Anger at the war unleashed against the Palestinians by Israel drew members of the Palestinian community to a special forum organised by Green Left Weekly in Adelaide on November 1.
John Nebauer reports that the forum featured a talk by Leslie Richmond from the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), focusing on the latest attacks by the Israeli war machine, but also on the historical background to the conflict.
During the lively discussion it was clear that Palestinians in Australia are keen to speak up against the injustices committed by the Israeli state. Members of the audience emphasised that Palestinians "will never stop fighting for what's their own" and the meeting affirmed the Palestinian people's right to resist the illegal occupation of their land.
The meeting decided to call a solidarity demonstration on November 29 to coincide with the anniversary of the adoption of United Nations resolutions against the Israeli occupation. Members of the Palestinian community and their supporters will be meeting at the Resistance Centre on Wednesday, November 8 at 7.30pm to organise the event.
"There cannot be peace until there is justice for the Palestinian people", said James Vassilopoulos, ACT secretary of the DSP, at a Green Left Weekly public forum at the Australian National University in Canberra on October 31.
James Basle reports that Shaher Iheishi, a local Palestinian, also addressed the forum, which was titled "Justice for the Palestinians!".
Iheishi said that Palestinians had thought they would have a Palestinian state after the Oslo peace accords in 1993 but instead have had no change in their conditions.
There is no freedom of movement within the occupied territories, legislation passed by the Palestinian Authority can be vetoed by the Israeli government and, since Oslo, 50,000 extra Jewish settlers have been placed on the West Bank alone.
Vassilopoulos said that people in Australia are becoming accustomed to the deaths of mainly Palestinian youth. "Each day we hear that 'five Palestinians died yesterday', yet the statistics mask the sorrow and suffering of the Palestinian people", he said.
Vassilopoulos reminded the meeting of how Muhammed al-Durra, a 12 year-old Palestinian boy, died in cold-blooded murder while taking shelter alongside his father. The Israelis initially blamed Palestinian gunfire, then said he died in crossfire, then they labelled Mohammed a "trouble-maker" and queried what was he doing there. The real question, Vassilopoulos said, is what was the Israeli army doing there.
Vassilopoulos was hopeful that the uprising in Palestine and across the Arab world could change the balance of forces between the Israeli state and the Palestinian people, such that a just solution could occur.
Elements of such a solution would include an independent state including the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as the capital; the right of all Palestinian refugees to return to their land; removing all Jewish settlements in Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem; and an independent economy, including the management of aquifers presently under Israeli control.
Vassilopoulos attacked both the Liberals and the ALP for not condemning the Israeli violence and said political solidarity was needed to assist the Palestinian people in their struggle.
On October 27, 150 supporters of the Palestinian people rallied outside the Israeli embassy and more actions are planned in Canberra to demand a free Palestine.
In Sydney, says Jenny Long, 80 people attended a "Palestine: freedom now!" public meeting at the Resistance Centre on November 1. The meeting, sponsored by Green Left Weekly, was addressed by: Friends of Palestine representative Sari Kassis, who spoke passionately about the plight of Palestine's refugees; Rami Meo from the Council of Australian Palestinians, who provided a sharp critique of the Oslo Accords; and Melanie Sjoberg from the DSP, who outlined the history of Palestinians' dispossession and their struggle for justice.
A lively debate followed about permanent solutions to the conflict, and how to build the Palestine solidarity movement in Sydney. The meeting endorsed a proposal from Kassis that a mass rally be held in Sydney on December 10, UN Human Rights Day, which would unite the campaigns for justice for Palestine, and for indigenous and refugee rights in Australia. For more information about the campaign and rally, phone (02) 9690 1977 or email <sydney@dsp.org.au>.