist possible, and sent on their way to continue as usual.
Enough talk, we need action to prevent this from just continuing.
Emanuel Dos Santos, Bulli
Our wonderful country offers equal rights and freedom for all citizens regardless of political or religious persuasions and the weakest form of debate and opposition is violence as demonstrated in attacks on Jewish property (“Attacks expose a worrying pattern”, DT, 7/7).
Regardless of the Jewish issue, if this could become a new form of protest, what targets might be next: churches or mosques?
Wake up Australia and get back to being the egalitarian success story we once were.
Brian Whybrow, Wanniassa, ACT
Anthony Albanese has a window of opportunity where he can silence his critics and prove to the nation he is a leader of substance.
The PM can prove he’s worthy of the role by producing a rare display of strength and resolving to effectively deal with the ongoing violent anti-Semitic assaults in Melbourne (“Outrage at attacks on Australia”, DT, 7/7)
He has curiously ignored a recent request from the US to increase our defence spending. We now have the Israeli PM Netanyahu issuing a plea to the government to take appropriate action and end the anti-Semitic rioting.
If Albo’s previous “form” is the criteria, don’t hold your breath, Bibi.
The four further attacks at the weekend, continue 91 weeks of similar anti-social protests that have largely gone unchecked. At the time of the latest attacks, the PM was delivering a speech, nominating himself unashamedly as a Curtin clone.
How dare he use such a comparison, when chaos continues under this government’s watch.
Meanwhile Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke continues his pathetic posturing, by declaring “every Australian has a view, and we probably have the same view”.
Just say the word and call it out Tony, it’s called anti-Semitism.
Labor’s state leader has become “absent Allan”, as she goes into hiding until fed the talking points she will employ when eventually emerging to deliver her tone-deaf response.
If Anthony Albanese had a filament of decency and concern for fellow Australians, he should immediately recall parliament and not wait until the extended break ends on July 22.
The reputation of our nation continues to diminish abroad, while the electorate is entitled to be furious with the impotence, skewed prioritising and inaction by this inept leadership that continues to let us down on significant national issues.
Graeme West, Marks Point
++++++
Premier finally sees the damage
Herald-Sun | Alex White | 8 July 2025
A new task force will be set up in Victoria to tackle the worrying rise in anti-Semitism after the horror attack on the East Melbourne synagogue.
Premier Jacinta Allan visited the firebombed building on Monday, three days after it was set alight in a horrific anti-Semitic attack, accompanied by Deputy Premier Ben Carroll, Police Minister Anthony Carbines, and Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Ingrid Stitt.
Ms Allan spoke also with the rabbi and community members who were inside when the front entrance was set alight on Friday but quickly extinguished before taking hold.
Before seeing the damage face-to-face on Monday, the Victorian government had responded to the latest attack unveiling a new task force to be set up immediately to address the growing number of anti-Semitic and racially motivated incidents occurring in Victoria that are putting lives at risk.
“I’ll continue to stand with the strong, proud Jewish community here in Victoria every single day,” Ms Allan said after touring the building.
“If you consider just as the fire came to the front door here of this shule, but it was stopped, so too must we put a stop to hate, put a stop to anti-Semitism.
“Not only does it have no place in Melbourne and Victoria – it has no place anywhere.
“I’ll be guided by the community on what more they need in responding to this hateful incident on Friday evening.”
“That is why I will not rest. I will continue to take every action necessary to not just strengthen the law but to respond and lead in terms of how we as a community need to say very, very clearly that acts of hate, acts of violence, acts of anti-Semitism have no place here in Melbourne and Victoria.”
Ms Allan said the new task force would meet regularly and include Victoria Police members, along with Lord Mayor Nick Reece.
Members of the Jewish community will also be invited to attend and participate early on to help identify issues and risks.
The announcement came only a day after pro-Palestinian protesters, including children, chanted “Death to the IDF” at a restaurant after a demonstration in Melbourne.
It also follows the Adass Israel synagogue being firebombed in December.
A NSW man has been charged by counter-terror police in relation to the East Melbourne incident.
Angelo Loras, 34, from the western Sydney suburb of Toongabbie, was arrested in the Melbourne CBD at 8.15 pm on Saturday, 24 hours after the front of the Albert St place of worship was set alight. He is expected to face court next on July 22, via videolink.
The rabbi of the East Melbourne Synagogue, Rabbi Dovid Gutnick, condemned the arson attack and described it as a “wake-up call” for the community.
++++++
Israeli minister blasts Albo: ‘this is test of moral leadership’
Herald-Sun | Shannon Deery | 8 July 2025
The Israeli government has ratcheted up the pressure on the Australian government, accusing it of emboldening the spread of anti-Semitism after a weekend of violence.
A day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for urgent action by the federal government, Amichai Chikli – Israel’s Minister of Diaspora and Combating Anti-Semitism – wrote to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese directly to press him to act without delay to tackle rising anti-Semitism in Melbourne.
In the letter, Mr Chikli described his “deep alarm following a profoundly disturbing weekend in Melbourne”. “Within hours, two anti-Semitic attacks occurred: the attempted arson of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation during Shabbat services, and the violent storming of the Israeli-owned Miznon restaurant by masked individuals shouting ‘Death to the IDF’, overturning furniture and terrorising patrons,” he said.
“These are not isolated incidents … Australia has surged by over 320 per cent since October 7 (2023). More than 850,000 anti-Semitic or anti-Israel posts have been documented online, including widespread Holocaust inversion. Synagogues, Jewish businesses, and students on major campuses have all come under attack.’
Mr Chikli warned Mr Albanese that this “alarming climate is unfolding under your government’s watch”, saying it had been “further legitimised by recent decisions to deny entry to former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked and pro-Israel advocate Hillel Fuld”.
“This is no longer a matter of rising tensions – it is a test of moral leadership,” he wrote. “When synagogues are burned and Jewish businesses attacked in central Melbourne, silence sends a dangerous message: that Jewish safety is negotiable. That message is unacceptable,” he wrote.
“I urge you to act now – clearly, publicly, and decisively.”
++++++
Is offensive death chant an offence?
Herald-Sun | Anna Shreeves & Shannon Deery | 8 July 2025
Premier Jacinta Allan and Victoria Police cannot say if vile death chants used at Melbourne pro-Palestine rallies constitute a criminal offence as part of a new “anti-hate” crackdown.
The day after protesters marched through to the streets of Melbourne in what the Premier labelled as “particularly odious” behaviour, Ms Allan could not give a definitive answer as to whether anti-vilification laws would capture the “Death to IDF (Israeli Defence Force)” slogans being brandished by some demonstrators.
Asked if she thought anyone who was chanting or holding a sign saying “Death to IDF” should be charged under the anti-vilification laws, Ms Allan said she would “take advice from Victoria Police”. “(Police) will be briefing the task force this week on the operationalisation of the anti-vilification law and I will take their advice,” she said.
The Herald Sun put the same question to Victoria Police.
A spokeswoman said: “We are currently assessing whether the chant and slogan meets the threshold of a criminal offence.”
It’s understood the process may take a couple of days.
Amid the Premier’s announcement of a new anti-hate task force some members of the Jewish community called for more direct action.
Dr Colin Rubenstein, executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, said urgent and vigorous enforcement of new laws was needed.
“These unacceptable attacks on our community have been recurring for 21 months now, and it shouldn’t have taken the events of Friday night for this to now become an urgent priority,” he said.
“It is undeniable that there is a direct line between the incitement we see at the regular anti-Israel protests in the city and the violence that follows, so urgent action must be taken against this incitement and the protest leaders responsible.
“It is simply unacceptable that our Jewish community has had to live with these threats for 21 months, and especially felt unsafe to visit the city on weekends.
“If our existing laws are strong enough to deal with this pressing issue, they must be enforced without fear or favour, but if they are not strong enough, they must be strengthened until they are.”
Ms Allan slammed the decision by protesters to gather in the CBD for the weekly Free Palestine rally on Sunday.
“The behaviour we saw (on Sunday) was particularly odious. Hateful behaviour,” Ms Allan said. “Particularly odious in only what felt like moments after the attack on the synagogue on Friday night.”
The new task force is expected to meet this week.
Acting Lord Mayor Roshena Campbell said the city never wants to see scenes like last Friday night on our streets again.
“Racism and anti-Semitism in our city will not be tolerated,” Ms Campbell said.
“The right to protest peacefully does not extend to those who incite violence.
“Protests in Melbourne do not change the situation in Gaza, but they do disrupt the lives of people in Melbourne.”
Opposition Leader Brad Battin blamed government inaction for allowing hate crimes to go unchecked.
“Premier Allan promised in December to crack down on hate, protect places of worship, and deliver real outcomes – but seven months later, she’s delivered nothing but another task force,” Mr Battin said.
++++++
Activists run riot here but their mates banned in UK
Herald-Sun | James Campbell | 8 July 2025
From the way they are carrying, on it’s hard not suspect that some elements of the pro-Palestinian movement in Melbourne would be happy to join their UK brethren in being banned under anti-terrorism legislation.
On Saturday, membership of or showing support for Palestine Action – the British activist group which has targeted companies with links to the IDF – became a criminal offence in the United Kingdom.
The UK government announced it planned to ban the “direct action” Leftist group after it vandalised aircraft at the Royal Air Force’s largest base, but it has also repeatedly targeted the Israeli defence company Elbit.
By coincidence, as the Palestine Action ban was coming into effect overnight in the UK, masked arsonists in Melbourne attacked Lovitt Technologies Australia in Greensborough which manufactures parts for the F35 stealth bomber used by the Israel Defence Forces.
The attacks took place on the same night as protesters targeted the Miznon Israeli restaurant in Hardware Lane and NSW man Angelo Loras allegedly attempted to firebomb the East Melbourne Synagogue.
The Whistleblowers, Activists and Citizens Alliance (WACA), a group founded more than a decade ago to support Julian Assange in his troubles with the US government, has been linked by the media to the attack on Miznon but has not claimed responsibility.
But its social media postings make clear that – despite its claim to be appalled by the synagogue firebombing – it wholeheartedly supports the East Melbourne and Greensborough attacks.
It wouldn’t be the first time that members of WACA have targeted companies with ties to the IDF. In 2014 the Melbourne Palestine Activist Group – of which WACA was a part – occupied the roof of Elbit’s Port Melbourne factory. In 2017 WACA blockaded its entrance.
The links between the Melbourne activists and their UK counterparts Palestine Action are no secret. WACA’s public spokeswoman was Sam Castro, who works for Friends of the Earth, and who in an interview last September complained that for most of the year “a global co-ordinate matrix” running the social media giants had been “disconnecting us from our friends like Palestine Action”.
Depressingly, if the direct action wing of Melbourne’s pro-Palestinian movement are hoping for the boost in publicity their UK cousins have received after being banned, they are likely to be disappointed.
Given that 18 months after the UK banned the anti-Semitic Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir it remains lawful here, what chance is there the Albanese government will move against a few dozen idiot fans of the PM’s mate Julian Assange?
++++++
Hunt ramping up for hooded thugs who torched cars
Herald-Sun | Anna Shreeves & Grace Frost | 8 July 2025
Police have released footage of the moment a group of hooded offenders vandalised and set fire to multiple cars in the latest of a string of shocking anti-Semitic attacks in Melbourne.
A manhunt is under way for five hooded offenders who entered Lovitt Technologies Australia on Para Rd, Greensborough just before 4am on Saturday.
CCTV shows the group — dressed in black hooded jumpers, gloves and carrying backpacks — setting fire to the underbelly of cars before using red paint to tag the vehicles and walls of the business.
One of the cars was destroyed, while the other two vehicles copped damage.
Detectives say the group fled the scene via the back fence before they mounted electric bicycles and rode southwest along Plenty River.
The Greensborough car torchings rampage was the third anti-Semitic attack in Melbourne over the weekend.
Police have charged a man from western Sydney in relation to the fire at a synagogue in East Melbourne after the front of the Albert St place of worship was set alight with 20 people inside on Friday night.
In another shocking incident, a large mob of protesters stormed an Israeli-owned restaurant in Hardware Lane, creating havoc and forcing diners to flee in terror. Investigators are still yet to establish if there are any connections between those incidents and the attack in Greensborough.
“There is absolutely no place at all in our society for anti-Semitic behaviour,” police said in a statement on Monday morning.
++++++
Your Say
Herald-Sun | Letters | 8 July 2025
Culture of hate
The firebombing of a Jewish synagogue and the violent assault on an Israeli restaurant are the latest testament to a growing social culture of violent anti-Semitic hate that has overtaken the inner precinct of our city (“Attack on Australia”, HS, 7/7).
A weekly protest by anti-police and other activist groups has become a campaign of hate by a coalition of aggressive and dangerous left-wing malcontents that is alarmingly now ingrained in today’s social fabric of Melbourne.
Downtown Melbourne is a no-go zone for peace-loving, vulnerable Victorians on the weekend.
I am thankful that the generation of my father and his Digger mates who fought for all Australians in World War II and were wounded at Benghazi in the Middle East are no longer with us to witness this tragedy.
John Bell, Heidelberg Heights
Weak response
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is mouthing words of support for the Australian Jewish community, but actions speak far louder than words (“Outrage at attacks on Australia”, HS, 7/7).
The Albanese government has offered a weak response every time a violent incident has been perpetrated by purveyors of hatred against Jewish people.
How sad that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been forced to demand that our government take strong action to protect Jewish citizens.
Innocent Australians are being terrorised and our international standing is being damaged through government inaction.
Peter Curtis, Werribee South
Hamas against peace
“Hamas wants to talk” (HS, 7/7), said your headline.
Hasn’t this scenario played out many times over the years, with a ceasefire followed by a period of relative calm, but then the terrorists regroup and the attacks begin again?
Before any ceasefire, shouldn’t Israel demand that Hamas end their desire to destroy the Jewish state?
Or maybe it’s not in their interests to do so?
Christo Krousoratis, Templestowe
++++++
Tale of two nights: light & dark for Jewish people
Herald-Sun | Amanda Miller | 8 July 2025
Last Friday night, I sat in the warmth and glow of Shabbat candles at the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, Australia’s oldest mainland synagogue.
About 60 members of St John’s Anglican Church Toorak joined our community for a Shabbat service, a tour of our beautiful synagogue, and a shared Shabbat dinner.
Together, we prayed, sang, and shared blessings. We spoke about our traditions, our history, and the meaning of Shabbat, a ritual that has sustained our people for generations.
At dinner, conversations flowed freely – about faith, family, and how much our communities have in common. It was not simply a meal; it was a profound moment of connection and mutual respect.
The Reverend Dr Peter French, the vicar at St John’s Anglican Church who spoke on the night, assured our community he would pray, with us, for “peace, tolerance and joy to be the hallmarks of our shared Melbourne society”.
The presence of the St John’s community was a powerful show of solidarity at a time when such gestures mean more than ever.
To see friends from outside the Jewish community choose to stand with us – to show up in person, to listen, to learn, and to support – was both moving and deeply comforting.
At a time when so many in our community feel isolated and unsafe, their decision to stand with us – to be there, shoulder to shoulder – reminded us that goodness is still present, that bridges can still be built, and that we are not alone.
In the words of Mr French: “Your welcome this evening is all the more powerful – and timely – when too many in our world and our community seek to hate rather than love, divide rather than unite, disturb or denigrate rather than comfort and raise up.”
Yet, while we broke bread and shared stories, darkness was unfolding just streets away.
At precisely the same moment,
the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation was set alight in an attempted arson attack. And at the same time, Miznon, a Jewish-owned, Israeli-themed restaurant on Hardware Lane in the city centre, was violently targeted by masked pro-Palestinian protesters chanting “Death, death to the IDF” and “Heil Hitler”, causing violent chaos and terror.
The contrast between these
hatred-filled incidents, and our peaceful Shabbat of solidarity, could not have been more jarring, or more symbolic of the moment we’re living in. This is the reality for Jews in Melbourne today: moments of hope and connection shining alongside fear and hatred.
We are deeply grateful for allies such as those from St John’s, who remind us that we are not alone.
Their solidarity provides light in our darkness, and it renews our hope that bridges can still be built, even in times of great division.
Yet we cannot ignore the rising
tide of anti-Semitism in our city and our country that is now part of our daily lives.
Nor can we ignore the painful reality that many in our community feel abandoned, by the silence of those who claim to support us, and by the inaction of those entrusted to protect us.
We often hear that there is a “silent majority” of Australians who support our community and reject hatred and violence. But too often, that support remains just that – silent.
We need it to become visible.
We need it to translate into public acts of solidarity and vocal rejection of the anti-Semitism that threatens the social fabric for all Australians. We need to hear it. We need to feel it.
Surely the love in our city is greater and more abundant than the hate.
Yet so often, it’s the hate that we feel most sharply – loud, threatening, impossible to ignore.
We need the love to be louder.
We need it to come forward, to wash away the hatred, to drown it out, and to make it clear that there is no place for such darkness in our shared home.
Solidarity matters. Interfaith connection matters.
But they are not enough on their own. They must be matched by meaningful government action,
to uphold safety, protect vulnerable communities, and ensure that hate has no home here.
Our city, our country, must choose which story it wants to write: one of light, unity, and mutual respect,
or one where violent hatred is allowed to flourish unchecked, putting all of us at risk.
The events of Friday night make it clear that the time to choose is now.
Amanda Miller OAM is a Melbourne philanthropist, impact investor and community leader
++++++
Weak on anti-Semitism
Courier-Mail | Letters | 8 July 2025
Weak on anti-Semitism
I refer to Warren Brown’s cartoon depicting Albo asleep at the wheel of a tank (C-M, 7/7).
What would it take for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to “wake up” to the ever-increasing simmering pot of anti-Semitism in our society before he acts with an iron fist to curb it in its tracks?
These are serious incidents that are occurring in our country and those whose heritage (such as my Polish heritage) is steeped in World War II have heightened concerns as we all know history repeats itself should no lessons be learnt.
The PM seems to always imitate an ostrich when solid decisions need to be made to stop this anti-Semitism in our society.
Where are the strong punishments?
Where are the security measures to keep the Jewish community safe?
Do not pander to this type of hatred by ignoring it or throwing insipid words at it that fail to mark its mark.
Should the PM not govern with an iron-fist on these important issues it will only be a matter of time before other sections of the community will be targeted.
Swift, stronger laws must be put in place now to protect and punish those who attack the innocent in our free, democratic society.
Send a message that we will not continue to let the Jewish community suffer and be afraid.
Susan McLochlan, Caboolture South
Reading much of the commentary on the recent spate of attacks on Jewish properties in Melbourne one might think the Labor Victorian and federal governments were somehow to blame for not doing enough.
It is easy to accuse governments of failing to stamp-out anti-Semitism, and for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to demand “The Australian government must take all action … to the full extent of the law”, but what more can be done?
Victoria already has an Anti-Vilification and Social Cohesion Act, but the key to prevention is the much more difficult task of identifying and restraining all likely and currently unknown perpetrators before they act.
Our laws allow peaceful protests, eg at the apparent overkill of civilians in Gaza in response to the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, and any pro-Palestinian activist or opportunistic neo-Nazi foolish enough to spout hate speech openly can be charged and detained.
Misdirected blame and too much loud publicity is likely to incite more undercover activity by the haters, and we should keep cool and steady nerves while police and allied security agencies identify all those associated with recent events and their motives, and apply the full force of the law.
Anti-Semitism has been with the world for millennia and won’t go away easily.
Donald Maclean, Fig Tree Pocket
Protests hijacked
Your Editorial (C-M, 7/7) was a well-written piece about the evils of anti-Semitism.
That said, I am not convinced that all the recent attacks in Sydney and Melbourne come from committed anti-Semites.
Rather, I think that pro-Palestinian activism has created a lightning rod for a disparate group of anarchists, socialist collectivists and general malcontents.
It enables them to align themselves with a cause that they believe legitimises their actions and allows them to perpetrate violence.
The 21st century has given these far left and far-right groups little to satisfy their warped and socially destructive view of the world.
These pseudo-activists pretend that they are taking actions against a pariah state.
They do not seem to differentiate between the actions of a sovereign nation and people of Jewish ethnicity.
But then again, why would they want to?
