Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council

The security cabinet of 1967 appears in these never-published transcripts as a group of serious, professional and responsible decision-makers. While the ministers brought their worldviews to the table, they often didn't vote on party lines, often did listen to one another, and generally managed to m

On March 12, 2017, Ahmed Daqamseh, the Jordanian soldier who had murdered seven Israeli schoolgirls in 1997, was released from prison... When he spoke to the media in his village, he justified the massacre he committed, calling Israelis "human waste."

The Nigerian Government this month declared the Iranian-sponsored Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) a security threat. The Nigerian network is similar to other welfare systems established by Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed groups. It boasts more than 300 schools, Islamic centres, a newspaper, gua

Since taking office in 2009, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has often been criticised in the media for supposedly not doing enough to promote peace with the Palestinians and ultimately being responsible for the lack of progress in the peace process. However, in recent days, new reports i

Whilst Israel has long bemoaned its scarcity of natural resources, now, for the first time in its almost 70 years of existence, Israel has quietly begun exporting natural gas to other countries.

ABC TV "Lateline" host Tony Jones scored a real coup in securing a twenty minute interview with visiting Jordanian King Abdullah II. Although the conversation was conducted in English, they may as well have been speaking a different language, with Jones exhibiting a shallow understanding of the regi

Arab leaders from around the world sent condolences and envoys to the funeral of former Israeli President and PM Shimon Peres, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also attending to pay his respects. Abbas shook hands with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the event. It was the first time the

Former Israeli Prime Minister and President Shimon Peres' funeral in Jerusalem on Friday, September 30 was attended by world leaders past and present, including US President Barack Obama, former US President Bill Clinton and Britain's Prince Charles.

AIJAC very much welcomes Australia's vote against the proposed Jordanian-sponsored UN Security Council resolution last week because that proposal was a clear step backward for the the long-standing bipartisan Australian policy goal of a negotiated two-state Israeli-Palestinian peace...

In the midst of the tragic events of recent weeks in Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke at a conference held by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) on June 29. In his speech he outlined the challenges Israel faces in a region overcome by instability and turmoil.

Pro-Palestinian propagandists often allege that measures such as checkpoints and the Security Barrier are not necessary for security but are rather there merely to subjugate Palestinians. They also claim that Israel never seriously considered returning the land to Jordanian control or, alternatively

Sultana is 23 years old and very hungry. She grew up in the suburbs east of Damascus, but when her house was firebombed by an airplane belonging to the Syrian regime, she fled the city in the night along with her husband and their five children. Together, the group trekked south toward safety acros

This Update deals with increasing signs across the Middle East that - independently of the overthrow of the Egyptian government by the military in July -  the Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organisation for all modern Islamists, is on the skids. If this trend persists, it would

The recent passing of the Associated Press' acclaimed journalist Hal McClure at the age of 92 coincides closely with the event that brought him his greatest fame - his coverage of the 1967 Six Day War, which began 46 years ago yesterday. His passing is yet another reminder of a bygone era when a jo

Contrary to recent headlines, the Arab League as a collective body did not substantially "sweeten" its 2002 Peace Initiative (API) for Israel on Monday. Nonetheless, there is some reason to see this diplomatic movement, while relatively minor, as a small, positive step.

Through resource management, innovation and planning, the Israeli water authorities ... have now beaten the intense drought which has gripped the country for several years. Now, the Israeli example stands ready to help others in the region to do the same. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready to take

The parliamentary elections in Jordan on Jan. 23, 2013 failed to produce a clear answer as to the impact of the Arab uprisings on the Kingdom's real balance of power between the establishment, headed by King Abdullah, and the opposition, led by the Muslim Brotherhood. Both sides stayed deeply entren

The Pew Research Centre's Global Attitudes Project has just released the results of surveys it conducted throughout the Middle East in the wake of the "Arab Spring." The surveys reveal some interesting insights about attitudes in the Middle East in the wake of the recent uprisings, including how Mid

Did Israel's government covet the land it captured as part of the defensive war of June 1967, which ended with Israeli forces in control of the Sinai Peninsula, Golan Heights, West Bank and Gaza? For the most part, not at all, according to 200 pages of newly declassified transcripts from cabinet an

Jerusalem Post Palestinian affairs correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh has recently been writing prolifically on the oppression of the Palestinian people. Unusually for an Arab writer broaching this subject matter, while he does have some criticisms of Israel, the Israelies are not the primary objects o