Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council

With millions of interactions between Jewish and other Australians each day, it is perhaps unsurprising, although disappointing, that some of them are unpleasant - or worse. We may live in a country without institutional antisemitism, but that does not mean there are neither organisations nor indiv

A Swiss lab's finding of elevated levels of the radioactive element polonium-210 in samples taken from Yasser Arafat's body suggesting he might have been poisoned - released days before the ninth anniversary of his death - proved to be media gold. It also served as a good promo for al-Jazeera, which

There has been much comment over the past month on section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act - the Federal law against racial vilification. The provision makes conduct unlawful when it is done "because of the race, colour or national or ethnic origin" of a person or group of persons, and it is re

The reversal of fortune was swift. The Magistrate Court's unanimous acquittal of Avigdor Lieberman on charges of fraud and breach of trust instantaneously transformed Israel's most self-made politician from disempowered suspect to political magnet, compass, and pivot.

Even as Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are underway, official Palestinian Authority (PA) media are still broadcasting girls singing about Jews as "the sons of apes and pigs," and still paying effusive tribute to Palestinian terrorists convicted for murdering Israeli civilians. To get these negotiat

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had led an international charm offensive since his election in June. There is no doubt that his diplomatic style - and that of those he has chosen to work with him, especially soft-spoken Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif with his impeccable English - is

The dispute between Israel and the United States on the Iranian nuclear challenge emerged this week from behind closed doors and became an open conflict waged on television. Israel and the US share the strategic goal of preventing Iran's attainment of nuclear weapons. Both countries agree that only

The race to succeed Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the next president of Indonesia in 2014 has entered an intriguing phase. While many elements remain in flux, all the talk is of a relatively inexperienced local governor who has not yet declared his intention to run but currently happens to be the most

As is widely known, most Arab states have not exactly been welcoming to the Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war and their descendants. Virtually all Arab states deny Palestinians citizenship even when they are born on their territory - Jordan being the one major exception. There are often additio

The recent disagreement between Israel and the United States over the parameters of an interim Iranian nuclear deal is significant, but its importance should also not be exaggerated. The Israeli position on the diplomatic next step - as outlined by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu - and the attitu