When violence is the goal, soft targets are always the go-to option.
Peter Stirk, Holland Park
++++++
Israeli plan for forced transfer of Gaza’s population ‘a blueprint for crimes against humanity’
Military ordered to turn ruins of Rafah into ‘humanitarian city’ but experts call the plan an internment camp for all Palestinians in Gaza
The Guardian | Emma Graham-Harrison | 8 July 2025
Israel’s defence minister has laid out plans to force all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp on the ruins of Rafah, in a scheme that legal experts and academics described as a blueprint for crimes against humanity.
Israel Katz said he has ordered Israel’s military to prepare for establishing a camp, which he called a “humanitarian city”, on the ruins of the city of Rafah, Haaretz newspaper reported.
Palestinians would go through “security screening” before entering, and once inside would not be allowed to leave, Katz said at a briefing for Israeli journalists.
Israeli forces would control the perimeter of the site and initially “move” 600,000 Palestinians into the area – mostly people currently displaced in the al-Mawasi area.
Eventually the entire population of Gaza would be housed there, and Israel aims to implement “the emigration plan, which will happen”, Haaretz quoted him saying.
Since Donald Trump suggested at the start of the year that large numbers of Palestinians should leave Gaza to “clean out” the strip, Israeli politicians including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, have enthusiastically promoted forced deportation, often presenting it as a US project.
Katz’s scheme breaks international law, said Michael Sfard, one of Israel’s leading human rights lawyers. It also directly contradicted claims made hours earlier by the office of Israel’s military chief, which said in a letter that Palestinians were only displaced inside Gaza for their own protection.
“(Katz) laid out an operational plan for a crime against humanity. It is nothing less than that,” Sfard said. “It is all about population transfer to the southern tip of the Gaza Strip in preparation for deportation outside the strip.
“While the government still calls the deportation ‘voluntary’, people in Gaza are under so many coercive measures that no departure from the strip can be seen in legal terms as consensual.
“When you drive someone out of their homeland that would be a war crime, in the context of a war. If it’s done on a massive scale like he plans, it becomes a crime against humanity,” Sfard added.
Katz laid out his plans for Gaza shortly before Netanyahu arrived in Washington DC for meetings with Donald Trump, where he will be under heavy pressure to agree a ceasefire deal to end or at least pause the 21-month war.
Work on the “humanitarian city” at the heart of Katz’s plans could start during a ceasefire, the defence minister said. Netanyahu is leading efforts to find countries willing to “take in” Palestinians, he added.
Israeli politicians including the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, have also been enthusiastic advocates of new Israeli settlements in Gaza.
Plans for the construction of camps called “humanitarian transit areas”, to house Palestinians inside and possibly outside Gaza, had previously been presented to the Trump administration and discussed in the White House, Reuters reported on Monday.
The $2bn plan bore the name of the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), Reuters said. GHF denied it had submitted a proposal and said slides seen by Reuters, which laid out the plan, “are not a GHF document”.
Concerns about Israel’s plans to displace Palestinians had previously been raised by military orders for the operation launched this spring.
Sfard represented three reservists who filed a petition to Israel’s courts, demanding the military revoke commands to “mobilise and concentrate” the civilian population of Gaza, and to prohibit any plans for the deportation of Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip.
In a letter responding to their claims, the office of Israel’s chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said that displacing Palestinians or concentrating the population in one part of Gaza were not among the objectives of the operation.
That statement was directly contradicted by Katz, said Prof Amos Goldberg, historian of the Holocaust at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The defence minister laid out clear plans for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, Goldberg said, and the creation of “a concentration camp or a transit camp for Palestinians before they expel them”.
“It is neither humanitarian nor a city,” he said of Katz’s planned holding area for Palestinians.
“A city is a place where you have possibilities of work, of earning money, of making connections and freedom of movement.
“There are hospitals, schools, universities and offices. This is not what they have in mind. It will not be a livable place, just as the ‘safe areas’ are unliveable now.”
Katz’s plan also raised the immediate question of what would happen to Palestinians who refused to follow Israeli orders to move into the new compound, said Goldberg.
He added: “What will happen if the Palestinians will not accept this solution and revolt, because they are not completely helpless?”
++++++
Palestinians fear razing of villages in West Bank, as settlers circle their homes
An Israeli directive gives a green light for demolitions in Masafer Yatta, where residents keep watch at night for attackers in the darkness
The Guardian | William Christou & Quique Kierszenbaum | 8 July 2025
Ali Awad is tired. The 27-year-old resident of Tuba, one of the dozen or so villages that make up Masafer Yatta in the arid south Hebron hills of the occupied West Bank, had been up all night watching as a masked Israeli settler on horseback circled his family home.
“When we saw the masked settler, we knew he wanted violence,” said Awad, his eyes bloodshot. They were lucky this time: the settler disappeared into the darkness before police could show up.
The men in Masafer Yatta rarely sleep these days. They take turns standing watch at night, fearful that nearby Israeli settlers will attack under the cover of darkness.
Daylight brings little respite. Residents work with an ear pricked up for the sound of approaching vehicles, scanning the horizon for Israeli bulldozers which could signal their homes are next to be demolished.
Israel designated Masafer Yatta a military training zone – named firing zone 918, where no civilians can live – in 1981. It has been working since to push out the roughly 1,200 residents who remain. These residents have been fighting in Israeli courts for more than two decades to stop their expulsion, a battle which has slowed, but not stopped, the demolition of Palestinian homes there.
Recently, an Israeli administrative body issued a decision which legal experts and activists have said could remove the last remaining legal barriers for the demolition of homes in Masafer Yatta. The decision could lead to the forcible transfer of 1,200 people, something the UN warned could be a war crime.
“This would amount to forcible transfer, which is a war crime. It could also amount to a crime against humanity if committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack,” the UN human rights office said on 26 June.
On 18 June, the civil administration’s central planning bureau, the Israeli military agency that issues construction permits in occupied Palestinian territories, issued a directive that all pending building requests in Masafer Yatta be rejected.
Previously, residents could file building planning requests and, while they were being examined, their structures could not legally be demolished. By cancelling all pending requests, the new directive dismisses all previously submitted cases without examining their particularities and gives demolitions the green light.
The decision was made at the same time as Israeli authorities are pursuing sharply increased numbers of demolitions across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, destroying 933 structures since the beginning of the year, a record-breaking pace, according to UN data. As structures are demolished, more Palestinians are killed in the West Bank, with at least 950 killed and 9,000 injured by Israeli forces and settlers since the start of the war in Gaza on 7 October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The new directive cites a military planning document issued a day earlier, which said that firing zone 918 was necessary for combat preparedness and that the presence of civilian structures prevented training exercises.
The document says: “The practical condition for such [military training] access is the removal of the unauthorised constructions, thus enabling the IDF to conduct its training … No construction in the firing zone can be permitted.” It adds that for live-fire exercises to be conducted, the area needs to be “sterile”.
According to a lawyer representing residents of Masafer Yatta, Netta Amar-Shiff, the new directive bypasses a previous legal ruling and abrogates local laws, and could rapidly expedite the destruction of villages.
“If this directive is activated, it means planning institutions can dismiss building requests under military auspices, so no civilian construction and development can be approved. It’s easier for them to eliminate entire villages,” Amar-Shiff said.
Humanitarian organisations have long accused Israel of establishing firing zones as an excuse to push Palestinians off their land and expand settlement construction. About 18% of Area C, the parts of the West Bank under full Israeli control, has been designated as firing zones.
According to government meeting minutes in 1981, the then agriculture minister and future PM, Ariel Sharon, proposed the creation of firing zone 918 with the purpose of forcing Palestinians out of the area.
In the meeting, Sharon told the IDF he wanted to expand shooting zones “in order to keep these areas … in our hands”, pointing to “the expansion of the Arab villagers” in the area.
In a comment, the Israeli military said the civil administration was “holding ongoing discussions regarding villages built within the boundaries of firing zone 918” and that the military had a “vital need for the area”.
“As a general rule, no approval will be granted for construction within the firing zone, which is designated as a closed military area,” the Israeli military said in a statement to the Guardian, adding that building permit requests were subject to approval by military command.
To Awad, last week’s decision is the latest attempt in a long line of court decisions and policies by the Israeli government to expel the residents of Masafer Yatta from their homes.
In May 2022, Israel’s high court ruled that the residents could be expelled and the land repurposed for military use, as it said villagers were not permanent residents of the area before the firing zone was declared. Residents and lawyers, relying on expert testimony and literature, said they had inhabited the area for decades.
“This decision was a clear way of cutting the last nerve of life that these people had,” said Awad, calling it part of a larger policy of “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians”.
Awad and the other residents of Masafer Yatta have spent more than two decades filing petitions, appeals, proposing master plans and submitting documents to try to fight the destruction of their community.
“We tried for many years to supply different documents and proofs and plans to the courts. But, after years of this, a commander in the army says no and that’s enough,” said Nidal Younis, head of the Masafer Yatta council, in a press briefing late last month.
As the residents navigate Israel’s labyrinthine bureaucracy to stave off demolition orders, settlers have acted as the extrajudicial vanguard of displacement, making daily life nearly intolerable for Palestinians.
Almost every single resident has a story about being harassed or attacked by nearby settlers, whose presence has been slowly growing, with new outposts popping up on the area’s hilltops.
In the early hours of 25 June, settlers set fire to Nasser Shreiteh’s home in the town of Susiya, burning his kitchen and a bedroom almost entirely, running off as he tried to extinguish the fire.
“They want to evict everyone, they want everyone to disappear. But I am here, if they burn my house down, I will stay here, I have no other place to go,” said Shreiteh, a 50-year-old with seven children, as he overlooked the charred remains of his kitchen.
As he spoke, an Israeli military patrol passed and behind it roared a beaten-up sedan driven by settlers, swerving in circles as the car’s trunk swung open. They pulled up to Shreiteh’s driveway and made an obscene hand gesture before driving off.
Incidents of settler violence in the area have sharply increased since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent war in Gaza. The rise of the far-right, extremist ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir has provided political cover, allowing settlers to act with virtual impunity.
Many settlers have been called to military reserves, where they serve around their settlements. Residents of Masafer Yatta said settlers would often walk around in military dress, such as combat trousers, which made it impossible to tell whether they were dealing with settlers or soldiers.
Settler violence has escalated the tighter residents have clung to their land. In late January, settlers torched Awad’s car, which he had used to transport children to school and residents to legal hearings.
Souad al-Mukhamari, a 61-year-old resident of Sfai, another village in Masafer Yatta, complained that one of her granddaughters, a child, had been beaten and pepper-sprayed by a settler a month earlier. Her own home overlooked the debris of a school that was demolished in 2022.
Palestinians can do little to protect themselves from settler violence, and are severely punished if they attempt to do so. They complain that Israeli authorities fail to protect them and do not follow up on their complaints.
Legal advocates have said they expect little protection from Israel’s legal system, but instead are looking to the international community to increase pressure on Israel to halt settlement construction and protect the rights of Palestinians.
“We don’t see any possibility of internal change within Israel to protect these communities,” said Sarit Michaeli, an international advocacy officer at the Israeli human rights group B’tselem. “The only way to stop this is whether there is clear international action to clarify to Israeli policymakers that actions have consequences,” she added.
The Trump administration has expressed little interest in addressing illegal settlement construction and violence, lifting Biden-era sanctions on settlers. Instead, Michaeli said the EU could play a role in pressuring Israeli officials, especially as it announced at the end of May that it is reviewing its association agreement with Israel over human rights compliance concerns.
As residents of Masafer Yatta wait for international action, they live under the constant threat of displacement and settler violence, their means of resistance all stripped away one at a time. Still, they are determined to stay.
“Just mentally we are preparing for more demolitions. There’s nothing more on the ground we can do, besides putting our words in the media so they can reach farther than we can scream,” Awad said.
++++++
Netanyahu returns to White House holding all the cards in Gaza talks
Joint attack on Iran puts Israeli PM in powerful position as he dangles prospect of Trump-brokered ceasefire deal
The Guardian | Andrew Roth | 7 July 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/07/netanyahu-israel-iran-gaza-white-house-analysis
Donald Trump will host Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington DC on Monday as the US president seeks again to broker a peace deal in Gaza and the Israeli prime minister takes a victory lap through the Oval Office after a joint military campaign against Iran and a series of successful strikes against Tehran and its proxies in the Middle East.
Netanyahu and Trump have a complex personal relationship – and Trump openly vented frustration at him last month during efforts to negotiate a truce with Iran – but the two have appeared in lockstep since the US launched a bombing run against Iran’s nuclear programme, fulfilling a key goal for Israeli war planners.
Netanyahu arrives in Washington in a strong political position, observers have said, potentially giving him the diplomatic cover he would need to end the war in Gaza without facing a revolt from his rightwing supporters that could lead to the collapse of his government.
Hamas this week responded “positively” to a 60-day Israeli ceasefire proposal. But its negotiators have sought for Israel to guarantee a permanent end to the war and to manage the distribution of aid in Gaza through the UN, rather than the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has had a tumultuous rollout marred by near-daily incidents of Israeli soldiers opening fire on civilians gathering near its distribution sites, killing hundreds of people.
Israel has said the proposed changes to a ceasefire proposal are unacceptable, but Netanyahu has said he will nonetheless send negotiators to Qatar for indirect talks with Hamas. Before boarding his flight to the US on Sunday, Netanyahu said Israel had an opportunity “to expand the circle of peace far beyond what we could have imagined”.
Netanyahu also said Israeli negotiators heading to ceasefire talks in Qatar had clear instructions to achieve a ceasefire agreement under conditions Israel had accepted, Reuters reported, and added that Trump could help achieve those goals.
“We have already transformed the Middle East beyond recognition, and we now have a chance to bring a great future to the people of Israel and the Middle East,” he said.
Those will be the first talks in six weeks and Trump has told reporters he is very optimistic about the potential for a ceasefire. “There could be a Gaza deal next week,” Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One on Friday.
Before the meetings, Netanyahu’s top strategic adviser, Ron Dermer, huddled with the US vice-president, JD Vance, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, for consultations in Washington. During those meetings, the Guardian has been told, the two sides discussed postwar conditions that would allow Israel to banish Hamas from the Gaza Strip and task the international community with responsibility for its rebuilding.
“We have no interest to stay in Gaza,” Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Damon, said in response to a question from the Guardian. “I think we will make sure that in terms of security, we have the ability to act in Gaza, very similar to what’s happening today in Judea and Samaria,” territories known internationally as the occupied West Bank.
Hamas has pushed for guarantees from the US that Israel will end the war permanently. Damon, however, said an initial 60-day ceasefire was “not a commitment for ending the war”, and that further discussions on a permanent ceasefire would take place in that period.
“We’re going to have to think about the mechanism which will allow Israel to declare that the war is over, will allow international organisations and other players to step in and we make sure that Hamas is not there,” he said.
US and Israeli officials have said they believe the military campaign in Gaza – which has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians – has allowed Netanyahu to effectively dictate terms to Hamas and that the group has very little leverage in negotiations.
The latest version of the deal would have Hamas release 28 Israeli hostages – 10 alive and 18 bodies – over the course of the 60-day ceasefire. The UN and Palestine Red Crescent Society would be given additional licence to expand aid operations in Gaza. The Israeli army would withdraw first from parts of northern Gaza, and one week later would pull out from parts of the south.
The deal would leave approximately 22 hostages, 10 of them alive, still held in Gaza.
Netanyahu has boasted that his expected meetings in Washington with Trump and other senior officials, including Vance, the secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth, and Rubio, were in part achieved by Israel’s readiness to confront Iran.
“These come in the wake of the great victory that we achieved,” Netanyahu said in remarks to the Israeli government. “Taking advantage of the success is no less an important part of achieving the success.”
A key question is whether Trump’s patience with Netanyahu will last. He has at times been frustrated with the slow pace of negotiations over the Gaza ceasefire. “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!! DJT,” he wrote on social media a week ago.
And as he sought to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Iran last week, he had what looked like a minor meltdown as he complained on the White House lawn: “[Iran] violated [the ceasefire] but Israel violated it, too … I’m not happy with Israel,” he said. “We basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.”
As Netanyahu comes to Washington on Monday for the third time since Trump’s inauguration, he appears to know exactly what he is doing. And while Trump has touted his bona fides as a dealmaker, the decision for when and how a ceasefire is implemented in Gaza appears ultimately out of his hands.
8 July 2025: Free Palestine Melbourne condemns in the strongest possible terms the attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue.
What’s On around Naarm/Melbourne & Regional Victoria: July 7-13, 2025
With thanks to the dedicated activists at Friends of the Earth Melbourne!
.
.
See also these Palestine events listings from around the country:
7 July 2025: Rob Martin, a retired businessman from Clyde North, will fly to Italy tomorrow to join the international campaign to break Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip.
Man charged over Melbourne synagogue fire amid calls for parliament to reconvene to pass new protest laws
ABC | 6 July 2025
A man has been charged after the doors of a Melbourne synagogue were set on fire on Friday night.
Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Security Investigation Unit arrested the 34-year-old man, from the Sydney suburb of Toongabbie, in Melbourne’s CBD about 8:15pm on Saturday.
It is alleged a man was seen walking through Parliament Gardens before entering the grounds of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation synagogue on Albert Street, pouring a flammable liquid on the front door and setting it alight.
There were about 20 people inside the synagogue at the time, taking part in Shabbat.
They fled through a rear door uninjured.
The NSW man has been charged with reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, criminal damage by fire, and possessing a controlled weapon.
He will appear before a bail and remand Court today.
Victoria Police said detectives would continue to examine the alleged intent and ideology of the accused to determine if the allegations were related to terrorism.
Calls for parliament to be recalled to tighten protest laws
Detectives were yet to establish any links to two other incidents on Friday night — about 20 protesters entered the Jewish-owned Miznon restaurant in the CBD’s popular Hardware Lane and shouted offensive chants, and three cars were set alight at a Greensborough business, in Melbourne’s north-east, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
On Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhyahu released a statement saying he viewed the incidents in Melbourne on the weekend with “utmost gravity”.
He described them as reprehensible and said antisemitism must be uprooted.
“The State of Israel will continue to stand alongside the Australian Jewish community, and we demand that the Australian government take all action to deal with the rioters to the fullest extent of the law and prevent similar attacks in the future.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said the incidents were intolerable.
“Australian authorities must take all steps necessary to protect their Jewish citizens,” he wrote on social media platform X.
“Antisemitism is a stain on any society, and must be confronted with urgency and resolve.”
In December, the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea was destroyed by arsons in what police were treating as a terrorist attack.
“We’re tired, we’re angry and we’re just shocked that [another fire] has happened again,” Jewish Community Council of Victoria CEO Naomi Levin said.
“We’ve seen this happen in Victoria before. We’ve seen it happen around Australia.
“We just want to be left to practise our faith and to be part of our community. We just want to be left alone.”
An angry Victorian Shadow Police Minister David Southwick was at the East Melbourne synagogue on Saturday.
“We were all down at Adass when it was firebombed and we had the prime minister, the premier, everyone rolling out and saying ‘this is terrible, it should never happen again’,” he said.
“What’s the government been doing since then?”
Following the Adass attack, the Victorian government unveiled broad plans to crack down on protester rights and bolster social cohesion.
The new measures are to include bans on the wearing of face masks and carrying flags of banned terrorist organisations.
But the legislation is yet to come before parliament.
“What is the government waiting for?” Mr Southwick asked angrily outside the East Melbourne synagogue.
“The government talked this big game about vilification laws and we’ve got to wait until September.”
He said parliament should be immediately recalled to deal with the laws, but that they should go further and include giving police greater powers to move on protesters and arrest those who do not comply.
“Victorians deserve to feel safe. That’s got to be the first job of any government,” he said.
“The government has failed to do that.”
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said this weekend’s incidents showed the antisemitism crisis continued.
“There is a violent ideology at work in our country that operates on the fringes of politics and social movements, that taps into anger and prejudice, and smirks as … proud, patriotic Australians experience fear in their own homes and their own streets,” the council said.
“Those responsible cannot be reasoned with or appeased. They must be confronted with the full force of the law.”
