Australian Friends of Palestine Association Chair Edie Bransbury has written to Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese…

“Palestinians banned from streets where the Israeli Defence Force has installed Jewish settlers in houses from which Palestinians have been evicted, from schools reserved for Jewish children, from medical centres reserved for Jewish settlers and from public transport reserved for Jewish settlers,” she wrote. “The UN has passed resolutions deeming this forceful installation without compensation of Jewish settlers in Palestinian houses, and the policy of stealing Palestinian land to build new Jewish settlements, as illegal.”

“All Israeli policies relating to Palestinians, including the so-called Nation Law, discriminate on the basis of race, thus satisfying the definition of apartheid…”

"For people in South Africa and around the world, here are some practical ways to help the people of Palestine, and to understand what is happening."

“When did you first become interested in the issue of Palestine?
Being raised as a Christian I held the view that the Israelites were “God’s chosen people” and therefore everything they did was blessed. It was not till I was in my mid-30s that I was brought up short. By that time I had rejected Christianity and belief in a god, and was running as a candidate for the Australian Democrats. A potential voter asked me about the party’s position on Palestine, and I undertook to find out and get back to them. That was when I found out the party policy was strongly pro-Palestinian causing me to research why, ultimately resulting in a 180 degree turn in my personal position.”

“When did you first become interested in the issue of Palestine?

My father spoke to me about the Palestinians. He told me that they had been given a raw deal in 1948. I would have been somewhere between the ages of 5 and 12. The family bought a television in 1968 to help with my education and I became fascinated with the news. During the Yom Kippur War, I was grounded for some minor misdemeanour and occupied myself by keeping a map of the Arab progress in the war.”

“De Beers Group owns De Beers Jewellers and Forevermark brands. Marketing material published by both brands on social media states that their diamonds are “conflict free”.”

“The text of the charter states: "Believing in the justice of the Palestinian cause and following my responsibility towards it, I am honoured to sign the Palestine Charter, through which I affirm that Palestine is an occupied Arab state and its liberation is a duty.”

Nawajaa, the General Coordinator of the Palestinian National BDS Committee, was arrested by Israeli soldiers in the middle of the night from his home in the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah on July 30th.

“Many in the West Bank were incensed this August when the Israeli government barred Democratic Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from visiting the country over their support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement on the basis of a 2017 bill which entitles the state to deny entry to boycott activists. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially indicated that he would allow the trip to proceed but subsequently reversed himself following pressure from President Trump. While Tlaib was later granted entry on a humanitarian trip to visit her grandmother in the West Bank, she rejected the offer.”

“Israel’s gross diamond exports have crashed by a staggering 45 per cent since the 2014 massacre in Gaza that resulted in the death of over 2,200 people, mainly civilians including over 550 children. The net value of Israel’s diamond exports has fallen even further, by 60 per cent from $11.25 billion to $4.4 billion over the period. This is about the same as the value of Israel’s total arms exports.”

“The recent move to revoke Barghouti’s residency seems to result from a right-wing incitement campaign by the group Betzalmo (a pun on the human rights monitoring group B’tselem). They wrote to Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit and to Deri just over a week ago, urging them to expel Barghouti.”

"International scholars are important to universities throughout the world. Their unique perspectives, emanating from different cultures and places, enrichen intellectual conversations among students and faculty. International scholars help orient local students toward global citizenship, and in turn those students help visiting scholars to understand their host country and culture better."

"But with the construction of the wall, came unprecedented demolitions of Palestinians homes along the planned route, massive land confiscations, and the division of dozens of Palestinian communities along the Green Line. In 2004 the ICJ issued a non-binding advisory opinion that Israel should immediately stop construction on the wall, and should pay reparations for any damage caused."

"Unfortunately, what has been revealed confirms our belief at the Palestinian Authority that the plan, which is being drafted by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and other Trump administration officials, is simply a repackaging of a stale, discredited concept known as “economic peace” long advocated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a longtime friend of the Kushner family."

