The Secretary
The victory that was Adelaide Writers' Week ...

What began as a powerful anti-Palestinian campaign by a few Zionist organisations and individuals turned into a victory for Adelaide Writers' Week (AWW) and the Palestinian writers who attended.

The sessions featuring the Palestinians, particularly those held in conjunction with Australian First Nations writers, were phenomenally popular; hundreds of people attended these sessions.

As Louise Adler said, “People are free to deeply object. They don’t have to come. Or come, and you don’t need to agree with what people think. But people listened. These steadfast Adelaide audiences came out in their thousands and listened with courtesy and respect for the conversation. It should be something that lifts the spirits of all of us.”

The victory that was Adelaide Writers' Week (March 2022)
The Secretary
Speech to rally against adoption of IHRA ...

“The definition proposed for adoption by the South Australian parliament is one devised by the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (or IHRA). It is a flawed definition because it singles out one group of people for special treatment. This motion is specific to Israel and to Israel only. The motion moved by One Nation’s Sarah Game gives Israel a ‘get out of jail free’ card.

The motion itself determines the ways in which we might be allowed to criticise Israel without finding ourselves labelled as antisemitic.”

Speech to rally against adoption of IHRA definition of antisemitism - Sandra Kanck
News
The Secretary
How a Palestinian shoemaker started the West ...

“What started as an experiment days after the coronavirus outbreak in the West Bank is now a factory producing thousands of masks a day.

How a Palestinian shoemaker started the West Bank’s only mask factory overnight

Big Ride for Palestine Adelaide

Big Ride for Palestine SA Inaugural Ride

All photos by Aussie Kanck, with thanks

Sunday 28 April 2024

Today an enthusiastic and varied group of 44 people participated in the inaugural ride for the AFOPA - APHEDA Big Ride for Palestine SA group.

The eclectic group varied in age and ability, in their choice of bikes and riding attire but were united in the common purpose of shining a spotlight on the human suffering that the State of Israel, its leadership and military forces are perpetrating in front of the world’s eyes.

The group assembled on the chilly banks of the River Torrens at Elder Park and dedicated their ride from the River Torrens to the sea at Glenelg, to the traditional Kaurna custodians of the Adelaide Plains and in solidarity with the Palestinians in their struggle to end the genocide and achieve recognition for the state of Palestine.

The group rode up King William Street and through the city, joining Anzac Highway and eventually ending at Wrigley Reserve, Glenelg where AFOPA spokesperson, Mike Khizam addressed the group and applauded their efforts in combining a love of cycling with a practical demonstration of solidarity.

Group members shared coffee and chat at Wrigley Reserve, expressing support for proposed future rides, campaigns and fund raising efforts, such as the planned Walk, Run and Ride for Palestine on October 13 this year. Many locals joined in conversation with the riders, expressing support for the Ride for Palestine and there were plenty of beeps of support from drivers as the group progressed along Anzac Highway.

Many thanks are extended to the Ride marshalls, many of whom are AFOPA members, (including Donald Barnes, Gregg Ryan, Chris Yiallouros, Les Birch, Terry Grealy) who ensured a safe and enjoyable ride experience while also sharing safe riding and mechanical tips with participants.

Keep an eye on this blog for notification of the next planned ride in late May.

Queries: CONTACT secretary@afopa.com.au

Health Workers 4 Palestine Adelaide - a new website!

Health Workers 4 Palestine Adelaide have established a new website.

Keep up to date with this dedicated and active group by going to their website. Contact them through their social media platforms and email

Who are Health Workers 4 Palestine Adelaide?

We are doctors, nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals, and other health workers who vehemently oppose the genocide, oppression and apartheid in the occupied Palestinian Territories.

We advocate for -- and aim to amplify the voices of -- our colleagues in Palestine, particularly Gaza, who continue to serve their community in spite of the atrocities perpetrated by the Israeli military.

WOMAD issues inadequate apology on 47Soul exclusion

Statement of Apology by WOMAD

Today, WOMAD Management issued a statement of apology regarding its decision to dis-invite the Palestinian Jordanian music group, 47Soul from this year’s WOMAD.

This statement is not good enough! In it, WOMAD takes no responsibility for the inherent racism and anti-Palestinianism in dis-inviting 47Soul on the alleged grounds that their presence would create an unsafe environment at WOMAD.

The message says nothing about Ziggy Marley's vaunted inclusion in the program after AFOPA launched a campaign in January to protest this and urge WOMAD to cancel him due to his support for Israel even as Israel conducted its genocide in Gaza.

The statement says nothing about the hypocrisy in the allowance by WOMAD of political messaging about Russia during a Ukraine band's performance, while attendees have been told by WOMAD security to “stop politicising” the event by holding up messages in support of Palestine and carrying Palestinian flags.