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said the government would not rush the new protest laws because it was focusing on getting the legislation right, including consulting with community organisations.
“Parliament resumes in July-August … it’ll go to the cabinet and then it’ll go to the parliament and as soon as the parliament passes those laws, they’ll be in effect and I expect that to happen in the coming months,” he said.
“That has the backing of the Jewish community and that will make sure that hate speech and those who think they can get away with it are further held to account.”
He said Operation Park, which was established in late 2023 in response to an increase in hate crimes and to investigate offences associated with the Middle East conflict, had made 138 arrests
“There’s no doubt there are people in the community who seek to divide, who think the law doesn’t apply to them and who think they can target communities and threaten them.”
Federal Shadow Attorney-General Julian Lesser said the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France had increased safety measures for their Jewish communities since tensions escalated in the Middle East.
“That prompted [federal Opposition Leader] Sussan Ley, [Shadow Home Affairs Minister] Andrew Hastie and myself three weeks ago to write to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling on him to take similar measures,” Mr Lesser said.
“Prime Minister Albanese has never written back to us and we’re calling on him to explain what measures he has taken to protect the Jewish community, and if he didn’t take increased measures, why?”
Mr Albanese condemned the weekend incidents.
“It is completely unacceptable the attack that occurred at a restaurant in Melbourne, and also the attack on a business in the outer suburbs of Melbourne,” Mr Albanese said.
“The fact that people were having a peaceful dinner and were disrupted by this act of violence could have had catastrophic consequences.”
++++++
Israel mulls response as Hamas says it’s ready for ceasefire talks ‘immediately’
ABC / AFP | 6 July 2025
Israel is mulling its response after Hamas said it was ready to start talks “immediately” on a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal.
The nation’s security cabinet is expected to meet after the end of the Jewish Sabbath to discuss Israel’s next steps as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to leave for Washington for talks on Monday with US President Donald Trump.
Mr Trump has been making a renewed push for an end to nearly 21 months of war in Gaza.
“No decision has been made yet on that issue”, an Israeli government official said when asked about Hamas’s response to the latest ceasefire proposal.
Hamas made its announcement late Friday, local time after holding consultations with other Palestinian factions.
“The movement is ready to engage immediately and seriously in a cycle of negotiations on the mechanism to put in place” the terms of the US-backed truce proposal, the militant group said in a statement.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group said it supported ceasefire talks, but demanded “guarantees” that Israel “will not resume its aggression” once hostages held in Gaza are freed.
Mr Trump, when asked about Hamas’s response aboard Air Force One, said: “That’s good. They haven’t briefed me on it. We have to get it over with. We have to do something about Gaza.”
This week, the US president said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalise” a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza.
Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies.
In the subsequent fighting, more than 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, local health authorities say.
Two previous ceasefires mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US have seen temporary halts in fighting, coupled with the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
US aid workers injured in Gaza ‘attack’, GHF reports
Also on Saturday, the US-Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) reported two American staff were injured in an “attack” on one of its aid centres in southern Gaza.
“This morning, two American aid workers were injured in a targeted terrorist attack during food distribution activities at SDS-3 in Khan Yunis,” the organisation said in a statement.
The GHF noted that the injured employees were in stable condition.
“The attack — which preliminary information indicates was carried out by two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans — occurred at the conclusion of an otherwise successful distribution in which thousands of Gazans safely received food,” it added.
The ABC has not been able to immediately verify this claim.
The GHF began operations on May 26 in Gaza after Israel halted supplies into the Palestinian enclave for more than two months, sparking famine warnings.
The foundation’s operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Israeli forces firing on people waiting to collect rations.
More than 500 people have been killed while waiting to access rations from its distribution sites, the UN Human Rights Office said Friday.
The Israeli military has blamed Hamas for the deaths.
“GHF has repeatedly warned of credible threats from Hamas, including explicit plans to target American personnel, Palestinian aid workers and the civilians who rely on our sites for food,” the foundation said.
“Today’s attack tragically affirms those warnings.”
++++++
Hate in our streets
The Age | Chip Le Grand & Sherryn Groch | 6 July 2025
Counterterrorism detectives are investigating a firebombing at a Melbourne synagogue, and po lice presence will be ramped up at a pro-Palestine rally today after multiple antisemitic at tacks on Friday night.
Victoria Police confirmed counterterrorism command was leading the investigation the arson attack at the East Melbourne Synagogue, but it had not been declared an act of terrorism.
Also on Friday night, a group of about 20 people, some masked and wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, entered Israeli restaurant Miznon and shouted offensive chants, scuffled with staff and knocked over tables to the alarm of patrons, before police arrived and arrested one man.
Police are also investigating a third incident, where three cars were set on fire and the wall of a business in Melbourne’s north-east was spray-painted with graffiti against the Israeli military about 4.30am on Saturday.
Police have released an image of a man they wish to speak to over the arson attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue, as the prime minister, premier and an Israeli minister condemned the attacks.
Police said a man – described as Caucasian and in his 30s, with a beard and long hair – was seen walking through Parliament Gardens before entering the grounds of the synagogue on Albert Street about 8pm. They allege he poured a flammable liquid on the front door of the building and set it on fire before fleeing on foot west along Albert Street.
About 20 people, including children, were having a Shabbat dinner just metres away inside the place of worship at the time. Vision from the Miznon incident shows diners screaming in fear inside the Hardware Lane restaurant, which is part-owned by an Israeli entrepreneur who has been promoting a controversial aid group in Gaza, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
An independent photographer at the scene said the group had asked patrons why they were giving money to the restaurant. The group had chanted “Death to the IDF” and “Miznon out of Melbourne”, the photographer said. No one was injured in any of the incidents and none have been deemed terrorism, but po lice say they will examine the ideology and motive of those involved.
“We do recognise that these crimes are disgusting and ab horrent, but at this stage we are not declaring this a terrorist incident,” Victoria Police Commander Zorka Dunstan said.
However, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel described the attacks as terrorism. “Targeting Jewish houses of worship and an Israeli restaurant is terrorism, aimed at intimidating an entire community simply because of their religion and identity,” she said.
Dunstan said the three incidents all had “inferences of antisemitism” or anti-Israel protest activity, but investigators had yet to find a connection between them. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan both condemned the attacks.
“Antisemitism has no place in Australia,” Albanese said. “Those responsible for these shocking acts must face the full force of the law, and my government will provide all necessary support toward this effort.” Allan said: “This is disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards. That this happened on Shabbat makes it all the more abhorrent.”
Jewish Community Council of Victoria president Phillip Zajac said firefighters had responded to the synagogue attack quickly and contained the fire, which caused only superficial damage. “Lighting a place of worship [on fire] is just dreadful,” Zajac said. “A place of worship has got nothing to do with the Middle East dispute. This has really gotten to me.”
Pro-Palestine protesters have been calling for a boycott of Miznon after it emerged that one of its part-owners, Israeli entrepreneur Shahar Segal, is also a spokesman for the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
This week, the Associated Press reported that American contractors were using live ammunition and stun grenades to guard Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution sites while hungry Palestinians scrambled for food.
Nina Sanadze, a Jewish gallery owner and friend of Miznon’s owners, went straight to the restaurant after receiving a call on Friday night. When she arrived, police had blocked the street and Miznon staff were sweeping away broken glass and remnants of tomatoes thrown at the windows.
Inside, Sanadze said, staff had been “hugging, crying and shaking – it was a very scary experience.” Sanadze said that when the group arrived, the restaurant’s managers tried to “step in and push the protesters out”, and directed customers to the back of the restaurant.
“It was hard for customers to do anything,” she said. “I think the brawl broke out because people were actually trying to stand up and say, ‘go away’.” After closing the doors, Miznon managers apologised to their staff for the ordeal and carried on with their usual Friday tradition of Shabbat, lighting candles, singing Jewish songs and eating Challah.
Sanadze emphasised that Miznon’s workers were a mix of nationalities and that the restaurant “has nothing to do with the [Israeli Defence Force] or anyone over there”. A 28-year-old person from Footscray was arrested “for hindering police and has been released on summons” over the restaurant incident, police said.
Dunstan said there was not enough evidence to arrest anyone else, but the identities of those involved had been recorded as investigations continued. The “death to the IDF” chant was also heard in Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall during last Sunday’s regular anti-Israel protest.
The attack follows the fire-bombing in December that gutted the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea. Counterterrorism police later revealed that attack involved “criminals for hire” and a known underworld getaway car, but have yet to rule terrorism in or out.
The East Melbourne Synagogue, founded six years after Victoria was established as a colony, is known as the city shul and is the only Jewish place of worship in central Melbourne. Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the latest attacks were a return to “the antisemitic terror of the summer months” and “clear evidence that the antisemitism cri sis is not only continuing, but getting worse”.
Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said: “About 20 Victorians could have been murdered last night, and a other Melbourne synagogue destroyed, had this terrorist attack not been stopped in its tracks.”
Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines said he had spoken to federal Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who had approved the use of ASIO and Australian Federal Police resources to support Victoria Police investigating the arson attack in East Melbourne.
Burke and Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly said the federal government was “committed to supporting improved security measures at places of worship”. Their statement did not detail what further measures were being considered.
++++++
This attack does nothing for peace in the Middle East
The Age | Dina Valent | 6 July 2025
Waking to the news that an Israeli restaurant was targeted in Melbourne on Friday night has hit me hard. A group of about 20 people some wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh – threw food, upended tables, and smashed glasses and a window at Miznon restaurant in busy Hardware Lane, terrifying customers and staff, few of whom are Israeli.
Is this who we are in Melbourne, a place that people come to to escape conflict, to find peace and to celebrate diversity? Is it not safe to go out for cauliflower and sweet potato?
I am Jewish, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and, as I’ve realised since October 2023, I carry the trauma of broken glass and hateful slogans and sudden, violent disruption. My cells shrink inside me and I feel paralysed, as though fear has frozen my bones.
As a food writer, it’s Melbourne’s cultural richness that I love most. I eat Congolese fufu and Persian soup and Chinese noodles and Colombian biscuits, learning and drawing closer to culture and shared humanity. I celebrate restaurants as places of gathering and welcome, proving every day we can find similarities in all our differences.
At Miznon, simple ingredients are cooked with care and served with joy. When I inter viewed the restaurant group’s Israeli founder, Eyal Shani, as the restaurant opened in 2017, he told me about the mission to source the perfect pita.
He discovered a local Turkish baker and was delighted that a Jew and Muslim worked together for weeks to create the perfect bread pocket. “We changed the whole recipe for his wood oven,” he marvelled. “We discovered each pita has a birthmark from fire, each one is unique and its own creation. In the end I have a better pita in Melbourne than I have in Israel.”
Miznon’s two Melbourne restaurants – there is another in Collingwood – are part of an international hospitality group, part-owned by Israeli business man Shahar Segal. Segal is also a spokesman for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a food aid group backed by Israel and the US, which has been widely criticised for its lack of impartiality and using aid as leverage.
Hundreds of Gazan people have been killed by the Israeli army while trying to get food. The UN refuses to work with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
I presume the pro-Palestinian group behind the attack on Miznon found this a reason to target the Melbourne business. Attacking a Melbourne restaurant does nothing for peace in the Middle East. It does not feed one person in Gaza. It scares customers and staff. It ripples through the Jewish community, creating fear. It un does the cohesion that makes Melbourne a better place for all.
I know of another Israeli restaurateur – an Australian citizen who had been here for nearly 20 years – who closed their restaurant and left Australia in 2024 after experiencing antisemitic graffiti and customer boycotts.
“The war in my country is nothing to do with me,” he told me then. “I’m not getting money from my government to represent Israel.” The saddest thing he told me was this: “I realise Australia is racist to another level.”
I can’t accept that. I don’t. I turn instead to another story. Opposite Miznon is a pizza restaurant called Max on Hardware. When the group atttacked on Friday night, the Lebanese brothers who own Max blocked the entrance to Miznon, barricading their neighbour’s dining room and protecting the staff as tomatoes- a table decoration at Miznon were thrown at them. That’s my Melbourne.
++++++
On a dark night for city, one match sets fire to 168 years of synagogue peace
The Age | Chip Le Grand | 6 July 2025
At eight o’clock on a Friday night in the heart of the city, a man dressed in black carrying a large bag walked onto the concrete stoop of one of the many graceful, Victorian-era buildings which line Melbourne’s Albert Street and pressed the doorbell.
While he waited for someone to answer, the man moved against the wall and reached for a bottle in his bag – suspected to be a petrol bomb. The building was the East Melbourne Synagogue, a Jewish place of worship nearly as old as the Victorian colony.
On the other side of the door, through the carpeted sanctuary where Shabbat prayers had finished, about 20 congregants were sit ting down to their main course in a dining hall at the back of the building. It was a simple buffet of chicken, stir-fry and vegetarian curry. By the end of a harrowing night, most of it would go uneaten.
While the man allegedly prepared his petrol bomb, a 13-year-old boy who happened to be in the synagogue office heard the bell and looked at the security monitors. He didn’t recognise the man but sensed something wasn’t right. He didn’t open the door. If he had, we might have been talking about something far, far worse happening in Melbourne on Friday night.
Police do not yet know what else the man had in his bag. A criminal investigation is under way.
“That is the really scary thing,” says Dovid Gutnick, the Rabbi of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation. “They could have opened the door to a person who clearly had bigger plans. “You wonder if he had more stuff in that bag to do more harm.”
The man rang the bell a second time. He then left the lit petrol bomb at the base of the door and casually walked away. The next thing the 13-year-old boy noticed was the smoke coming through the bottom of the door. By that stage, a passerby had already called the fire department.
The petrol bomb did only superficial damage before the fire was brought under control by a crew from a nearby fire brigade. Glass remnants were recovered from the crude device.
About four years ago, the synagogue reinforced the door with steel and constructed a blast-proof, transparent plastic security cage just inside the entrance. Smoke filled the cage and drifted into the sanctuary but the synagogue’s defences held.
The emotional wounds from this latest attack, to members of the synagogue, to Australian Jews and to a city that may be shocked to learn that some of us have to pray behind steel reinforced doors, will cut deeper.
The City Shul is a place of immense importance to Jewish people. It is also an enduring part of this city’s history. It has no formal ties to Israel but deep roots in the foundations of Melbourne. It is where John Monash, perhaps our greatest military leader, had his bar mitzvah as a boy, and where Victor Smorgon, one of the city’s most successful businessmen and generous philanthropists, got married.
On one of the walls, there is a board which carries the names of its members who died fighting for Australia’s young federation in the Great War. The synagogue stands across from the state parliament gar dens, St Patrick’s Cathedral and Anglican and Lutheran churches.
This part of Melbourne is known as Eastern Hill, where a rabbi can share a cup of coffee and a joke with a priest and a pastor, and regularly does. “It is a beautiful space,” Rabbi Gutnick says. “It is peaceful, by and large. You’d hate to think we have to turn it into Fort Knox.”
Daniel Aghion, a Melbourne barrister and the president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, says this is why Friday night’s firebombing was an assault on all Australians. “This is not just an attack upon Jews or the Jewish community. It is an attack upon our way of life.”
The City Shul is not a place of solitude or silence. It is for family, food, prayer, song, conversation and life. When Rabbi Gutnick addressed his congregation on Saturday, he urged them not to give in to despair. The best way to fight is not with a stick, he told them, but to let in more light.
When this masthead visited on Saturday, a service had just finished to celebrate the arrival of a new child in the congregation. More people than usual packed into the shul. Among them was Philip Zajac, president of the Jewish Community he could go to a mates’ bar mitzvah on a Saturday morning and make it to Windy Hill to watch the Bombers in the afternoon.
He describes it as heimish, a Yiddish word for homely or unpretentious. “This is a particularly homely synagogue,” he explains. As a Jewish community leader and lifelong Carlton sup porter, Zajac had already had a wretched weekend. He learned of the firebombing at his synagogue while watching his team get thrashed at the MCG by arch rival Collingwood.
But after Saturday’s service, his spirit lifted. “We are celebrating life and being together,” he said. “The events of last night brought more people out to say we are here, you are not going to defeat us, we are strong.”
Naomi Levin, the Jewish Community Council of Victoria chief executive, says the congregation was full of proud Jewish people who want us to know that they are proud of who they are and not afraid.
Liberal MP David Southwick was also at the synagogue for the Saturday service. He was angry and saddened at how brazen the attack was. “Find the bloke and lock him away,” he says flatly. While we talk inside the synagogue, toddlers are playing with Thomas the Tank Engine and superhero figures in the sanctuary.
In the dining hall, congregants are tucking into bowls of chulent – a stew slow cooked ahead of the Sabbath and the occasional shot of whiskey. There were children playing in the sanctuary on Friday night when the man set f ire to their front door.
Dennis Martin, 79, first came to the synagogue as a boy, when Rachel Gutnick, Rabbi Gutnick’s wife, says it is heartwarming to see so many people come to the synagogue the day after the attack. Some of them rarely came to shul, but made a point of coming on Saturday. “There is a lot of care and support,” she says.
When does it say to Martin that someone apparently tried to burn this place down? “I find it so distasteful and disturbing, the degree of blind anger that would make somebody do that,” he reflects. “It could be a misguided response to Gaza or it could be virulent antisemitism. In both cases, it is madness of some sort.”
Outside the synagogue, messages of condemnation, support and solidarity arrive in a torrent from political and community leaders. Premier Jacinta Allan says any attack on any place of worship is an act of hate and any attack on a synagogue is antisemitic. “It is disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards,” she says.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says those responsible must face the full force of the law. Australian Multicultural Foundation chair Hass Dellal says people have the right to practise and express their religion without fear of vilification or violence. “This is not who we are as a multicultural nation.”
Much the same condemnation followed the arson attack in December which gutted the Adass Israel Synagogue in the Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea. After a six-month investigation by counter-terrorism detectives from Victoria Police and the AFP, no arrests have been made.
Aghion says this is the tenth firebomb attack against Australian Jews in the past 12 months. His tolerance, both for violence against his community and hateful elements within an anti-Israel protest movement which he says are fuelling antisemitism, is at an end.
“There is a critical need for the institutions of our country, our political leadership, our policing, to understand that there is a fundamental problem here,” he says. “The fundamental problem is that the Jewish community is being singled out and attacked time and time again because of a conflict on the other side of a world.
“If you want to say something in support of a position overseas, I’m not going to stop you, but what I am going to say is remember the people around you, remember the consequences of your language, remember the consequences of your actions, and make sure that you stay within those limits that you do not have an impact upon other Australians.
“That’s the line that has been crossed time and time and time again, and these protests continue to cross it with impunity.” The City Shul was first established in 1857, six years after Victoria became a separate colony, and has met in its Albert Street building since 1877. Throughout that long history it has not previously been firebombed.
++++++
Racialised hate
The Age | Letters | 6 July 2025
Racialised hate
Friday night’s events in Melbourne mark a terrifying turning point. An Israeli restaurant was targeted. A synagogue was set alight. This is racialised hate. It does nothing to help Palestine. In fact, it makes Palestinian dignity more elusive.
Some on the terminally-on line far left will claim it’s “anti-Zionism”, not antisemitism. But when Jewish businesses are at tacked and houses of worship are burning, that excuse col lapses. “Zionist” has become a socially acceptable slur – a veil for bigotry The far right plays the same game: when Donald Trump said “Shylocks and bad people,” he claimed it was just a literary reference. Elements of the far left now launder hatred with the same trick.
This is what happens when politicians aren’t censured for saying Jews have “tentacles,” when parties like the Greens scapegoat entire populations, when people get their news from TikTok, when unrepresentative fringe groups are given a megaphone again and again, and when even legacy media platforms platform the same predictable polemics, afraid to break ranks or admit moral complexity.
What begins with euphemism ends with fire. This isn’t about Israel. It’s about whether Jews in Australia can walk the streets and live without fear. Say it, and say it clearly: this is racism.
Simon Tedeschi, Newtown, NSW
The deeper currents
The article “Radical Israeli settlers fan the flames of hatred in West Bank” (5/7) is deeply disturbing. We are told these settlers are “radical,” “extremist,” “fanatical.” But what if they are not?