"In his opinion, Hogan said the EU rules on labelling products take into account "ethical considerations" that might influence a consumer's purchases. Drawing a comparison with the way many Europeans boycotted South African products during apartheid, Hogan said people now might choose to avoid goods from a particular country "because it pursues particular political or social policies which that consumer happens to find objectionable or even repugnant"."

"My mother, Taube, and father, Abraham, survived Auschwitz among other horrors. My father was the only survivor in his family of six children and my mother survived with only one sister in a family that was larger than my father’s. I know, without question, that if they were alive today, the motion you are being asked to endorse would terrify them given the repression of tolerance and witness that it clearly embraces."

""When companies like Puma sponsor and profit from illegal settlements, they give a nod to Israel's far-right regime that its criminal land grabs and attacks on Palestinian sports can continue unabated," a statement by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) said. Al Jazeera has contacted Puma for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication."

"They also continued to use force as well during the incursions into the West Bank. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces wounded 11 civilians, including 3 children, a paramedic, and a journalist, while participating in the Return March. Moreover, 2 Palestinian civilians were wounded after being targeted in the border area of the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, Israeli forces wounded a Palestinian child."

"The Eurovision in Israel was already a highly politicized event, which was even pointed out by Netta, last year’s winner, who said after her win that “we have done something crazy [fantastic] for Israeli Hasbara”.  Just one small sign of this was how Kan, the Israeli public broadcaster, used the occasion for marketing occupied Palestinian and Syrian territories as “Israel”."

"Palestinian, Israeli and international artists have come together to put on a series of concerts as an alternative to the Eurovision Song Contest held in Tel Aviv, amid protests calling for a boycott of the music competition. The event, Globalvision, was held in Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, Haifa, London and Dublin on Saturday and included live performances by Palestinian, Israeli and international artists."

"The day was organised by Palestine Action Group Sydney and BDS Australia. Protestors demanded the right of return for all Palestinians and a  boycott of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest which is to beheld in Tel Aviv this weekend. Protesters were accompanied by a giant Palestinian flag while enthusiastic chants including, “from the river to the sea/Palestine will be free” could be heard amongst the crowd."

"On Saturday, apartheid Israel decided to launch yet another murderous campaign of bombardment against one of the most densely populated areas on earth. Again, the victims were children and women. Fourteen-month-old Palestinian toddler, Siba Abu Arrar, was killed along with her pregnant aunt, Falastine, who succumbed to her wounds shortly after American-made, Israeli warplanes targeted their home in Zeitoun neighbourhood."

Critics are demanding answers after the Trump administration refused to allow prominent Palestinian human rights activist Omar Barghouti to enter the United States for a speaking tour, despite his valid U.S. visa.

With this denial of entry, Israel appears to have once again enlisted the Trump administration to do its bidding.

"The United Nations postponed last week for the third time the publication of a blacklist of Israeli and international firms that profit directly from Israel’s illegal settlements in the occupied territories. The international body had come under enormous pressure to keep the database under wraps after lobbying behind the scenes from Israel, the United States and many of the 200-plus companies that were about to be named."

"This is at odds with its decision to broadcast Eurovision while Palestinians endure myriad tactics to destroy their culture including the cultural appropriation of their arts and crafts, the bombing of theaters, destruction of film archives and the imprisonment of their prominent arts practitioners. BDS Australia has organized an ongoing social media campaign along with street actions in most of Australia’s capital cities."

"Airbnb announced Nov. 19 that it would stop listing some 200 properties in Jewish settlements in the West Bank — an area Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East War. Palestinians and most governments consider growing settlements — thought to house some 435,000 Jewish residents — illegal and a hindrance to peace. Around 3 million Palestinians also live in the West Bank."

There was a veritable buffet of BDS victories in 2018. In fact, these days, there are so many successful BDS campaigns, it’s hard to keep up. By Asa Winstanley, Middle East Monitor.

Ongoing moves by Zionist lobby groups and American legislators to define anti-Semitism as criticism of Israel is an assault on free speech everywhere, writes Professor Stuart Rees.