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 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.”
Palestinian solidarity groups across Australia, including in Adelaide, are holding a national day of commemoration for the Nakba on Saturday 13 May 2023 to mark 75 years since the Nakba of 1948. See Adelaide remembrance events.
Palestinians around the world mark the ‘Nakba’, or ‘Catastrophe’, referring to the ethnic cleansing that occurred in 1948, resulting in the loss of the Palestinian homeland, with 80% of Palestinians made refugees and 20% displaced.
Emad Moussa recalls his first trip out of Gaza with his grandfather, whose memory of his original village continued to define all other memories.
"It was my first trip out of Gaza, and my destination was the city of Nablus in the West Bank to pursue my university studies. At the time the Oslo Accords were still somewhat in effect. That allowed Palestinians from Gaza to travel to the West Bank – through Israel – provided they were issued a permit by the Israeli authorities."
"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 center of the village of Qazaza is a celebration, with men jovially drinking bitter coffee and children chasing after one another. My grandfather was one of these children, screaming in delight and trying not to trip over the bare earth. The village had gathered in a pre-celebration of a much anticipated wedding between my grandfather’s older brother, Abdulla, and a woman who was said to be of the most beautiful in the village."
"Palestinian ambassador to the UK Dr Husam Zomlot stood on the stage next to Ahed Tamimi, the protester who became a globally known after slapping an Israeli soldier in the West Bank last year. Speaking to the crowd, he said: “I see British people from the left, from the right, from across the board. You know why? Because this is not a fight between left and right, it’s a fight between right and wrong.”"
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