A recent Penn State University poll, reported in Haaretz, revealed that 82 per cent of Jewish Israelis support the forced expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza, and 56 per cent support their expulsion from all of historical Palestine.
Two-thirds believe Palestinians are a modern-day incarnation of Amalek – an ancient enemy God commanded to be “blotted out” – and most of those believe that command still applies today.
Given these findings, one is forced to consider that when settlers torch olive groves, shoot at farmers, they may no longer be outliers, but echoes of a deeper current. It is not enough to be horrified. We must speak, act, withdraw support, and refuse to take part in the machinery that allows this to continue.
Fernanda Trecenti, Fitzroy
++++++
Synagogue targeted in antisemitic attacks
Sydney Morning Herald | Chip Le Grand | 6 July 2025
Small children were playing metres away from the front door of a Melbourne synagogue torched on Friday night in what political and Jewish community leaders denounced as a despicable, antisemitic attack.
Witnesses who were inside the East Melbourne synagogue at the time of the attack by a lone arsonist described how the child of one of the congregants was the first to see and smell smoke coming through the bot tom of the door about 8pm. Toddlers were playing throughout the synagogue while Rabbi Dovid Gutnick, synagogue president Danny Segal and congregants who had earlier attended the service sat down to Shabbat dinner in a hall at the rear of the building.
Gutnick said this was the usual Friday night scene at the synagogue, one of Melbourne’s oldest places of worship. “There were children right here in the synagogue playing two-year-old kids,” he said. “This is a family synagogue. There were families here. That is the really scary thing. They could have opened the door to a person who clearly had bigger plans.”
There were about 20 people inside the building when the fire was lit. None were injured by the attack. Police have released an image of a man they wish to speak to in relation to the attack. He is described as Caucasian, in his 30s, with a beard and long hair. He was seen wearing a dark blue or black jumper, black pants and a black beanie.
Gutnick has viewed security footage of the attack and said it showed one unidentified at tacker using accelerant to set f ire to the front door of the Albert Street synagogue. He said the attacker appeared well prepared, and the attack planned. He said local firefighters, who were alerted by a passerby before anyone inside the synagogue was aware of the fire, reacted quickly and contained the flames before they spread.
Segal, the synagogue president, described the firefighters’ and police response as “incredible”. Segal’s wife, Jenny, said political leaders had not done enough to stop the anti-Israel protest movement from inflaming anti-Jewish sentiment.
“I just feel that the government has let us down by not putting a stop to it earlier – all these demonstrations and anti-Israel sentiment,” she said. “It is not Australian, it is not on, and I can’t believe it has got this far. It could have been stopped if something was done earlier.
“We come here, we pray, we spread love and unity. They spread hate and violence.”
Also on Friday night, a group of about 20 masked people entered Israeli restaurant Miznon and shouted offensive chants, scuffling with staff and knocking over tables to the alarm of patrons, before police arrived and arrested a man. Vision from the incident shows diners screaming in fear inside the Hardware Lane restaurant, part-owned by an Israeli entrepreneur who has been promoting a controversial aid group in Gaza.
Police are not declaring either incident as an act of terrorism. Police are also investigating a third incident, when a group of offenders set fire to three cars and spray-painted the wall of a business on Para Road, Greensborough, in Melbourne’s north-east, about 4.30am yesterday. Officers are investigating to determine if the incident is related to the two attacks on Friday night.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece, speaking outside the synagogue yesterday, said while the motivation for the attacks would be investigated by police, he believed part of the protest movement had morphed into something more sinister.
“I do think there are elements of this protest which have mutated and is now perpetrating these terrible acts,” he said. “This is the act of a very small number of people, I do think we need to remind ourselves of that, but that doesn’t mean it is not a terrible and vile act. All of us as a community need to stand up against it.”
Reece pointed out that despite the horrific nature of Russia’s war against Ukraine, there had been no attacks on Russian Orthodox churches in Melbourne. “This is antisemitism, this is racism in its most vile form,” he said. Premier Jacinta Allan also condemned the synagogue attack as disgraceful and cowardly. “This is disgraceful behaviour by a pack of cowards,” Allan said on Saturday morning, as Jewish Australians woke to news of the attack. “That this happened on Shabbat makes it all the more abhorrent.
“Antisemitism has no place in Victoria and I stand with the Jewish community in their fight against hate, violence and fear.” Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the latest attacks were a return to “the antisemitic terror of the summer months” and “clear evidence that the antisemitism crisis is not only continuing, but getting worse”.
“We urge all sides of politics and all Australians to condemn these deplorable crimes,” Ryvchin said. “Those who chant for death are not peace activists.”
Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines said he had spoken to federal Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who had approved the use of ASIO and Australian Federal Police resources to support Victoria Police in the arson attack on East Melbourne Synagogue overnight. S
hadow attorney-general Julian Leeser on Saturday said the government must follow the US, UK, France and Germany, which had increased security around places of worship and community centres, following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East.
++++++
Children played as arsonist attacked
Anti-Jewish terror
Daily Telegraph | Eddie Russell, Anna Shreeves Carly Douglas, Matt Johnston | 6 July 2025
A man who set ablaze a synagogue door as children played inside was last night still on the run after a violent anti-Jewish rampage that saw an Israeli restaurant in Melbourne come under attack.
Three cars parked outside a factory, which has connections to the conflict in the Middle East, were also set on fire in a separate attack linked to three hours of anti-Semitic terror across the CBD.
Detectives on Saturday released a CCTV image of a man wanted for questioning over the attempted arson hit at the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation.
Police say he was filmed pouring an accelerant over the front door of the synagogue before setting it ablaze, while dozens of worshippers, including children, celebrated the start of Sabbath inside.
A young boy playing near the locked synagogue door heard a disturbance first, and alerted the worshippers.
Those who had been inside emerged to disrupt the attack, and the man fled.
A black scorch mark was scored on the door, while a deeper emotional mark was left on those who had been inside the building.
“There were children playing … this is a family synagogue,” Rabbi Dovid Gutnick said. “That’s the really scary thing because they could have opened the door, and the person clearly had bigger plans.”
Also on Friday night, a group of anti-Jewish activists, some of them wearing makeshift masks made from keffiyehs or scarfs, stormed Israeli restaurant Miznon as couples and families gathered for dinner. The protestors hurled chairs and food at its windows, and witnesses claim the mob chanted “death to the IDF”.
Those trapped inside the restaurant cried and cowered as tables were overturned and food and furniture were thrown across the restaurant in the direction of patrons and staff.
When police arrived several minutes later they had to secure the restaurant and form a barrier to protect those inside. A 28-year-old woman was arrested for hindering police.
Police have so far declined to label the attacks as acts of terror, instead calling it a “serious criminal investigation” for the time being.
“We do recognise that these crimes are disgusting and abhorrent, but at this stage, we are not declaring this a terrorist incident,” Commander Zorka Dunstan said.
“Unless we know their intent, we’re really not in a position to class it as a terrorist incident at this stage.”
Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel criticised authorities for failing to crackdown on soaring anti-Semitism as she labelled the attacks “terrorism”.
“Weakness and silence only emboldens the extremists,” she said.
Ms Haskel said the attacks were “yet another reminder of how far racist, anti-Semitic hate crimes have spread in the heart of Australia”.
Anthony Albanese yesterday condemned the terrifying acts of violence and intimidation, saying “anti-Semitism has no place in Australia”.
“Those responsible for these shocking acts must face the full force of the law and my government will provide all necessary support toward this effort,” the Prime Minister said.
Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the attacks were a shameful act of hate.
“What happened in Melbourne … was horrifying,” she posted on social media.
“This is not protest. This is hate. And it has no place in Australia.”
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan – who did not visit the synagogue yesterday – said Friday’s acts were “disgraceful” and committed by “a pack of cowards”.
Former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said “the hate has to stop’’.
“The incitement and the hate has to stop and words are not enough,” he said.
“Real action with real consequences for those who hurt and those who harm is what the public expects and more importantly what the public needs.”
Police said the restaurant attack involved a coalition of anti-police activists and a “splinter group” of about 20 hardcore pro-Palestinian supporters.
++++++
Hamas ready for ceasefire talks
Daily Telegraph / AFP | 6 July 2025
Gaza City: Hamas says it is ready to start talks “immediately” on a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the civil defence agency said Israel’s ongoing offensive killed more than 50 people on Friday.
The announcement came after Hamas held consultations with other Palestinian factions and before a visit on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, where US President Donald Trump is pushing for an end to the war, now in its 21st month.
“The movement is ready to engage immediately and seriously in a cycle of negotiations on the mechanism to put in place” the terms of a draft US-backed truce proposal received from mediators, the militant group said.
Hamas ally Islamic Jihad said it supported ceasefire talks but demanded “guarantees” Israel “will not resume its aggression” once hostages held in Gaza are freed.
The conflict in Gaza began with Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked a massive Israeli offensive aimed at destroying Hamas and bringing home all the hostages seized by militants.
Two previous ceasefires brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US have seen temporary halts in fighting, coupled with the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Mr Netanyahu earlier on Friday vowed to bring home all the hostages held in Gaza, after coming under massive domestic pressure over their fate.
“I feel a deep commitment, first and foremost, to ensure the return of all our abductees, all of them,” he said.
Mr Trump said on Thursday he wanted “safety for the people of Gaza”. “They’ve gone through hell,” he said.
A Palestinian source earlier this week said the latest proposals included “a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip” – thought to number 22 – “in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees”.
Of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the October 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations.
Gaza civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir said Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 52 people on Friday.
The IDF said in a statement it had been striking suspected Hamas targets across the territory, including around Gaza City in the north and Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south.
In a separate statement, the Israeli military said a 19-year-old sergeant “fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip”.
Mr Mughayyir said the Palestinians killed included five shot while waiting for aid near a US-run site near Rafah in southern Gaza and several who were waiting for aid near the Wadi Gaza Bridge in the centre of the territory.
++++++
Fear, despair as violence reigns
Herald-Sun | Eddie Russell – Anna Shreeves – Carly Douglas | 6 July 2025
Police are hunting a mob of anti-police and anti-Jewish protesters who terrorised the CBD on Friday night.
A man who set ablaze a synagogue door was still on the run and security was ramped up across the Jewish community after the city rampage that saw a city Israeli restaurant come under attack.
Three cars were also set on fire at a factory in Greensborough and sprayed with pro-Palestine slogans in a separate attack linked to the three-hour city rampage.
Victoria’s Jewish community is pleading with the Allan government to do more to protect its members and places of worship, while former federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg said: “The hate has to stop’’.
Mr Frydenberg said there could be “no leave pass for our leaders” in the wake of another “senseless and violent” attack on the Jewish community.
“The incitement and the hate has to stop and words are not enough,” he said.
“Real action with real consequences for those who hurt and those who harm is what the public expects and more importantly what the public needs.”
“Nothing less than Australia’s reputation as a safe place for people of all faiths is at stake.’’
Friday night’s attack involved a coalition of 70 anti-police activists gathered in Swanston St demanding Victoria Police attend no further protests in the city.
The anti-police rally was promoted by the Whistleblower, Activists and Communities Alliance, the Black People’s Union, Total Liberation Alliance and a man dubbed “Charlie the Commie”.
Members of those groups came together after a huge social media call-out urged activists to flood the city in support.
“After repeated, unprovoked assaults by Victoria Police at peaceful protests, we’ve had enough,” the group said.
A “splinter group” of about 20 hardcore pro-Palestinian supporters then headed to Miznon restaurant in Hardware Lane where they entered the restaurant, throwing chairs and food and shouting “death to the IDF”, the Israeli military.
One of the activists who spoke at the No Police at Protests rally earlier in the night was spotted among the mob at Miznon.
Photos capture the activist sticking up her middle finger at restaurant goers.
Earlier in the night, she had declared: “Cops do not keep us safe, we keep us safe.”
Police had to secure the restaurant and form a barrier to protect staff and patrons.
Detectives on Saturday released a clear CCTV image of a man wanted for questioning over the attempted arson at the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Albert St, which occurred about half an hour before the incident at the city restaurant.
Police say a man was filmed pouring an accelerant over the front door of the synagogue before setting it ablaze but it largely failed to ignite while about 20 people were inside observing the Sabbath.
The force have so far declined to label Friday’s attack as an act of terror, instead calling it a “serious criminal investigation” for the time being.
“Unless we know their intent, we’re really not in a position to class it as a terrorist incident at this stage,” Commander Zorka Dunstan said.
East Melbourne Synagogue rabbi Dovid Gutnik said children and families could have been seriously hurt in the arson.
“It could have been a lot worse because those doors are wooden and there’s carpet, so we were lucky the response was quick,” he said.
Jewish Community Council chief executive Naomi Levin said she and her community had been disappointed by the Allan government’s response to rising levels of anti-Semitism in Victoria.
“They opened the door a year and a half ago by not being strong enough against anti-Semitism when we saw it start rising after the October 7 attacks in Israel,” she said.
“We’ve had a lot of issues with leadership here.”
Premier Jacinta Allan did not visit the synagogue yesterday and is not due to visit today but said Friday’s acts were “disgraceful” and committed by “a pack of cowards”.
“Every Victorian deserves to live in peace and dignity, but the acts we saw last night at the East Melbourne Synagogue – and elsewhere in the city – are designed to shatter that peace and traumatise Jewish families,” she said.
Prominent Jewish community advocate Menachem Vorchheimer said it “speaks volumes” that Ms Allan and Chief Commissioner Mike Bush did not attend the synagogue on Saturday.
“They should have made it their No.1 priority,” he said.
Police will boost their presence on Sunday as pro-Palestine protesters again hit the streets in the CBD at the Free Palestine Coalition Naarm Melbourne rally.
They said protesters would march from the State Library to Flinders St.
A separate rally is expecting members of the Hindu, Iranian and Jewish communities to “come together for a peaceful rally and candlelight vigil” in Spring St at 2pm.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said: “Anti-Semitism has no place in Australia.
“Those responsible for these shocking acts must face the full force of the law and my government will provide all necessary support towards this effort,” he said.
Mr Albanese said Home Affairs Minister Tony Burkewould visit Melbourne today, and that ASIO would assist the AFP with investigations.
Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines said every resource would be directed towards catching the offenders.
“Those that think they can set fire to a place of worship overnight that is full of worshippers, that is a heinous act, a horrific act, a criminal act – people will be held to account for it,” he said.
In the wake of the Adass Israel firebombing, Ms Allan pledged to bring in laws designed to crack down on violent protests outside of places of worship, along with banning face masks and certain flags.
Opposition police spokesman David Southwick, who labelled Friday night’s attacks “domestic terrorism”, said Ms Allan was “all talk and no action”.
“There were lots of words in December about what she was going to do and yet she’s allowed this to happen again,” he said.
Mr Carbines said the government was consulting a range of multicultural communities and that the laws would be brought before parliament after the winter break.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the attacks were a shameful act of hate.
“This is not protest,” she posted on social media.
“This is hate. And it has no place in Australia.”
Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel criticised Victorian authorities for failing to crackdown on soaring anti-Semitism and labelled the attacks “terrorism”.
“Weakness and silence only emboldens the extremists,” she said.
Ms Haskel said the attacks were “yet another reminder of how far racist, anti-Semitic hate crimes have spread in the heart of Australia”.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Nick Reece said the incident was “racism in its most vile form” that should be “condemned in the strongest possible terms”.
“Everyone has the right to enjoy simple acts, like enjoying a meal or practising their faith.”
++++++
Anti-cop coalition on march
Herald-Sun | Regan Hodge | 6 July 2025
The protesters who caused chaos at an Israeli restaurant were a coalition of activists from a range of social factions.
About 70 anti-police activists gathered on Swanston St demanding Victoria Police attend no further protests in the city.
The anti-police rally was promoted by the Whistleblower, Activists & Communities Alliance, the Black People’s Union, Total Liberation Alliance and a man dubbed “Charlie the Commie”.
Their combined following reaches more than 52,000 people online.
Members from those groups came together after a huge social media call-out urged fellow protesters to flood the city in support.
“After repeated, unprovoked assaults by Victoria Police at peaceful protests, we’ve had enough,” the group said.
A “splinter group” of about 20 hardcore Palestinian supporters then headed to Miznon, where the violence erupted.
It is not known what crew the man who tried to torch the synagogue is part of, if any.
++++++
Our Friday nightmare
Herald-Sun | Matt Johnston | 6 July 2025
Melbourne’s CBD has a buzz on Friday evenings.
People in suits gather at pubs and bars to celebrate the end of the working week.
Couples and families arrive for a meal and a show.
But on this particular Friday, not long after the sun had set, the buzz was destroyed by violence, arson and hatred.
Protesters dressed in black had gathered near the State Library, and were spreading down the length of Swanston St, chanting for people to die.
Workers heading home near the famous Flinders Street Station saw people wearing makeshift masks made from keffiyehs or scarfs shouting bloodcurdling threats to Israelis.
“Death, death, to IDF,” rang out across one of Melbourne’s busiest intersections.
“Defund the police,” others shouted, as they were followed by people in pink “legal observer” vests, watching for officers to respond.
A few dozen protesters marched towards Town Hall.
An argument broke out between young agitators and a group of other people about 7.30pm.
Witnesses were unsure whether those sparring had started together and splintered, or whether separate rallies were competing for attention.
It was chaotic, and volatile.
Shortly afterwards, some of the protesters headed northwest towards Miznon in Hardware Lane, where peaceful diners enjoyed mezze and pitas.
Outdoor diners who saw the crowd of black-clad rioters approaching fled, according to the chef of nearby restaurant Max on Hardware, Nick Pistikakis.
Those trapped inside the restaurant cowered as tables were overturned and food and furniture were thrown across the restaurant in the direction of patrons and staff.
When police arrived several minutes later they arrested some of the instigators.
Police doused other protest spotfires around the CBD, but across the other side of the city another horror was about to unfold.
An arsonist, now being hunted by police, stalked towards the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation – a synagogue only a short walk from state parliament.
Inside were dozens of worshippers who were celebrating the start of Sabbath – a day of rest in Judaism set aside for family and spiritual reflection.
A young boy playing near to the synagogue door heard a disturbance first, and alerted the worshippers.
Outside, the man was setting fire to the building.
Those who had been inside emerged to disrupt the attack, and the man fled.
A black scorch mark was scored on the door, while a deeper emotional mark was left on those who had been inside the building.
“There were children playing … this is a family synagogue,” Rabbi Dovid Gutnick said. “That’s the really scary thing because they could have opened the door, and the person clearly had bigger plans.”
Lord Mayor Nick Reece, who was in the CBD on Friday evening, set off to the synagogue soon after news of the attack broke to lend support to the community.
He described the mood as deflated but stoic.
While people were distraught that these attacks keep happening at their homes and places of worship, he said the clear message was “we will go on”.
The night of horror for Jewish people, however, was not over yet.
In Greensborough about 4.30am, three cars were graffitied with anti-Semitic messages and set on fire outside a tech business that has been a repeated target.
Police said there was “some connection” between all three crimes – a truism for anyone with Jewish heritage.
As the sun rose on Saturday, worshippers walked solemnly past the singed door at the East Melbourne synagogue to attend their weekly ritual.
During his sermon, Rabbi Gutnick spoke about the area’s history as “a light on the hill”.
For many decades East Melbourne had been a spiritual place shared by Catholics, Jews, Presbyterians and others, he noted.
His message was clear: the light cannot be extinguished by those who peddle hatred and seek to divide a peaceful community.
++++++
Terrorism, plain and simple
Herald-Sun | Jeff Kennett | 6 July 2025
There is no room for vigilantes.
What is going wrong with our society, where we are being subjected to a sense of lawlessness.
Where groups of individuals who, when on their own are probably very decent citizens, but when within a group become intimidating, destructive and lawless.
Where those in charge just continually seem to ignore their activities while frightening society.
Where is our government?
The attacks on Friday night by up to 60 individuals on all manner of things Jewish was not an exercise in democracy.
It was terrorism.
It must be seen as such and responded to as such.
Our government at the highest level must stand up not only for the Jewish community, but all of us.
Words are not enough. Action is.
Any display of weakness now will only encourage ongoing lawlessness.
The attacks on the synagogue and restaurant require – demand – immediate action.
Those committing the crimes have lost their right to the process of law.