WOMAD's mistake has damaged its reputation. This statement does little to fix that!

Photos of backdrop slides during performance of Ukraine Band at WOMAD, and photo of the Ukrainian Kitchen at WOMAD

Scholars Unite: Urgent Call for University Action on Gaza

We are a group of concerned academics

who have co-ordinated an open letter, co-signed by 100 members of the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, and Flinders University. In the letter (see below) we have outlined the Israeli-Government led scholasticide and plausible genocide, as ruled by the International Court of Justice, taking place in Palestine. This letter was emailed to the Chancellors and Vice Chancellors of all three universities today.

We have called upon our universities to take immediate action and today have also launched our letter on Change.org inviting academics and the wider community to lend their support.

Open letter to South Australian Universities:

Scholars Unite: Urgent Call for University Action on Gaza

Adelaide, South Australia – Monday 26th February 2024

As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches dire proportions, scholars from the University of Adelaide, University of South Australia, and Flinders University unite in a powerful call to action. With 36,671 lives lost or missing, including a staggering 60% women and children, and countless more injured, we cannot stand idly by.

The Scholars Against the War on Palestine (SAWP) campaign has brought to light the harrowing extent of scholasticide ravaging Gaza. Israel's relentless onslaught, sparing no educational institution, has exacted a devastating toll. With each strike, Gaza's intellectual fabric is torn apart, resulting in the tragic loss of 231 educators, 95 University Professors and scientists, and 4,237 students.

Israel's targeted destruction of key educational institutions, including the University College of Applied Sciences and Technology on October 19th, Al-Azhar University on November 6th, Al-Quds Open University on November 15th, and Gaza University on December 4th, 2023, have left an indelible mark of destruction. This relentless campaign of destruction culminated in the heart-wrenching obliteration of Gaza's final bastion of higher learning, Al-Israa University, on January 17th, 2024. Throughout this period of relentless violence, 90% of schools and 60% of libraries have been laid to waste, further exacerbating the educational crisis gripping Gaza.

Moreover, over 80% of those facing famine or catastrophic hunger worldwide are in Gaza. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) provides critical aid to two million Palestinians, yet essential funding has been halted based on unevidenced allegations from the Israeli government.

In a groundbreaking verdict rendered on January 26th, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has unequivocally asserted that Israel, alongside all 153 state parties to the 1948 Genocide Convention, must urgently implement measures to facilitate the provision of essential services and humanitarian aid. These actions are imperative to alleviate the dire living conditions endured by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Australia's unwarranted suspension of UNRWA funding, devoid of substantiated evidence, undermines the integrity of this historic ruling. By perpetuating this freeze, Australia risks complicity in the perpetuation of genocide.

Four Norwegian universities have suspended ties with Israeli universities. In October 2023, RMIT terminated its relationship with Elbit and its subsidiaries.

In response to this urgent crisis, we call upon our universities to also take immediate action:

  1. Terminate all partnerships with Israeli academic institutions involved in scholasticide.

  2. Affirm solidarity with the ICJ ruling, demanding Israel prevent acts falling within the Genocide Convention.

  3. Cease all collaborative activities with Israeli partners contributing to genocidal acts until the ICJ case is resolved.

  4. Endorse the Australian government's plea for an immediate ceasefire.

  5. Advocate for the urgent reinstatement of UNRWA funding.

  6. Demand the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza and Israeli prisons.

  7. Implement measures to support affected students and staff.

Our universities must lead by example and endorse these critical actions. As academics, educators and researchers, we have a moral obligation to speak out against injustice. We must protect educational institutions and the individuals within them. The world is watching. We must act urgently to uphold justice, human rights, and the rule of law.

The wider community have the opportunity to support this Urgent Call for University Action on Gaza.

See the letter with 100 ACADEMICS’ signatures

Media Contacts:

Professor Mohamad Abdalla AM

Director: Centre for Islamic Thought and Education

University of South Australia

P +61 8 8302 4575

E mohamad.abdalla@unisa.edu.au


Dr Sanam Mustafa

School of Biomedicine

University of Adelaide

P +61 8 8313 4101

E Sanam.mustafa@adelaide.edu.au


Associate Professor Alice Gorman

College of Arts, Humani?es and Social Sciences

Flinders University

P +61 428 450 418

E alice.gorman@flinders.edu.au

 

Palestine Center for Peace, 60 Frome Street, Adelaide, South Australia

Information  |  Resources  | Products from Palestine
Mon, Wed, Fri 9:30am-4:30pm |  Tel. 08 8232 5273

AFOPA acknowledges that we work and organise on the lands of the Kaurna people. We also acknowledge that sovereignty of this land and the lands across this vast continent of over 250 nations has never been ceded. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lands