In the latest update from APAN…

“Last week, when the leader of the Opposition, Anthony Albanese stated that using the word apartheid with Israel was offensive – together we swung into action.

APAN contacted Albanese’s office directly, and you and nearly 1,000 other Palestinian supporters emailed Albanese and your Labor federal representatives.

To his credit, Anthony Albanese immediately agreed to sit down to talk. Bishop George Browning, APAN President, met with Albanese and raised our concerns. Albanese confirmed his support for Palestinian human rights and his commitment to Palestinian Recognition. And he has agreed to participate in a Zoom event to talk with Australian Palestinians."

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…”

“Journalist Gideon Levy regularly challenges the Israeli consensus in courageous work on the ground that brings the testimonies and stories of those who do not receive adequate exposure in the local media discussion – the voices of Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and in the past the Gaza Strip,” wrote the judges in their decision to award the prize. Levy “presents original and independent positions that do not surrender to convention or social codes, and in doing so enriches the public discourse fearlessly.”

“This is not about both sides,” said US congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez … “this is about an imbalance of power,”

“We need to acknowledge what an extraordinary moment this is. Mainstream media are finally focused on Israeli attacks on Palestinian children.”