They should be arrested and jailed until their case is heard.
Such actions must be met head on.
Recall parliament now. Have the laws changed immediately to meet this new level of terrorism.
No one is safe, Jew or non-Jew, while governments stand by, or back, in the name of freedom of speech or democracy.
These actions are terrorism in their rawest form.
++++++
These attacks are intolerable
Herald-Sun | Editorial | 6 July 2025
The anti-Semitic attacks on Friday night on a synagogue and an Israeli restaurant were disgusting, vile and evil.
And they were not only an attack on the Jewish people, but an attack on our state and all we stand for.
The arson at the east Melbourne synagogue, the invasion of the Miznon restaurant in Hardware Lane and the rolling protest in the CBD were aimed at terrifying the community and targeting people simply because of their faith.
It is beyond the pale that a peaceful Friday night in our city can be torn apart by this disgusting rabble, screaming death to Israeli soldiers and anti-police slogans, and blatantly breaking the law by stopping traffic before unleashing those two terrible incidents.
And what is even more shocking about what happened on Friday night is the terrible truth that this is not an isolated event.
It is just the latest onslaught on a faith.
The Jewish people who have contributed so much to this state have been subject to the most terrible abuse, criminal attacks and threats for years.
It has to stop.
And since October 2023, when Israelis were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists, those attacks have only intensified to the point today that our great city, once known as Marvellous Melbourne, is now the protest capital of Australia.
But worse than that, our state, once known for peacefulness and tolerance, is gaining a reputation for being divided, unsafe and the home to religious intolerance and specifically anti-Semitism.
Over the past 20 or so months since the horrifying attack in Israel, we have witnessed an acceleration in that decline into law-breaking, anti-Semitism, intolerance, anarchy and violence.
It has to stop.
It goes without saying that we must have a thorough investigation into these latest incidents, and punishment of the offenders.
But more than that, we need to address the hate that has infected our streets – the hate that fuelled Friday night – but also so many other offences such as the appalling firebombing of the Adass synagogue in Ripponlea in December.
We must not forget, it is a miracle that no one died in that arson attack in December, or last night’s.
These are serious crimes – not protests. They are serious criminal attacks aimed at terrorising the Jewish people.
The Sunday Herald Sun cannot be clearer.
Victoria needs to root out this evil from our state.
We must stand up and stop this affront to our democracy and our way of life.
The Premier, the Chief Commissioner, all political parties, all religions and fair-minded Victorians need to show we will not tolerate this, and that we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Jewish people.
And to the Premier and the Chief Commissioner – and our Prime Minister – we say clearly, we need action, not words.
You need to show – by what you do – that you are on this.
Because our tolerance, our democracy, is being abused by a dangerous minority of anti-Semites, troublemakers with a political agenda to impose their will on us, believing that they are above the law.
In the 20 months since Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel to kill innocent men and women – mothers and fathers, sons and daughters – pro-Palestinian, anti-Jewish supporters have wreaked havoc in this city.
Every weekend for almost a year they spread their hate by taking over our streets. They did it with impunity and they are threatening to do it again today.
Once again, life in the CBD will be disrupted by angry protesters, bent on having maximum impact on the lives of everyday Victorians and spreading their hatred for Jewish Australians.
They seek to take control of the streets from the police, from everyday law-abiding Victorians who pay their taxes, do not scream abuse or chant vile slogans, and simply want to enjoy a day in our capital.
But they cannot because the protesters are in charge, with their bile, their wants, their hate and their wishes taking precedence over the silent majority.
It has to stop.
From the planned protest today, those weekly protests in the city that started back in 2023 to those many lower profile attacks on Jewish people here, we have seen a complete failure to protect a religious group that simply want to live their lives in peace.
The lack of action has allowed the anti-Semitic views to fester and effectively given tacit assent to those views.
This must end now.
These views are a threat, not only to the Jewish faith but to our democracy.
And we will watch closely to see who stands up for the Jewish people, who visits and comforts those targeted, and who takes action for them.
At the Sunday Herald Sun, we are unambiguous in our position.
Today we proudly stand with the Jewish people and we condemn in the strongest possible terms the anti-Semitic attacks on Friday night and the continued assault on the Jewish people, here and abroad.
++++++
Two US aid workers hurt: Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
Canberra Times / AAP | 6 July 2025
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9009148/two-us-aid-workers-hurt-gaza-humanitarian-foundation/
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says two US aid workers have suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a grenade attack at a food distribution site in the Gaza Strip.
The United States and Israeli-backed GHF said in a statement that the injured workers were receiving medical treatment and were in a stable condition.
“The attack – which preliminary information indicates was carried out by two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans – occurred at the conclusion of an otherwise successful distribution in which thousands of Gazans safely received food,” the GHF said.
The GHF, which began distributing aid in the Gaza Strip in May, employs private US military contractors tasked with providing security at their sites.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.
The Israeli military, in a later statement, accused what it called “terrorist organisations” of sabotaging the distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip.
There has been an escalation in violence in the enclave as efforts continue to reach a ceasefire agreement.
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar for talks on a possible Gaza Strip hostage and ceasefire deal, an Israeli official said on Saturday.
Hamas said on Friday it had responded to a US-backed ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit,” a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalise” a 60-day truce.
The Israeli negotiation delegation will fly to Qatar on Sunday, the Israeli official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters.
US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
Gazan authorities reported at least 70 people have been killed in the territory by the Israeli military in the last 24 hours, including 23 near aid distribution sites.
The ministry did not specify where or how exactly they had been killed.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reports.
In a statement on Friday, the military said that in the past week, troops had killed 100 militants in the Gaza Strip and claimed that it had “operational control” over 65 per cent of the enclave after an offensive against Hamas fighters in the north.
The Hamas-run interior ministry on Thursday warned residents of the coastal enclave not to assist the GHF, saying deadly incidents near its food distribution sites endangered hungry Gazans.
The GHF has said it has delivered more than 52 million meals to Palestinians in five weeks.
The GHF bypasses traditional aid channels, including the United Nations, which says the US-based organisation is neither impartial nor neutral.
Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on the Gaza Strip on May 19, the UN says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid handouts.
A senior UN official said last week that the majority of people killed were trying to reach aid distribution sites of the GHF.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing about 1200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Gaza’s health ministry says Israel’s retaliatory military assault on the enclave has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians.
It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced the strip’s entire population and prompted accusations of genocide and war crimes.
Israel denies the accusations.
++++++
Israel continues airstrikes on Gaza after Hamas says it is ready for ceasefire talks
Hopes that pause to the killing may be agreed were boosted despite 24 Palestinians being killed including 10 seeking aid
The Guardian | Jason Burke | 6 July 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/05/israel-airstrikes-gaza-hamas-ceasefire-talks
Israel has continued to launch waves of airstrikes in Gaza, hours after Hamas said it was ready to start talks “immediately” on a US-sponsored proposal for a 60-day ceasefire.
The announcement by the militant Islamist organisation increased hopes that a deal may be done within days to pause the killing in Gaza and possibly end the near 21-month conflict.
On Saturday night Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said the country would send negotiators to Qatar on Sunday for talks, despite his office also saying that changes requested by Hamas were not acceptable.
Saturday was relatively “calmer” after days of intense bombardment, aid officials and residents in Gaza said, although 24 Palestinians were killed, including 10 people seeking humanitarian aid, according to hospital officials.
Airstrikes struck tents in the Mawasi coastal area in southern Gaza, killing seven, including a Palestinian doctor and his three children, according to medics at a nearby hospital. Four others were killed in the town of Bani Suheila, and three people were killed in three different strikes in the town of Khan Younis.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) made no immediate comment on the attacks.
Separately, two US contractors with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were injured in the south of the territory after unknown assailants threw grenades at them at a food distribution site, the organisation said.
The GHF, a US-supported private organisation that began handing out food parcels in Gaza last month, has been mired in controversy, with the UN secretary general, António Guterres, saying it was “inherently unsafe” and that it was “killing people”. The GHF denies this, saying it has delivered tens of millions of meals in “safety and security”.
On Saturday night the US state department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, blamed “Hamas terrorists” for the attack, adding in a post on X: “This act of violence against the people actually bringing relief to Gazans lays bare the depravity of Hamas.”
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks in shooting or shelling by the IDF while travelling to GHF sites or gathering in large crowds to get aid from convoys brought into Gaza by the UN that are often stopped and looted.
Aid workers in Gaza have called again for an immediate cessation of hostilities, saying that fuel stocks for NGOs are close to running out, which would lead to the “complete collapse” of humanitarian operations, much of the health system and communications across the territory. Power supplies in Gaza rely primarily on large quantities of diesel for generators.
“We are pretty much down to about half a day’s worth. When that is gone, everything has to shut down,” said one humanitarian worker in Deir al-Balah.
Israel imposed a tight 11-week blockade on Gaza after the most recent ceasefire collapsed in March, which has only been partly lifted to allow a small amount of food aid and medical supplies into the territory. No fuel has been permitted to enter, and supplies that still exist in Gaza are often in Israeli-controlled areas or combat zones and so inaccessible.
Netanyahu is to fly to Washington on Sunday for talks with the US president, Donald Trump, who has said in a series of social media posts that he wants the Gaza war to stop.
Drafts of the proposed deal seen by the Guardian include a provision specifying that Trump would personally announce any ceasefire – possibly in the coming days during Netanyahu’s visit.
However, sources close to Hamas said the organisation wants greater clarity over guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a permanent end to the war and the eventual withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
There is also disagreement over who would be allowed to deliver the “sufficient aid” described in the draft. Hamas want the GHF to be closed down. Israel wants to maintain a system of distribution independent from the UN or other countries.
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One late on Friday, Trump said he was optimistic and suggested there “could be a Gaza deal” next week. But Israeli media have described a series of steps involving separate Israeli delegations flying to Qatar and Egypt to complete negotiations, and the current draft specifies that Steve Witkoff, Trump’s personal envoy, will travel to the Middle East to finalise the deal.
Analysts said this could mean lengthy delays before an agreement is reached.
The war in Gaza was triggered by a surprise Hamas-led attack into Israel in October 2023, during which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. Fifty remain in Gaza, less than half still alive.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,000 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to a count by the territory’s ministry of health that is considered reliable by the UN and many western governments.
++++++
‘They’re skin and bones’: doctors in Gaza warn babies at risk of death from lack of formula
Doctors say Israel is blocking deliveries of formula urgently needed as mothers are either dead or too malnourished to feed their babies
The Guardian | William Christou & Malak A Tantesh | 5 July 2025
Doctors in Gaza have warned that hundreds of babies are at risk of death amid a critical shortage of baby milk, as Israel continues to restrict the humanitarian aid that can enter the beleaguered strip.
Dr Ahmad al-Farra, the head of paediatrics at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, said his ward had only about a week’s worth of infant formula remaining. The doctor has already run out of specialised formula meant for premature babies and is forced to use regular formula, rationing it between the infants under his care.
“I can’t begin to describe how bad things are. Right now, we have enough formula for about one week. But we also have infants outside the hospital without any access to milk. It’s catastrophic,” al-Farra told the Guardian over the phone.
Stocks of infant formula have dwindled in Gaza as Israel has blocked all but a trickle of aid into the Palestinian territory. Food aid that comes through the controversial US-Israeli-backed private company Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) does not include infant formula, according to doctors.
Hanaa al-Taweel, a 27-year-old mother of five living at al-Nuseirat refugee camp, said she was unable to breastfeed as she herself was not getting enough to eat. She has struggled to find infant formula for her 13-month-old child.
“The problem of getting milk started since my son’s birth, as due to my malnutrition and general weakness I wasn’t able to breastfeed my baby,” al-Taweel said.
Doctors have told her that her son is suffering from stunting due to malnutrition and she has noticed he was developing slower than her other children, who had already begun speaking and walking at his age.
“I try to keep a small piece of bread next to me when he sleeps because he wakes up often asking for food. I feel sadness and fear for my children, I fear they will die from hunger, thirst and disease,” she said.
Already 66 Palestinian children have starved to death since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, according to local health authorities.
Amnesty International accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war against civilians in Gaza, which it said was a tactic intended “to inflict genocide against Palestinians”.
Cogat, the Israeli authority responsible for coordinating humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, said it does not restrict the entry of baby food, including formula, into the Gaza Strip. The agency added that more than 1,400 tons of baby food had been delivered to Gaza in recent weeks.
Doctors entering Gaza have resorted to packing individual cans of infant formula in their personal luggage. On at least one occasion, Israeli authorities confiscated 10 cans of infant formula from the luggage of an American doctor recently entering Gaza for a medical mission.
“In the end they confiscated all the cans of baby formula, which was specifically formula for pre-term babies. What on earth is baby formula going to do against the security of the state of Israel?” said Dr Diana Nazzal, a Palestinian-German eye surgeon who helped the American doctor pack his bags in a way that would be acceptable to Israeli border authorities.
Nazzal added that many medical staff entering Gaza are filling their bags with calorie-dense foods such as protein bars and nuts, rather than medical supplies.
Infant formula has become more critical as the hunger crisis has worsened in Gaza, with almost 500,000 people facing catastrophic hunger while the rest of the population is experiencing acute food insecurity.
Mothers who are severely malnourished themselves or have been killed are unable to breastfeed, creating a higher need for formula. On the parallel market, what little supply exists has become exorbitantly expensive, with one can of formula going for about $50 – 10 times the normal price.
“I was able to breastfeed her naturally for one month, but due to lack of food I could no longer continue,” said Nourhan Barakat, a 25-year-old mother of three displaced to Khan Younis. “I know that breastfeeding strengthens the bond between mother and child – but what can I do?”
In late June, the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said about 112 children were being admitted daily to Gaza’s hospitals for malnutrition treatment. Malnutrition before the age of three can cause permanent developmental problems.
“This whole generation is being targeted. They will suffer from memory problems, developmental delays … And the problem is even if nutrition becomes available later on, the damage is permanent,” al-Faraa said.
Doctors said the deaths of infants was a worrying sign of Gaza’s looming starvation crisis, as young children are the most vulnerable to the effects of malnutrition.
“When you see babies start to die, panic and alarms should start to flare. Essentially, children are the first to die in starvation crises,” said Dr Thaer Ahmad, a member of a medical delegation trying to deliver aid through the international group Avaaz.
Doctors have blamed the Israeli aid blockade for the shortage, as Israel prevents all but a few aid trucks entering the territory – far below what humanitarians say is required to feed the population. UN agencies say Gaza needs at least 500 trucks a day to meet basic needs, but often less than 50 are admitted.
What UN aid does come through is often confiscated by hungry crowds and armed gangs who have begun looting trucks out of desperation.
If Palestinians want to access aid given by GHF, they have to navigate a complicated, ever-changing set of instructions to queue at one of four distribution sites. More than 500 people have been shot dead by Israeli forces while queueing for aid over the last month.
Humanitarian groups have condemned the GHF, saying it could be complicit in war crimes and that it violates the core principles of humanitarianism. Previously, the UN-led aid system in Gaza maintained more than 400 aid distribution points throughout Gaza set up at points of need. The GHF said it had delivered more than 52m meals in five weeks and that other organisations “stand by helplessly as their aid is looted”.
Israel has said the UN system was being exploited by Hamas to hoard aid, an accusation for which humanitarians say there is no evidence.
The war in Gaza has killed more than 56,000 people since 7 October 2023, and was launched in retaliation for the Hamas-led attack on the same day that killed 1,200 people in Israel. Israel and Hamas have signalled in recent days that they are nearing a US-brokered ceasefire, though key sticking points remain.
In the meantime, doctors in the territory say time is running out. “You should see the children arriving,” said al-Farra. “They’re just skin and bones. It’s horrifying. The real solution is to end the war, open the crossings and allow baby formula in.”
FPM Media Report Wednesday July 2 2025
At least 30 dead in Israeli strike on internet cafe in Gaza popular with journalists
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-01/israel-attacks-gaza-cafe-internet-killing-journalist/105480502
By Maddy Morwood with wires
In short:
An internet cafe in Gaza frequented by journalists was targeted by the Israeli military, killing at least 30 people including Palestinian photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab.
At least 227 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the UN Human Rights Office, and it remains the deadliest place in the world to be a journalist.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters without Borders both allege that Israel is directly targeting journalists in Gaza.
A seafront cafe in Gaza known for its public internet connection frequented by journalists, media workers, activists and students has been the target of the latest deadly strike by the Israeli military.
Warning: This story contains images and details that may distress some readers.
Gaza’s civil defence agency said that at least 30 people — including women, children and multiple journalists — were killed and dozens more injured in an Israeli strike on Al-Baqa Cafe.
One of the few businesses to continue operating during the war, the cafe was a popular gathering spot for those seeking internet access, phone chargers and a place to work.
“The place is always crowded with people because [it] offers drinks, family seating and internet access,” eyewitness Ahmed Al-Nayrab told AFP, recalling a “huge explosion that shook the area”.
“I saw body parts flying everywhere, and bodies cut and burned … It was a scene that made your skin crawl.”
Among the dead was 32-year-old Palestinian photojournalist and film director Ismail Abu Hatab.
Gaza war is now the ‘worst ever conflict’ for journalists
Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna was “Gaza’s eye”. Her death marks another journalist killed during the Israel-Gaza war, which has now become the “worst ever conflict” for journalists.
Ismail Abu Hatab was known for curating photo exhibitions detailing the horrors of life in Gaza, including the immersive photography exhibition Between the Sky and the Sea, which was recently shown in Los Angeles.
He was previously injured in an Israeli air strike while working at the Al-Ghafari tower in November 2023, he said in an interview last year to NDTV World.
Well-known Palestinian journalist Bayan Abu Sultan was also among the dozens injured at the cafe, multiple media outlets confirmed.
At least 227 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the UN Human Rights Office, which condemned what it called the Israeli military’s pattern of killings of journalists in Gaza.
Israeli military attacks reportedly killed 18 journalists in May 2025 alone, it added in a statement.
“Gaza remains the deadliest place in the world to be a journalist.”
The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate confirmed that more than 220 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began.
Monday’s strike came amid the latest offensive of the 20-month war, which started when Hamas militants entered Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking a further 251 hostage.
Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
‘Killed for trying to have internet access’
Since the war began, the Gaza Strip has experienced at least 10 partial and full communication and internet outages, limiting the flow of information to and from Gaza and preventing journalists from reporting.
Between June 10 and 21, the Gaza Strip experienced a complete internet outage and widespread mobile phone interruptions, which the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority described as “systematic targeting”.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders (also known as Reporters sans Frontières or RSF) both allege that Israel is directly targeting journalists in Gaza, something which Israel denies.
“Israeli forces have done everything in their power to prevent coverage of what is happening in Gaza, and have systematically targeted journalists who have taken tremendous risks to do their jobs,” RSF campaign director Rebecca Vincent said.
Palestinian journalist Gathi Sabbah, 65, last month told The Journal that some public internet access points or cafes had become targets for Israeli drones.
“You might be killed for trying to have internet access there,”he said.
“Even going to a cafe carries real risk to our lives,” he told Palestinian journalist Hana Salah at The Journal.
“Many people have lost their lives just by being there, even though they were civilians.”
Gaza’s government media office said it condemned “in the strongest terms the systematic targeting, killing and assassination of Palestinian journalists” by Israeli forces.
In May, Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna was killed in an Israeli air strike just one day after she found out a documentary about her life in Gaza was to premiere in Cannes.
Approached for comment by AFP, the Israeli army said it was “looking into” the reports of the attack at Al-Baqa Cafe.
ABC/wires
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Benjamin Netanyahu, ‘the one person who wants this war to continue’, may make a Gaza deal
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-02/benjamin-netanyahu-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-deal-donald-trump/105480516
By Middle East correspondent Eric Tlozek
Since the October 7 attacks in 2023, the prevailing view in Israel has been that Benjamin Netanyahu never wanted a ceasefire in Gaza.
The prime minister himself has said repeatedly that anything less than “total victory” over the militant group Hamas is unacceptable.
Cabinet colleagues have confirmed Netanyahu’s stance, and he has rejected agreements that stipulate an end to the war.
Netanyahu’s opponents have accused him of continuing the fighting to distract from his long-running corruption trial and unresolvable tensions within his far-right and ultra-orthodox governing coalition — something he denies.
But even “the one person in the world who wants this war to continue”, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, may soon need to make a deal.
A large group of protesters gather, some with pictures and banners with Hebrew written on them.
Protesters in Tel Aviv rallying against Mr Netanyahu’s government demand the end of the war and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas. (AP: Ariel Schalit)
US President Donald Trump is fuelling hopes of an imminent agreement, saying that he wants the Gaza war to end.
Buoyed by the recent ceasefire with Iran, he told reporters last Friday he thinks a deal could be struck “within the next week” and posted on his Truth Social platform on Sunday: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK.”
Previously, his administration has been the only thing capable of pressuring Netanyahu’s government, as evidenced by his demand that Israel stop attacks on Iran and the signing of the second Gaza ceasefire just prior to Trump’s inauguration.
Military gives Netanyahu a way out
Importantly, the Israeli military is saying it has met the aims of the most recent offensive in Gaza, which has left even more of the strip destroyed and Palestinians forced into around 18 per cent of the land, according to the UN.
“In the near future, we will reach the lines we defined for the current phase within the framework of operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’. From there, operational options will be developed and presented to the political echelon,” the IDF chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, said on Friday.
“We will continue to act with determination in order to achieve the two main objectives of the war — the return of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas.”
Lieutenant General Zamir reportedly told the Israeli cabinet that intensifying the operation further would risk the hostages.
Israeli commentators see this as a signal from the military that Netanyahu can choose this moment to tap out.
Palestinians inspect a huge pile of rubble after an Israeli strike on a residential building.
There is not much left to destroy in Gaza.
Even staunch allies, like Germany, have expressed horror at the humanitarian crisis produced by Israel’s attempts to dismantle the United Nations aid system.
The other option being floated is that Israel could send soldiers back into Gaza City, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought shelter from the IDF’s advance.
Already, increased Israeli strikes are hitting Gaza, reportedly killing 67 people on Monday.
“The intensified operations are seen as part of a broader strategy to exert military pressure on Hamas amid ongoing ceasefire negotiations,” the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth wrote.
This option is also possible, given Netanyahu has previously been willing to continue escalating in the face of international and domestic pressure, despite the likely cost.
June has been the deadliest month for the IDF in Gaza the past year, with 20 soldiers killed, including seven in one attack on an armoured personnel carrier.
It’s one of many factors making the Israeli public increasingly in favour of ending the war.
Netanyahu and Trump to discuss ceasefire
Netanyahu, fresh from a supposed victory over Iran, has indicated he is now willing to place a higher value on the Israeli hostages who remain inside Gaza than the war aim of destroying Hamas.
A senior Israeli minister, Ron Dermer, will be in Washington DC, this week to discuss the potential ceasefire.
Next Monday, Netanyahu is due to meet Trump at the White House.
US officials said Trump would press for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and would discuss plans about the return of the remaining hostages.
According to an Israeli official, Trump and Netanyahu would also discuss Iran, Syria and other regional challenges, Reuters reported.
At present, Israel’s government says it has accepted the current US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, which includes the release of half of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.
Hamas has offered multiple times to release all of the hostages, but only if Israel guarantees the war will end.
It has often accused Netanyahu of being the main obstacle to reaching a deal.
Trump’s f-bomb is one missile that could sway Benjamin Netanyahu
Photo shows Netanyahu in a suit at a podium with his hand raisedNetanyahu in a suit at a podium In his first comments since the alleged ceasefire between Israel and Iran was announced, the US President let rip, and Israel’s PM heard him loud and clear.
There is some suggestion that Hamas could allow Israeli troops to remain in unpopulated parts of Gaza during the ceasefire period, softening its requirement for a total Israeli withdrawal.
However, the group’s other demands have not shifted much in recent days and it is saying it “will not go to a deal under the current conditions”.
“Halting the aggression and opening the door for relief aid to Palestinians in the Strip are two non-negotiable conditions,” Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi told Al Jazeera.
Mardawi also said the group would not consider disarming.
“The resistance’s arms are directly linked to ending the occupation and are not subject to negotiation,” he said.
Without significant US pressure and movement from both Hamas and Israel, this chance might be lost, like many others before it.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Israel to review attack on Gaza beachside cafe after 24 Palestinians killed
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/israel-to-review-attack-on-gaza-beachside-cafe-after-24-palestinians-killed/7i02xov5w
In a statement to AFP regarding an attack that killed 24 Palestinians, Israel’s army said it had struck “several Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip”.
The Israeli army said Tuesday that it launched a review into a strike on a seafront Gaza cafe it says targeted militants, but which rescuers said killed 24 people.
In a statement to AFP regarding the incident, the army said it had struck “several Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip”.
Gaza’s civil defence said at least 24 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in Monday’s strike on the Al-Baqa cafe, a prominent venue along Gaza City’s coastal promenade.
An army spokesperson said that “prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians using aerial surveillance”.
“The incident is under review,” he added.
The cafe and restaurant, which had so far survived more than 20 months of war and intense bombings on the Palestinian territory, had become a gathering spot for those not displaced by the conflict.
“There’s always a lot of people at that spot, which offers drinks, spaces for families, and internet access,” said Ahmad al-Nayrab, 26, who was walking on the nearby beach when he heard a loud explosion.
Israel acknowledges Palestinian civilians harmed at Gaza aid sites, says ‘lessons learned’
“It was a massacre,” he told AFP.
“I saw bits of bodies flying everywhere, bodies mangled and burned. It was a bloodcurdling scene; everybody was screaming.”
An AFP photographer said Palestinian journalist Ismail Abu Hatab was among those killed in the strike.
Israeli restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities in the territory.
Qatar, which has mediated between Israel and Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, said on Saturday a “window of opportunity” had opened for a potential Gaza truce following a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
So far, no concrete signs of renewed talks have emerged.
‘It is killing people’: Why the UN says the new Gaza aid system is inherently unsafe
Israel launched its campaign in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Of the 251 hostages seized during the assault, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 56,531 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
The Age letters
https://www.theage.com.au/topic/the-age-letters-1rf
Israel’s wins
In the recent brief war between Israel and Iran, Israel, having recognised the existential threat posed to it by Iran’s public race towards nuclear weapons and rapidly expanding ballistic missile arsenal, destroyed Iran’s air defences and killed almost the entire upper echelon of Iran’s military, IRGC and nuclear scientists, whose purpose is the total demise of Israel. It also destroyed Iran’s air force, its defences against air attack, more than half of its missiles and missile launchers, elements of its nuclear weaponisation program, and many of the regime’s institutions of oppression.
Then the US inflicted major damage on the rest of Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities, once Israel made Iran’s skies safe for it. Israel intercepted at least 90 per cent of the hundreds of missiles and all but one of the roughly 1000 drones Iran fired at Israel. While Israel suffered some damage and deaths from Iran’s attacks on civilians, it was far less than Israel had feared. So to suggest, as Amin Saikal does, (Opinion, 1/7) that the war demonstrated Israeli miscalculation and Iranian strength simply defies belief and ignores fact.
Stephen Lazar, Elwood
Crisis in Gaza
In our lives we have seen few situations as awful as Gaza. Israel’s blockade of adequate food, water and medical supplies for several months has led to infants and children becoming severely malnourished. Desperate people seeking limited food from the only provider, which is controlled by Israel, come under lethal fire. The images cause us to recoil in horror as we observe the suffering of the hungry and frightened children, and the anguish of their parents. No history, no previous grievous acts, justifies the continuation of this abhorrent war and blockade.
Andrew & Marie Trembath, Blackburn
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
SMH Letters
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/in-the-ideal-place-to-flaunt-wealth-what-do-you-expect-20250701-p5mbjr.html
Gaza peace efforts
Thanks for the editorial (“Out of rubble of Iran, renewed hopes for a Gaza ceasefire”, July 1). While you’ve given a good overview of a complex situation, attempting to balance the horrors of the initial Hamas attack with the continuing horror of Israel’s deliberate, careless slaughter of tens of thousands of innocents, a fair balance also requires noting the deliberate use of starvation of children as a weapon of war. If this doesn’t meet the definition of genocide then that definition needs to be reviewed. Kevin Fell, Cooks Hill
By his own account, US President Donald Trump covets the Nobel Peace Prize. Like him or loathe him, brokering a ceasefire in Gaza would no doubt advance his cause. What would seal the deal is a well-thought-out plan for what happens next. At this stage only the brave or foolhardy would expect him to commit to a long-term program of reconstruction in Gaza. Tom Knowles, Parkville (VIC)
Does Trump really have any idea of what is involved in arranging a “ceasefire” as he claims he can do during this obscene Middle East war? Get the hostages home (maybe), bomb Iran (tick) and persuade Netanyahu to stop killing Palestinians (nah). Here’s an idea instead: Hamas will release the remaining hostages the moment Netanyahu steps down from the presidency and faces trial for corruption. Worth a try … Nola Tucker, Kiama
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Glastonbury is just the latest front in joyless Left’s culture war
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/glastonbury-is-just-the-latest-front-in-joyless-lefts-culture-war/news-story/60a520fa44b1e8953236ceb3d9d67b7f
Zoe Booth
One of my most vivid memories of a music festival is Australia Day, 2011. I was 16, surrounded by sweaty, chemically enhanced bodies in the Boiler Room at Sydney’s Big Day Out. I’d taken the Greyhound two hours from Newcastle and blown most of my hard-earned waitress wages on a $200 ticket and a wildly impractical outfit that consisted of short shorts and a bikini top. I can still hear my dad’s voice, his typical humour ringing through: “where’s the rest of that?”
There I was, a teenager thrilled to be playing adult, with no parents, no teachers, just music, noise and freedom. Raving to South African hip-hop duo Die Antwoord, whose transgressive style and trash-glam aesthetic mirrored South Africa’s version of our bogans. Yet despite being proud Afrikaners, no one suggested their show be boycotted or cancelled for being white “settler colonialists”.
No one mentioned apartheid or genocide, and no flags were waved, aside from the Australian flag, which often was draped around the sunburnt shoulders of a drunk girl or tattooed on to the chest of a burly bloke.
These days I’m still wearing short shorts but little else remains the same. The Australian flags are gone; you’re likelier to see a Palestinian one, but more on that later.
Big Day Out, like so many festivals, has folded.
Gone are the days of doing anything remotely fun or celebratory on January 26. In fact, gone are many festivals in general. While demand was so high that in 2011 the organisers added another show on January 27, by 2014 ticket sales had tanked and Big Day Out, like many festivals, folded. Then came the Covid pandemic, which gutted live music and the arts.
But something deeper has shifted. Even before Covid, the arts quietly were being taken over by the most joyless enforcers of the woke Left who drained everything of its fun and libertine spirit.
Take Glastonbury. Last week marked its 55th year. The festival’s founder, farmer Michael Eavis, launched it in 1970 with £1 tickets and free milk for festivalgoers. He chose Worthy Farm at Pilton – his family’s working dairy farm – as the venue, saying at the time: “There’s a kind of euphoria down here. It’s away from the awful realities of life. It’s a nice place.”
I doubt he imagined that, 55 years later, this supposed haven of peace and euphoria would become the stage for death chants and terror flags. But that’s exactly what happened.
Last weekend, punk rap duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in a chant of “Death to the IDF”. It was followed by Kneecap, a Northern Irish rap trio named after an IRA torture tactic and known for peppering its sets with anti-Israel slogans. One of Kneecap’s members recently was charged with a terror offence after waving the Hezbollah flag on stage and shouting “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah”. I can only imagine how Haim – a delightful pop trio of Jewish sisters with an Israeli father – must have felt performing alongside them.
Apologists for this reprehensible and deeply un-fun behaviour will try to tell you it’s simply about criticising Israel’s military, but don’t let them fool you; they don’t just mean the IDF. They mean Zionists: Israelis and Jews. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we saw some Ukrainian flags in the crowd but no acts shouting “Death to Russia” or “Death to the Russian army”.
Right now Glastonbury is in the spotlight but soon it will fade – replaced, no doubt, by the next controversy. And judging by the current trajectory, it’ll likely be another one where Jews are made to fear for their physical safety.
We know this isn’t new. The arts have been festering in their own ideological swamp for years. Fahad Ali – yes, the one under police investigation for tweeting “F. k sanctions, I want Zionists executed like we executed Nazis” – also was behind the 2022 Sydney Festival boycott. The crime? A $20,000 sponsorship from the Israeli embassy. He and the Palestine Justice Movement Sydney claimed, among other absurdities, that the donation made the festival unsafe for Arab and Palestinian artists.
After witnessing musicians shouting for death on stage, this looks even more ridiculous now. But as a result of their woke tantrum, more than 100 artists pulled out, 10 per cent of the program vanished and the festival banned all future foreign government sponsorship. So much for claims that the arts are underfunded. I guess these Israelophobes would prefer no art to art made with the help of dirty Israeli money.
It’s not only music and theatre. After a humble trivia night at our local pub, my fiance ended up on Sky News after we were threatened by a woke wannabe comedian turned trivia host. The moment he strutted out in a Bernie Sanders T-shirt and started ranting about everything from Elon Musk to Israel, we knew any hope of levity was gone. To make an unfunny night even worse, this Israel-obsessed trivia host took to Instagram to mock my fiance about losing family in the Holocaust.
just how ‘hateful’ the left has become
Sky News host Rita Panahi says Glastonbury has come to symbolise just how “hateful and
Since October 7, even Nazeem Hussain, one of Australia’s best-known Muslim comedians, has pivoted from jokes to lectures about white Australia and Israel.
Historically, Jews have funded and shaped the arts. Without Jewish artists such as Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Steven Spielberg, Franz Kafka and Philip Roth, we wouldn’t have the cultural backbone of modern Western art.
Jewish Australians have done the same here. Despite making up just 0.46 per cent of the population, they have contributed hundreds of millions to the arts. Frank Lowy alone has given more than $350m. Marc and Eva Besen founded the TarraWarra Museum of Art. Jeanne Pratt backed Monash’s theatre program. John Gandel funded Museums Victoria. Naomi Milgrom gave Melbourne its MPavilions. These are the names behind the National Gallery of Victoria, the Melbourne Theatre Company and more.
The Romans understood that shared public spectacles – festivals, games – built social cohesion. Events such as the Ludi Romani or Saturnalia brought everyone together across class and creed. But as Rome declined, so did Romanitas, the civic pride of being Roman.
Today, the West feels much the same: drained, brittle, ashamed of itself. What once brought us together has become yet another front in the culture war.
Zoe Booth is a content director at Quillette.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Netanyahu to visit White House as US presses for ceasefire
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/netanyahu-to-visit-white-house-as-us-presses-for-ceasefire/news-story/35e226f8f14cb98215b4c55a71e83218
Donald Trump is to host Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House for talks next Monday as the US presses for a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas.
The visit comes as the US President steps up his push on the Israeli government to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war in Gaza.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that Mr Netanyahu had “expressed interest” in a meeting with Mr Trump and that both sides were “working on a date”.
“This has been a priority for the President since he took office, to end this brutal war in Gaza,” Ms Leavitt told reporters in a briefing.
“It’s heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the President wants to see it end.”
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will also hold talks at the White House this week, after Mr Trump said he hoped for a truce in Gaza within a week, and called on Israel to “make the deal in Gaza”.
“I know that Mr Dermer is in Washington this week to meet with senior officials here at the White House,” Ms Leavitt told reporters.
Mr Netanyahu’s visit will be his third to Washington since Mr Trump returned to power in January.
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Palestinian militants seized 251 hostages during Hamas’s attack on Israel and of these, 49 are still believed to be held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
JIHADI CLERIC ‘BREACHED RACE HATE LAW’
https://todayspaper.theaustralian.com.au/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=13e4638d-e0d7-4b6d-8ad0-88e6d6e8c6fe&share=true
Court upholds complaint by nation’s peak Jewish body
James Dowling
Muslim preacher Wissam Haddad is defiant in the face of a Federal Court ruling that he knowingly breached racial hatred laws, upholding a complaint by the nation’s peak Jewish body that he broadcast anti-Semitic rhetoric to his congregation and online.
Judge Angus Stewart on Tuesday ruled that Mr Haddad had breached section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act in a series of lectures and sermons asserting that Jews were “vile” and “treacherous” people made in the month after the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks.
Mr Haddad, who legally changed his first name to William more than 20 years ago but who is also known as Abu Ousayd, was not in court as Justice Stewart presented a summary of his judgment at 12.30pm. He arrived seven minutes after the verdict against him had been announced.
“I have found that the series of lectures titled ‘The Jews of Al Madina’ conveys disparaging imputations about Jewish people, and that in all the circumstances were reasonably likely to offend, insult, humiliate and intimidate Jews in Australia,” Justice Stewart said.
“They make perverse generalisations against Jewish people as a group.
“Mr Haddad sought to justify the imputations on the basis that he was teaching tafsir, but the expert witnesses on Islamic theology from both sides agree that neither the Koran nor the Hadith teach that Jews have an inherent negative quality as a people.”
Mr Haddad or speakers at the Al Madina Dawah Centre in southwest Sydney have called Jewish people “descendants of pigs and monkeys”, recited parables about their killing, and said people should “spit” on Israel so its citizens “would drown”.
“Mr Haddad will maintain that his sermons – delivered in the context of religious instruction and based on scriptural references – were never intended to insult any group in Australia on the basis of their ethnic identity,” the cleric’s lawyer, Elias Tabchouri, said outside court on Tuesday.
“He maintains he has the right to quote religious scripture, as all parties do, the court has found he has that right. Further to that, the court has found that simply criticising what the Israeli nation has done in Gaza is not anti-Semitic, and that position has been affirmed by the court. We’ll make no further comment.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief Peter Wertheim said he would call Mr Haddad back to court for potential contempt should he breach court orders against him, saying the outcome “vindicated” community action against anti-Semitism.
“When it became evident that the responsible authorities in Australia could not, or would not, act to protect vulnerable members of our community from hate mongering, threats and violence, we decided we had no alternative but to take action ourselves so as to defend the safety and honour of our community,” he said outside court.
“That decision has been vindicated by the judgment that has just been handed down. It confirms that the days when Jewish communities and the Jewish people can be vilified and targeted, with impunity, are a thing of the past.
“This case was not about freedom of expression or religious freedom. It was about anti-Semitism and the abuse of those freedoms in order to promote anti-Semitism.
“If the 300 ancestry groups and 100 faith communities living in Australia today were all free to vilify one another in the way Mr Haddad vilified the Jewish people, the door would be wide open to chronic racial and sectarian strife of the kind that has devastated other countries, and the peace and harmony we have generally enjoyed in Australia would be ruined for everyone.
“Common decency should dictate that free speech and freedom of religion do not include the right to racially vilify other people. Common decency should tell us that that is where to draw the line.”
He said the verdict indicated current federal criminal anti-vilification laws were insufficient.
“The original proposals for prosecution were never tested. Those prosecutions were never brought,” he said.
“So we don’t know whether stronger laws are needed, but if the authorities believe that those laws were not sufficient to prosecute in a case like this, or in the case of the Opera House steps and the chanting of ‘F..k the Jews’ and much worse, then clearly the laws are in need of reform.”
Justice Stewart upheld the argument of ECAJ lawyers that Mr Haddad’s speeches were the “racist project” of a self-proclaimed “masjid (mosque) shock jock” indiscriminately targeting those of Jewish faith and ethnicity. He ordered the speeches be removed from social media and Mr Haddad pay for the cost of proceedings.
Most notably, he granted ECAJ’s application for a muzzle order on Mr Haddad that would find him in contempt of court should he racially discriminate against Jewish Australians in the future.
He ordered Mr Haddad not facilitate “words, sounds or images (being) communicated otherwise than in private, which attribute characteristics to Jewish people on the basis of their group membership and which convey any of the disparaging imputations identified as being conveyed by the lectures”.
Justice Stewart found criticism of Israel and Zionism was not inherently anti-Semitic.
Mr Haddad’s barrister, Andrew Boe, conceded last month that Mr Haddad may have been a “bad preacher” whose sermons were clumsily constructed.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
TRUMP’S BID FOR PEACE IN GAZA
https://todayspaper.theaustralian.com.au/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=109f91ad-dc02-4283-973e-848b26a8ddb1&share=true
‘President wants to see it end’: Netanyahu locked in for white house talks
Gabrielle Weiniger
Donald Trump is to host Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next Monday as the Israeli Prime Minister attempts to achieve consensus in his government over a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas.
The visit comes as the US President steps up pressure on the Israeli government to bring about an end to the war in Gaza.
The trip will be Mr Netanyahu’s third to the White House since Mr Trump returned to office in January, and it comes after the US inserted itself into Israel’s war against Iran by attacking Iranian nuclear sites. After brokering a ceasefire between the two countries, Mr Trump has signalled that he’s turning his attention to bringing a close to the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Mr Trump on Friday said “we think within the next week we’re going to get a ceasefire” in Gaza, but didn’t give a reason for his optimism.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Mr Trump and administration officials were in constant communication with the Israeli leadership.
“This has been a priority for the President since he took office, to end this brutal war in Gaza,” Ms Leavitt said. “It’s heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war, and the President wants to see it end.”
Mr Netanyahu on Tuesday met senior ministers and aides to discuss a potential ceasefire with Hamas and will reconvene his security cabinet on Thursday as he attempts to achieve a consensus among divided ministers.
In meetings on Sunday, the military told security officials it had almost completed its mission: to fully occupy the Gaza Strip and clear out the last vestiges of Palestinian militants.
The cabinet is thought to be discussing various options, including a truce with Hamas, the release of the hostages, and withdrawal of Israeli troops from much of Gaza, with the exception of defined buffer zones and corridors designed to prevent any repeat of the massacres of October 7, 2023. Full occupation of the Strip is also on the table.
Mr Trump appears to be pushing for a ceasefire and hostage deal, posting on Truth Social on Saturday: “Netanyahu is negotiating a deal with Hamas that will include the release of the hostages.” On Sunday, he added in capitals: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
On the same day, Mr Netanyahu said the war with Iran had created “opportunities” to free the hostages. Riding high on his declared success in the fight against Iran’s nuclear and missile program, the Israeli Prime Minister may see this as an ideal opportunity to strike a deal with Hamas, despite dissenting voices in his cabinet.
Ron Dermer, Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister and a Netanyahu confidant, was also expected to meet officials in the White House this week to discuss a plan for a ceasefire and a wider peace. Mr Dermer is also expected to discuss a deal that would create formal relations between Syria and Israel.
Jerusalem and Damascus have been holding discussions for months about ending hostilities between the two countries, with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar saying on Monday his country was looking to expand regional peace treaties to include Syria and Lebanon. Syria and Israel have been bitter enemies for decades and fought three major wars.
There has been no indication whether Mr Netanyahu and Mr Trump have in mind a temporary, limited ceasefire with Hamas, or whether a more permanent peace settlement is up for discussion. However, for the first time, Mr Netanyahu suggested freeing the hostages – rather than eliminating Hamas – was the primary goal.
Speaking at Shin Bet headquarters in southern Israel, he said: “First of all, to rescue the hostages. Of course, we will also have to solve the Gaza issue, to defeat Hamas, but I estimate that we will achieve both tasks.”
Mr Netanyahu’s apparent reordering of priorities comes as he weighs a new election season, his posters lining Israel’s highways. He may conclude a touted victory in Iran and the release of the hostages is a good starting point for his campaign. On Tuesday (AEST), at least 30 people were said to have been killed in an airstrike on a beachfront cafe in Gaza City. Dozens of Palestinians were killed across Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry reported, as Israel issued evacuation orders in the north and south in advance of “intensified” operations.
At least 58 people were killed, the health authorities said, including those who died in the Israeli airstrike on Al-Baqa Cafeteria, a beachfront cafe in Gaza City once used by activists and journalists. They said a further 11 Palestinians were killed while waiting for food to be distributed, the latest among 500 Gazans reported to have died this way since Israel took over control of aid distribution.
The last Gaza ceasefire was torn up in February after six weeks when Israel resumed fighting. Hamas has previously held out for a permanent end to the war, but is under pressure to either agree to a temporary truce and the release of Palestinian prisoners in return for the hostages, or watch Gaza fall to Israeli occupation once again.
The Times, AFPEditorial
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
West Bank settlers turn on Israeli military after attacking Palestinians
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/west-bank-settlers-turn-on-israeli-military-after-attacking-palestinians/news-story/ba13e3d009ff24aabe3d3e8ee26c4254
Dov Lieber
Israeli settlers attack Israeli soldiers in occupied West Bank
Israeli settlers targeted Israeli soldiers in an occupied West Bank riot.
Dow Jones
Israelis from West Bank settlements have attacked Israel’s troops and vandalised military sites in the occupied territory in recent days, after the country’s military took measures to combat assaults on Palestinians.
On Sunday night, a demonstration outside a military installation in the West Bank turned violent with some Israeli civilians attacking security forces, including with pepper spray, the Israeli military said. They also damaged military vehicles and set fire to an electronic installation the army said was used to maintain security in the area.
Video from the scene showed demonstrators holding signs calling a local military commander “a traitor.” This followed an incident on Friday where Israeli troops enforcing a closed military zone outside a recently attacked Palestinian village were ambushed by dozens of Israeli civilians who hurled stones and physically assaulted them, including the battalion commander, according to the military. During the altercation, a teenager among the group attacking the Israeli troops was injured.
The incidents highlight the lack of law and order that has pervaded the West Bank in recent years, as Israelis associated with settlements have frequently attacked Palestinians, often without consequences, and sometimes clashed with Israeli security forces.
The Israeli attackers on Sunday spray-painted “revenge” on the military site, something they often scrawl when committing attacks against Palestinians.
Israel’s government includes far-right lawmakers and ministers who often express sympathy for Israelis who attack Palestinians, but the recent attacks on Israeli security forces received broad condemnation, including from the far right.
“Attacking the security forces, security facilities, and Israeli soldiers who are our brothers, our protectors, is a red line, and must be dealt with the utmost severity,” Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right minister for national security, wrote on X.
Daily raids in occupied West Bank conducted to make life ‘miserable’
Since October 7, Israel’s arrests in the West Bank aim to push out Palestinian youth.
The recent attacks on Palestinian villages went uncondemned by senior Israeli figures.
These include an attack Wednesday night by dozens of Israeli civilians in the village of Kafr Malik, located in the southern West Bank near Ramallah, according to Israeli, Palestinian and United Nations officials.
The Israeli attackers set fire to property in the village, according to Israeli and Palestinian authorities. When an altercation broke out, the army intervened and opened fire on Palestinians who threw stones and shot at troops, according to the military.
Three Palestinians were killed during the incident, according to the U.N. Israel’s military said it detained five Israeli suspects.
Palestinians and rights groups have long complained that Israelis have been able to carry out attacks on Palestinians and that they haven’t had protection from the Israeli military, whose soldiers are sometimes present during the attacks.
Many areas of the West Bank are off-limits to Palestinian security forces, and Israel’s military is charged with protecting civilians there.
Israeli military officials say they try to prevent attacks against Palestinians but are constrained by a lack of resources.
Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians and most of the world say the territory is occupied by Israel and Israeli settlements there are illegal. Israel considers the West Bank to be disputed territory and most of the settlements to be legal.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Charities call for end to deadly new Gaza aid system
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9005968/charities-call-for-end-to-deadly-new-gaza-aid-system/
By Olivia Le Poidevin
More than 170 non-governmental organisations are calling for a US- and Israeli-backed food aid distribution scheme in Gaza to be dismantled over concerns it is putting civilians at risk of death and injury.
More than 500 people have been killed in mass shootings near aid distribution centres or transport routes guarded by Israeli forces since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operating in late May, according to medical authorities in Gaza.
The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get supplies into Gaza, largely bypassing a UN-led system that Israel says had let militants divert aid.
The United Nations has called the plan “inherently unsafe” and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules.
As of early afternoon in Geneva on Tuesday, where the joint declaration was released, 171 charities had signed onto the call for countries to press Israel to halt the GHF scheme and reinstate aid co-ordinated through the United Nations.
“Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families,” the statement said.
Groups signing it included Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Amnesty International.
In a response, the GHF told Reuters it had delivered more than 52 million meals in five weeks and said other humanitarian groups had “nearly all of their aid looted”.
“Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza,” the GHF told Reuters.
The NGOs accused the GHF of forcing hungry and weak people to trek for hours, sometimes through active conflict zones, to receive food aid.
The Israeli military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians have been harmed at aid distribution centres in the Gaza Strip, saying Israeli forces had been issued new instructions following what it called “lessons learned”.
Israel has repeatedly said its forces operate near the centres in order to prevent the aid from falling into the hands of Palestinian Hamas militants.
Australian Associated Press
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Letters Canberra Times
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9004790/act-governments-health-levy-a-tax-on-another-tax/
Where is moral clarity?
The anti-Israel chants at the Glastonbury music festival were offensive. Nobody would question that. And politicians, police, and festival organisers have lined up to condemn them.
But meanwhile, in Gaza, people are being killed while queuing for food. Aid workers and journalists have been targeted again and again.
None of this is to excuse hate speech. But we should ask: “Why do chants at a concert provoke more political energy and moral clarity than the killing of besieged, starving civilians?”
Surely we can hold both actions to account?
Fernanda Trecenti, Fitzroy, Vic
TO THE POINT
A TOUGH CALL
Mokhles Sidden asks why Israel’s vaunted intelligence services can’t locate the hostages (Letters, June 26). They probably do know where the hostages are. But they also know the hostages are surrounded by Hamas terrorists who will murder them if Israeli soldiers approach.
R Webb, Griffith
IRANIANS ARE VICTIMS
I feel for the Iranian people who have been lied to and brainwashed by their government. Iran’s leaders have been living in a fantasy land. They got trounced in 12 days, and now the innocents are paying the price. Those egotistical maniacs shouldn’t be trusted to man a zebra crossing.
Des Parkin, Norseman, WA
WHO’S ON FIRST?
The place that some call Israel, others call Palestine and some call the Levant was settled by homo erectus about a million years ago. Homo sapiens arrived about 100,000 years ago and the Hebrews about 3500 years ago. No religion or tribe can claim it is exclusively theirs. There will be no enduring peace until it becomes a secular democracy.
Israeli bombardment in Gaza kills 58 people in one day
ABC / Reuters | 1 July 2025
A beachfront cafe and four schools were among the targets struck as Israel intensified its latest campaign against Hamas in Gaza, killing at least 58 people on Monday alone.
The strikes came as Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid joined a growing chorus inside and outside of Israel calling for the war to end.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump urged an end to the 20-month-old war and for the return of the remaining hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House on July 7 for talks with Mr Trump, according to two US administration officials.
Mr Netanyahu’s visit comes after Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer’s visit to Washington this week for talks with senior administration officials on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran and possible wider regional diplomatic deals.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued evacuation orders on Monday to residents in large districts in the northern Gaza Strip, forcing a new wave of displacement.
Israeli tanks pushed into the eastern areas of Zeitoun suburb in Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north.
Aircraft also bombed at least four schools after the Israeli military warned hundreds of families sheltering inside to leave, residents said.
Salah, 60, a father of five children in Gaza City, told Reuters he felt the bombardment “never stopped”.
“They bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes.”
“In the news we hear a ceasefire is near, on the ground we see death and we hear explosions.”
It is the latest offensive of the 20-month war, which started when Hamas militants entered Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking a further 251 hostage.
Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Fighting in the enclave has displaced almost 2.3 million people and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
Beachfront cafe among targets
Authorities in the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said that of the 58 people killed, 10 of them were in the town of Zeitoun and at least 13 killed south-west of Gaza City.
Medics said most of the 13 were hit by gunfire, but residents also reported an air strike.
Twenty people, including women, children and a local journalist were killed in an Israeli air strike on a beachfront cafe in Gaza City, medics said.
The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate said more than 220 journalists had been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023.
The Israeli military said it struck militant targets in northern Gaza, including command and control centres, after taking steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians.
There was no immediate word from Israel on the reported casualties south-west of the Gaza Strip and the beachfront cafe.
It also followed intense bombardment on Sunday, in which 27 people were killed.
Israel has warned residents in vast areas of Gaza’s north to evacuate in recent days, as it steps up military operations in the territory following the ceasefire with Iran last week.
IDF says ‘lessons learned’ after aid deaths
The Israeli military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians were harmed at aid distribution centres in Gaza, saying that instructions had been issued to forces following “lessons learned”.
Since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing limited United Nations aid deliveries to resume, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.
A military spokesperson said incidents in which Gazans were harmed were under review.
In a post on X, the IDF said it was making changes which “aim to ensure safe civilian passage, orderly aid distribution, and the continuity of IDF operations”.
“The IDF is conducting ongoing assessments to improve operational response, minimise friction with the population, and ensure aid reaches its intended recipients and not Hamas,” it said.
It follows Israel’s military decision last week to launch a probe into deaths near aid sites, which have occurred with increased frequency and lethality since the US-backed organisation Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) took over the distribution of aid in Gaza.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that GHF’s operation in Gaza is “inherently unsafe,” and was “killing people”.
Netanyahu aide in White House visit
Israel’s strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer, a confidant of Mr Netanyahu’s, was expected on Monday at the White House for talks on Iran and Gaza, an Israeli official said.
The meeting in Washington DC came a day after the US president called for Israel and Hamas to “make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back”.
In Israel, the prime minister’s security cabinet was expected to convene to discuss the next steps in Gaza.
High-profile members of the Israeli government have appeared more willing to contemplate a potential ceasefire in Gaza in recent days.
On Friday, Israel’s military chief said the present ground operation was close to having achieved its goals.
On Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said new opportunities had opened up for recovering the hostages, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive.
Qatar and Egypt, who are both mediating negotiations between Hamas and Israel, also appeared willing to capitalise on the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Palestinian and Egyptian sources with knowledge of the latest ceasefire efforts said that Qatar and Egypt have stepped up their contacts with the two warring sides, but that no date has been set yet for a new round of truce talks.
Israeli opposition leader calls for war to end
On Monday, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid became the latest public figure to advocate for an end to the war, which has been raging for 20 months.
He joins Mr Trump as well as Israeli ex-prime minister Naftali Bennett in pressing Mr Netanyahu to find an off-ramp in the fight with Hamas.
“There is no longer any benefit for the State of Israel from continuing the war in Gaza. Only damage on the security, political and economic level,” Mr Lapid told a meeting of lawmakers from his parliamentary group.
Mr Lapid said Arab countries such as Egypt should be engaged to find a way to loosen Hamas’s grip of the Palestinian enclave.
“Hamas will not be eliminated as long as an alternative government is not brought into Gaza,” he said.
A public opinion poll published the day after Tuesday’s ceasefire with Iran by public broadcaster Kan showed that nearly two-thirds of respondents wanted the Gaza war to end.
++++++
Trump calls for hostage ‘deal’ in Gaza as Israel intensifies assault
ABC / Reuters, AFP | 30 June 2025
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-30/gaza-israel-trump-deal-hostages-gunfire/105475138
Israel’s military has issued fresh evacuation notices for parts of Gaza, heralding a new operation in the Palestinian enclave against Hamas, as it carried out further strikes on Sunday.
It came as US President Donald Trump called for Israel and Hamas to “make a deal” in Gaza to see the return of remaining hostages kidnapped by Hamas after the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said the ceasefire between Israel and Iran created “opportunities” for the release of hostages in Gaza.
Israel has been conducting a campaign in Gaza since Hamas’s attack, which killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and took a further 251 hostage.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s military assault in Gaza has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.
Gaza’s civil defence agency, which is run by militant group Hamas, said Israeli air strikes and gunfire killed 23 people in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory on Sunday, including at least three children.
The Israeli military told news agency AFP it was not able to comment on the reported incidents but said it was fighting “to dismantle Hamas military capabilities”.
In a statement posted on X and text messages sent to many residents, Israel’s military urged people in northern parts of the enclave to head south towards the city of Khan Younis, which Israel designated as a humanitarian area.
“The [Israel] Defense Forces is operating with extreme force in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city centre to destroy the capabilities of terrorist organisations,” the military said.
The evacuation order covered the Jabalia area and most Gaza City districts.
‘End this occupation’
Medics and residents said the Israeli army’s bombardments escalated in the early hours in Jabalia, destroying several houses and killing at least six people.
In Khan Younis in the south, five people were killed in an air strike on a tent encampment near Mawasi, medics said.
At least 12 other people were killed in separate Israeli military strikes and gunfire across the enclave, taking Sunday’s death toll to at least 23, medics said.
At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, relatives arrived to pay their respects to white-shrouded bodies before they were buried.
“A month ago, they [Israel] told us to go to Al-Mawasi [in Khan Younis] and we stayed there for a month, it is a safe zone,” Zeyad Abu Marouf said.
He said three of his children were killed and a fourth was wounded in the Israeli air strike.
“We ask God and the Arabs to move and end this occupation and the injustice taking place against us,” Abu Marouf told Reuters.
Israel’s military also said in a statement that a 20-year-old soldier was killed “during combat in the northern Gaza Strip”.
Ceasefire push
Amid the ongoing fighting, there has been a renewed diplomatic push to bring an end to violence in Gaza.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump joined the ranks of those calling for a diplomatic end to the war.
“Make the deal in Gaza, get the hostages back,” Mr Trump posted on Truth Social.
Later on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said his country’s “victory” over Iran in their 12-day war had created “opportunities”, including for freeing Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
“Many opportunities have opened up now following this victory. First of all, to rescue the hostages,” the Israeli prime minister said.
“Of course, we will also have to solve the Gaza issue, to defeat Hamas, but I estimate that we will achieve both goals.”
Hamas has said it was willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, only in a deal that will end the war.
The Israeli government has maintained it can only end the war if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.
Arab mediators Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, are pushing a new ceasefire effort to halt the 20-month-old conflict and secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages still being held by Hamas.
++++++
Trump escalates his push for Gaza deal
The Age (& Sydney Morning Herald) / AP | Tia Goldenberg | 1 July 2025
US President Donald Trump has pushed again for Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire in the 21-month war in Gaza, as the Israeli military ordered the mass evacuation of swaths of northern Gaza and looked to escalate attacks into Gaza City.
“Make The Deal In Gaza. Get The Hostages Back!!!” Trump wrote on social media a day after criticising legal proceedings against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is on trial for alleged corruption, calling them “a Political Witch Hunt”.
Trump had raised expectations on Friday for a deal, saying there could be an agreement within a week.
Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Netanyahu, was set to travel to Washington this week for talks on a ceasefire, an Israeli official said, and plans were being made for Netanyahu to travel there in the coming weeks, a sign there may be movement on a deal. Netanyahu was to meet his security cabinet yesterday, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Trump has repeatedly called for Israel and Hamas to end the war. An eight-week ceasefire was reached just as he took office earlier this year, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on the next steps.
Some Palestinians greeted the possibility of a new truce with scepticism, having watched the previous ceasefire shatter.
“Since the beginning of the war, they have been promising us something like this: release the hostages, and we will stop the war,” Abdel Hadi Al-Hour said. “They did not stop the war.”
The new evacuation orders in northern Gaza cover neighbour hoods in eastern and northern Gaza City, as well as the Jabaliya refugee camp. Northern Gaza is home to hundreds of thousands of people who returned during the ceasefire earlier this year.
An Israeli military offensive aims to move Palestinians to southern Gaza so forces can more freely operate to combat militants. Rights groups say this would amount to forcible displacement.
Colonel Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, posted the order on social media and said the military would expand its escalating attacks westward to the city’s centre, calling for people to move towards the Muwasi area in southern Gaza. Talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over a major sticking point whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire agreement.
Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi accused Netanyahu of stalling progress on a deal, saying on social media that the Israeli leader insisted on a temporary agreement that would free just 10 of the hostages. About 50 hostages remain, with fewer than half believed to be alive.
Netanyahu spokesperson Omer Dostri said that “Hamas was the only obstacle to ending the war”, without addressing Merdawi’s claim.
During a visit on the week end to Israel’s internal security service, Shin Bet, Netanyahu said the Israel-Iran war and subsequent ceasefire had opened many opportunities: “First of all, to rescue the hostages. Of course, we will also have to solve the Gaza issue, to defeat Hamas, but I estimate that we will achieve both tasks.”
Hamas says it is willing to free all the hostages in exchange for a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and an end to the war in Gaza. Israel rejects that offer, saying it will agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and goes into exile, something the group refuses.
The war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on south ern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which militants killed 1200 people and took about 250 hostages.
Gaza’s Health Ministry on Sunday said another 88 people had been killed by Israeli fire over the previous 24 hours, raising the war’s toll among Palestinians to 56,500. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas government, doesn’t distinguish between militants and civilians in its count, but it says more than half of the dead are women and children.
The war has displaced most of Gaza’s population, often several times, obliterated much of the territory’s urban landscape and left people overwhelmingly reliant on outside aid, which Israel has limited since the end of the latest ceasefire.
Fewer than half of Gaza’s hospitals are even partly functional, and more than 4000 children need medical evacuation abroad, a new United Nations humanitarian assessment says. “We are exhausted, we are tired. We hope to God that the war will end,” said one Palestinian, Mahmoud Wadi.
++++++
Netanyahu’s miscalculation of Iran will echo for years
The Age (& Sydney Morning Herald) | Amin Saikal | 1 July 2025
Though a peace deal has been struck between Israel and Iran, the ceasefire still hangs precariously in the balance.
Worse for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally, the war has proven to be a grave miscalculation that will linger in the memories of Israelis and Americans for years to come. First, it gave Iran the opportunity to show its retaliatory strength to the world. Second, it revealed Israel’s vulnerability and utter dependence on the United States.
Initially, the US and Israel appeared to be in lockstep, with the president and prime minister showering praise on each other following the US airstrikes.
If the US had joined Israel’s campaign against Iran in full, it would have been a major victory for Netanyahu. But within days, Donald Trump was telling global media that the US had entered the war to “save Israel”, and was savaging the Israeli Defence Forces for breaking the ceasefire, telling reporters that neither Iran nor Israel “know what the f— they’re doing”.
Yet any embarrassment caused to Netanyahu by Trump’s claims of victory in Iran will now have been balanced by him declaring Netanyahu a great wartime leader, and calling on the Israeli judiciary to drop their bribery and fraud charges against the prime minister.
For much of his political career, Netanyahu has viewed his personal ambitions and Israel’s security through the prism of conflict rather than peace. Historically, his idea of “peace through strength” has meant hitting opponents hard and forcing peace on his terms.
And while Netanyahu would have always expected the US to enter the conflict because Israel is unable to do the heavy lifting alone, dragging into the fray a president whose aversion to international conflict was a selling point to many American voters has placed Trump in a quandary: whether to keep his election promise of not involving the United States in another endless Middle East war, given America’s Iraq and Afghanistan fiascos, or to back Israel in its moment of need.
But where Netanyahu expected a relatively sharp and swift victory, to which Israel has been accustomed, Tehran was able to make maximum use of its missile and drone arsenals, and rely on the Iranian people’s love of their country, to rally behind the government of the day – no matter whether popular or not – in the face of foreign aggression.
Whatever the future, the war has changed the dynamics for both Israel and Iran. It has also impacted many of Trump’s key supporters’ view of Israel, with leading MAGA ideologue Steve Bannon going so far as to label the Jewish state as America’s “protectorate”.
Another blow for Israel was Trump lifting sanctions on Iran to allow it to sell oil to China. As the president later explained, “They just had a war … They fought it bravely … They’re going to need money to put that country back into shape. We want to see that happen.”
Though Trump offered to lift all sanctions in exchange for Iran’s “total surrender”, Tehran has rejected the call and banned the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency from visiting Iran.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s passion to get rid of Iran’s Islamic regime remains, as does his vision of a “greater Israel”, whereby it is the only nuclear armed state in the region.
With Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz having ordered the IDF to break the ceasefire when needed and Iran vowing to re build its nuclear capability, it’s clear that neither side is truly content with what has been achieved.
Though the US did come to Israel’s aid, Netanyahu’s expectations of the US ultimately fell short. Netanyahu was keen to see the US join Israel’s campaign with sustained American firepower so that Iran was dis abled totally from its missile and drone capability. This would mean the Islamic regime could be brought to its knees, opening the way for regime change. The regime has not only survived, but revels in what it also claims to be a “victory”.
With the war in Gaza continuing, the little spark that the war with Iran brought to Netanyahu has already dissipated.
Amin Saikal is emeritus pro fessor at the ANU; adjunct pro fessor at University of Western Australia; Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Fellow at Victoria University; and author of Iran Rising: The survival and future of the Islamic Republic.
++++++
Out of rubble of Iran, renewed hopes for a Gaza ceasefire
Sydney Morning Herald | Editorial | 1 July 2025
Without being too rosy-eyed, the possibility of a new cease f ire in Gaza looks the best it has since death took a brief holiday in January when US President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
That ceasefire collapsed after just two months, and it was back to war as usual following the murderous Hamas raid of October 7, 2023, in which some 1200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages. Horror has piled upon horror for most of the 20 months since, with kidnapped Israelis used as pawns and Israel killing nearly 100,000 Palestinians.
Now basking in the glory of bringing an end to Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, Trump has taken the opportunity to push again for Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire. He has hinted at an agreement this week, when an adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to arrive in Washington for ceasefire talks. There are also plans for Netanyahu to visit the US soon.
Trump also appears to be calming legal storms buffeting Netanyahu by linking US aid to Israel with the prime minister’s corruption trial, after a court rejected his request last week for a delay while he negotiated the fallout from the conflict with Iran.
Netanyahu made a latter-day political career out of waging a war on Gaza that polarised many of his fellow Israelis. But the US bombing strikes on Iranian nuclear sites have turned the Israeli leader into a good guy at home for many, and his improved poll ratings have certainly afforded him a better shot at re-election.
Consequently, there are renewed hopes in some quarters that Netanyahu has won new flexibility on seeking a Gaza resolution.
A ceasefire in Gaza is long overdue and much needed. The obscenity of the initial Hamas raid has been countered by remorseless Israeli attacks on in nocent civilians, and the more recent footage showing the aftermath of Palestinians killed or wounded by gunfire, tanks and airstrikes, some while desperately waiting at aid distribution points.
Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can end only if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms. And Israel is continuing air strikes on Gaza.
But there is hope among families of hostages that Trump’s involvement in securing the recent ceasefire between Israel and Iran might lead to more pressure for a deal in Gaza. Of course, as is often the case with Trump, he speaks with a forked tongue, a habit that makes it difficult for anyone to place much faith in his multitudinous pronouncements, such as spruiking bleach to treat COVID-19, promising to end Middle East and Ukraine conflicts, and imposing tariffs.
But the US attack on Iran has certainly given him skin in the Middle East war game. Many may not like to admit it, but should he engineer a Gaza ceasefire, it would be another coup for Trump.
++++++
Bibi turns attention to Gaza hostages
The Australian / Wall Street Journal | Angus Berwick | 1 July 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country’s recent war with Iran had created “opportunities” for freeing hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza, where witnesses and rescuers reported more than 30 people killed on Sunday.
His comments lifted hope for a new ceasefire in the devastating conflict in the Palestinian territory, after US President Donald Trump said he hoped a truce could be sealed within days.
Israel is bombarding Gaza in a bid to destroy the Hamas militant group after its deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.
Mr Netanyahu said that after Israel’s recent “victory” over Iran in their 12-day war, “many opportunities have opened up … first of all, to rescue the hostages”.
“Of course, we will also have to solve the Gaza issue, to defeat Hamas, but I estimate that we will achieve both goals,” he said.
Following the war that ended with a ceasefire on June 24, domestic and diplomatic pressure has risen on Mr Netanyahu to also secure a halt to the fighting in Gaza.
Posting on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Mr Trump weighed in, writing: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
The US President had said on Friday he hoped for a new ceasefire “within the next week”.
While Israel and the US were bombing Iran’s nuclear sites, another battlefield emerged behind the scenes: the financial infrastructure that keeps Tehran connected to the world.
Israeli authorities, and a pro-Israeli hacking group called Predatory Sparrow, targeted financial organisations Iranians use to move money and sidestep the US-led economic blockade, according to Israeli officials and other sources. US sanctions, imposed off and on for decades due to Tehran’s nuclear program and support for Islamist groups, have aimed to cut Iran off from the international financial system.
Predatory Sparrow, which operates anonymously and posts updates of its activities on X, said it had crippled Iran’s state-owned Bank Sepah, which services Iran’s armed forces and helps them pay suppliers abroad, knocking out its online banking services and cash machines. Iranian state media acknowledged the damage.
The group also breached Nobitex, Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, popular with locals for transferring money overseas. The hackers extracted about $US100m ($152.7m) in funds and forced the platform to shut down, according to the exchange.
Iran’s government pulled the plug on much of the country’s online activities to prevent further attacks and keep a lid on dissent. Non-Iranian websites were blocked. Citizens were warned against using foreign phones or messaging platforms the government claimed could collect audio and location data for Israeli spies. Government officials were banned from using laptops and smartwatches.
Predatory Sparrow said the two hacks were directed against the “financial lifelines” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the most powerful faction of Iran’s military that also controls swathes of the economy. “Noble people of Iran! Withdraw your funds before it is too late,” it tweeted.
Both targeted companies remain hobbled. Nobitex said it faced serious challenges in restoring services and was aiming to relaunch trading this week. Some Bank Sepah users have posted online saying they still aren’t receiving deposits. Predatory Sparrow did not say if it was acting on behalf of Israeli authorities.
“The group’s sophistication, target selection and geopolitical messaging fit the profile of an Israel-aligned, state-sponsored cyber actor,” said Deddy Lavid, chief executive of Cyvers, a Tel Aviv-based cybersecurity firm.
Predatory Sparrow did not respond to requests for comment sent to the administrator of its Telegram group.
++++++
Radical rabble
The Australian | Letters | 1 July 2025
While Israel fights for its existence and the IDF contends with terrorists on several fronts, an indulgent mob at the Glastonbury music festival wave Palestinian flags and chant “death to the IDF”. There are dozens of wars currently taking place across Africa and the Middle East. However, these stunts, under the guise of free speech, are only directed at Israel.
Why? This radical chic lot should embrace a journey of political exploration and discovery.
Perhaps a revolutionary Long March through the Middle East will enlighten them with a few lightbulb moments: music festivals like Glastonbury, diversity and democracy (and other freedoms) only exist in Israel. Israel and the IDF have been doing the heavy lifting against terrorism while the chanting throng shame themselves. They should be very careful about biting the hand that feeds them.
Glenn Marchant, Pascoe Vale, Vic
++++++
Heavy-handed response
Daily Telegraph | Letters | 1 July 2025
Aided by Trump’s bombing, Israeli PM Netanyahu has succeeded in further exposing and repressing Iran, a totalitarian regime loathed by many of its people.
Nevertheless, the cost in the fraught Middle East has been harrowing, especially in the tragedy that is Gaza.
Daily, we see sickening pictures of starving children fighting among themselves for food in that battered territory.
Israel had no choice but to respond to the murderous Hamas attacks of October 7 which initiated the Gaza conflict but Netanyahu’s politically motivated reluctance to let enough food be delivered reveals a disturbing and needless revenge mentality.
The consequences of his excessive response will be more people dying, fighting for survival and fleeing, widespread horror by democratic allies of Israel, and an increase everywhere in anti-Semitism. Lamentably, there is no end in sight.
Ron Sinclair, Windradyne
++++++
Israel acknowledges civilians harmed at Gaza aid sites
Canberra Times / AAP | 1 July 2025
The Israeli military has acknowledged that Palestinian civilians were harmed at aid distribution centres in the Gaza Strip, saying that instructions have been issued to forces following “lessons learned”.
Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on the enclave on May 19, allowing limited United Nations deliveries to resume, the UN says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking handouts of aid.
“Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted in the Southern Command and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
It said incidents in which Gaza Strip civilians were harmed were under review.
A senior UN official said on Sunday that the majority of people killed were trying to reach aid distribution sites of the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The GHF began distributing food packages in the Gaza Strip at the end of May, overseeing a new model of deliveries which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral.
But many Gazans say they have to walk for hours to reach the sites, meaning they must start travelling well before dawn if they are to stand any chance of receiving food.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that a US-backed aid operation in Gaza is “inherently unsafe,” adding: “It is killing people.”
Israel and the United States want the UN to work through the GHF but the world body has refused, questioning its neutrality and accusing the distribution model of militarising aid and forcing displacement.
“Any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarised zones is inherently unsafe. It is killing people,” Guterres told reporters.
Responding to Guterres on Friday, Israel’s foreign ministry said its military never targets civilians and accused the UN of “doing everything it can” to oppose the GHF aid operation.
“In doing so, the UN is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF’s humanitarian operations,” it posted on X.
A GHF spokesperson said on Friday there had been no deaths at or near any of the GHF aid distribution sites.
Israel and the United States have accused Hamas of stealing aid from the UN-led operations, which the Palestinian militants deny.
The war erupted after Hamas-led militants in the Gaza Strip took 251 hostages and killed 1200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023 attack, Israel’s single deadliest day.
Israel’s military campaign has since killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in the Gaza Strip, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.
++++++
Israel launches waves of Gaza airstrikes after new displacement orders
Scores of Palestinians reported killed as senior Netanyahu adviser due to arrive in Washington for ceasefire talks
The Guardian / Reuters, AFP | Jason Burke & Malak A Tantesh | 1 July 2025
Israel ramped up its offensive in Gaza on Monday, with new displacement orders sending tens of thousands of people fleeing the north of the devastated territory and waves of airstrikes killing about 60 Palestinians, according to local officials and medical staff.
The violence in Gaza came as a senior adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, was due to arrive in Washington for talks on a new ceasefire, a day after Donald Trump called in a social media post for a deal to end the 20-month war and free 50 hostages held by Hamas.
Ron Dermer, the strategic affairs minister and a close confidant of Netanyahu, is expected to meet senior US officials to discuss ongoing indirect negotiations with Hamas, the aftermath of Israel’s war against Iran and the possibility of regional diplomatic deals.
An Israeli government spokesperson told reporters on Monday that Netanyahu was working to end the war in Gaza “as soon as possible” through the release of the hostages, of whom more than half are thought to be dead, and the defeat of Hamas. A US official said Netanyahu would travel to the US on 7 July to meet Donald Trump.
The new “evacuation orders” warned of impending assaults around densely populated Gaza City and told Palestinians to head south to overcrowded coastal zones, where there are few facilities and limited water. About 80% of Gaza is now covered by such orders or controlled by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The orders also said that the IDF planned to advance into the centre of Gaza City to fight Hamas militants based there.
On Monday, Israeli tanks and infantry pushed into the Zeitoun neighbourhood on the eastern edge of Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north, while aircraft bombed at least four schools after ordering hundreds of families sheltering inside to leave, residents said.
“Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes,” said Salah, 60, from Gaza City. “In the news we hear a ceasefire is near; on the ground we see death and we hear explosions.”
In the afternoon, an airstrike hit a crowded cafe on the shore in Gaza City, killing at least 22 people, including women, children and a local journalist.
The IDF said it struck militant targets in northern Gaza, including command and control centres, after taking steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians.
Analysts have detected changes in the rhetoric of senior Israeli officials in recent days, which may suggest a new ceasefire is now being considered.
Throughout the conflict, Israeli attacks have intensified at significant moments in negotiations. Israeli officials have said one aim of Israel’s latest offensive, which was launched in May after the breakdown of a two-month ceasefire in March, was to seize territory that could later be given up during talks as a “bargaining chip”.
On Friday, Eyal Zamir, the IDF chief of staff, said the offensive was close to having achieved its goals. Netanyahu has also reinforced his political position within Israel and so is better placed to ignore threats by right-wing coalition allies to withdraw support in the event of a deal with Hamas.
A deal remains difficult though, officials close to the negotiations said, with both Israel and Hamas sticking to previous incompatible positions.
Hamas is demanding that Israel agrees to a definitive end to the war and is refusing to disarm. Israel refuses Hamas demands to withdraw entirely from Gaza and says it will end its campaign only when the militant organisation has given up its weapons and its leaders have agreed to leave the territory.
Yair Lapid, the Israeli opposition leader, on Monday added his voice to those in Israel calling for an end to the war in Gaza.
“There is no longer any benefit for the state of Israel from continuing the war in Gaza. Only damage on the security, political and economic level,” Lapid told a meeting of parliamentarians. “The army has no more objectives in Gaza.”
A public opinion poll published the day after Tuesday’s ceasefire with Iran by public broadcaster Kan showed that nearly two-thirds of respondents wanted the Gaza war to end. The result was in line with dozens of similar polls in recent months. Israel’s military has suffered significant casualties this month, which has added to the public pressure for a deal.
Nasser hospital in Khan Younis said on Monday it had received the bodies of 11 people who were shot while returning from an aid site associated with the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund in southern Gaza, Ten others were killed at a United Nations aid warehouse in northern Gaza, according to the health ministry.
The Israeli military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians had been harmed as they sought food from distribution centres in Gaza and other locations, saying that instructions had been issued to forces after “lessons learned”.
Food, fuel and other basics are scarce in Gaza, with distributions by the GHF coming nowhere close to meeting the needs of 2.3 million people.
Israel says Hamas steals aid to finance military and other operations. The group denies that accusation and aid agencies say their monitoring systems are robust.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.
Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,500 Palestinians, mostly civilians, displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population and reduced much of the territory to rubble.
++++++
Benjamin Netanyahu corruption trial delayed on diplomatic and security grounds
The Israeli court’s decision to cancel this week’s hearing in the long-running trial came after Donald Trump said the case should be thrown out
The Guardian / Reuters, AFP | 30 June 2025
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/30/benjamin-netanyahu-corruption-trial-delayed-ntwnfb
An Israeli court has cancelled this week’s hearings in Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-running corruption trial, accepting a request made by the prime minister on classified diplomatic and security grounds.
“Following the explanations given … we partially accept the request and cancel at this stage Mr Netanyahu’s hearings scheduled” for this week, the Jerusalem district court said in its ruling, published online by Netanyahu’s Likud party.
The ruling said that new reasons provided by Netanyahu, the head of Israel’s spy agency the Mossad and the military intelligence chief justified cancelling the hearings.
It comes after Donald Trump last week called for the case to be thrown out. In remarks on social media, the US president suggested the trial could interfere with Netanyahu’s ability to join negotiations with the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Iran, adding that the US was “not going to stand” for the continued prosecution, prompting Netanyahu to thank him in a message on X.
In a social media post, Trump described the case against the Israeli premier as a “witch hunt”, saying the trial “should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero”.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – all of which he denies. He has cast the trial against him as an orchestrated leftwing witch-hunt meant to topple a democratically elected right-wing leader.
In one of the cases, he and his wife, Sara, are accused of accepting more than $260,000 worth of luxury goods such as cigars, jewellery and champagne from billionaires in exchange for political favours.
In two others, Netanyahu is accused of attempting to negotiate more favourable coverage from two Israeli media outlets. The prime minister has requested multiple postponements to the trial since it began in May 2020.
Netanyahu’s lawyers had asked the court to excuse him from testifying over the next two weeks so he could focus on security issues after a ceasefire with Iran and amid ongoing fighting in Gaza where Israeli hostages are held.
They submitted the prime minister’s schedule to the court to demonstrate “the national need for the prime minister to devote all his time and energy to the political, national and security issues at hand”.
The court initially rejected the lawyers’ request, but said in its ruling on Sunday that it had changed its judgment after hearing arguments from the prime minister and other senior officials.
A spokesperson for the Israeli prosecution declined to comment on Trump’s post.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said last week that Trump “should not interfere in a judicial trial in an independent country”.
Trump said Netanyahu was “right now” negotiating a deal with Hamas, though neither leader provided details, and officials from both sides have voiced scepticism over prospects for a ceasefire soon.
On Friday, the Republican president told reporters he believed a ceasefire was close.
What’s On around Naarm/Melbourne & Regional Victoria: June 30-July 6, 2025
With thanks to the dedicated activists at Friends of the Earth Melbourne!
.
.
See also these Palestine events listings from around the country: