Labor to devise a strategy to tackle antisemitism
The strategy was devised in the wake of several attacks on the Jewish community over the weekend.
It will target bigotry in classrooms and a tightening of visa rules to keep anti-Israel sentiments out of Australia.
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Perth Now
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Hamas says ready to free 10 hostages as part of talks
Hamas says it has agreed to release 10 hostages under ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying ongoing talks for a truce are "tough" due to Israel's "intransigence". The Palestinian militant group said the ongoing ceasefire talks have several sticking points, including the flow of aid, withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and "genuine guarantees' for a permanent ceasefire". An Israeli official said an outstanding issue in the negotiations was Israel's desire to keep forces in the territory during a 60-day truce, including in the east-west axis that Israel calls the Morag corridor. An official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk with the media about the negotiations. Keeping a foothold in the Morag corridor is a key element in Israel's plan to drive hundreds of thousands of Palestinians south toward a narrow swath of land along the border with Egypt, into what it has termed a "humanitarian city". Hamas, which still holds dozens of hostages and refuses calls by Israel to surrender, wants Israel to withdraw all of its troops as part of any permanent truce. It is adamantly opposed to any lasting Israeli presence inside the Gaza Strip. As part of the proposed truce, Israel and Hamas would hold fire for 60 days during which time some hostages would be freed and more aid would enter the Gaza Strip. Previous demands by Israel to maintain troops in a separate corridor stalled progress on a ceasefire deal for months. The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declined to comment on how the Morag corridor was playing into ceasefire talks. Netanyahu was in Washington DC this week to discuss the ceasefire and other matters with US President Donald Trump, who has pushed both sides to bring an end to the war in the Gaza Strip. Israel's desire to keep troops in the enclave was among the ceasefire sticking points discussed on Tuesday by senior officials from the US, Israel and Qatar, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We want to have peace. We want to get the hostages back. And I think we're close to doing it," Trump said on Wednesday in response to a question about the officials' meeting. During their 21-month campaign in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces have seized wide swaths of land, including three east-west corridors that have carved up the Palestinian enclave. In April, Israel seized the Morag corridor - named after a Jewish settlement that existed in the strip before Israel withdrew from the territory in 2005. The corridor, located between the Gaza Strip's southernmost city of Rafah and its second-largest city Khan Younis, stretches about 12km from Israel to the Mediterranean coast and is about 1km wide. At the time, Netanyahu said it was part of a strategy of "increasing the pressure step by step" on Hamas. Netanyahu called Morag a "second Philadelphi," referring to another corridor that runs along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt. Israel has repeatedly insisted it must maintain control of Philadelphi to prevent cross-border arms smuggling. Egypt denies arms are moved through its territory. Since the collapse of the last ceasefire in March, Israel has also reasserted control of the Netzarim corridor, which cuts off the enclave's northern third from the rest of the territory and which it used to prevent Palestinians from returning to the north of the Gaza Strip before the last truce. It was not immediately clear how Israeli troops in the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors factor into the ceasefire negotiations. The foothold in Morag has effectively cut the Rafah area off from the rest of the enclave. Rafah, once a city of tens of thousands of people, is currently all but flattened and emptied of its population following Israeli evacuation orders. With those conditions in place, Israel says it seeks to turn the Rafah area into a "sterile zone" free of Hamas militants where it wants to move hundreds of thousands of Palestinians into a "humanitarian city". with AP
ABC News
an hour ago
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Plan to combat anti-Semitism released today
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
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'Get the facts': premier warned over anti-protest laws
Jacinta Allan has been warned against following the lead of a fellow state premier in rushing through law changes to curb anti-Semitism without all the facts on high-profile attacks. The Victorian government has been drafting laws to ban protests outside places of worship and demonstrators wearing face coverings. The proposed changes were announced in December after rallies from masked neo-Nazis and a synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne being firebombed. Another arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue, one of four alleged anti-Semitic incidents at the weekend, has prompted the premier to set up a task force and promise further action if required. Human Rights Law Centre legal director Sarah Schwartz stressed everyone has the right to worship in safety and without fear. But she accused Ms Allan of conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "Neither the attack on Adass Israel Synagogue or the arson attack on East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation were in any way protests," she told AAP. "These laws around places of worship would not have done anything to prevent those attacks." The motivation for both incidents remains unknown, though counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the Ripponlea firebombing and a 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the other alleged arson. Ms Schwartz cited sexual abuse survivors outside churches as a legitimate form of protest that may be impinged under the plan and said mask ban exemptions for health, disability and religious reasons would be "impossible" to enforce without discriminatory policing. "These new laws taken altogether will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest," she said. NSW rushed protest and speech laws through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January. Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job". Ms Schwartz, who doubles as Jewish Council of Australia executive officer, said the Victorian government was similarly resorting to "knee-jerk measures" instead of addressing the root causes of racist attacks. "Jacinta Allan really risks going down the same path that NSW Premier Chris Minns did when he enacted regressive, anti-protest measures in response to what we know now was an opportunistic criminal conspiracy," she said. Other Jewish groups have suggested the task force should consider Victoria adopting a NSW-style protest permit system, an idea Ms Allan has long dismissed. In a separate incident on Friday night, Israeli restaurant Miznon in the Melbourne CBD was targeted by about 20 pro-Palestine protesters who chanted "death to the IDF" - a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. The chant, which has gained notoriety after English punk rap duo Bob Vylan led it at Glastonbury music festival, was repeated at another Melbourne rally on Sunday. Victoria passed beefed-up anti-vilification laws in March but Ms Allan was unsure if the chant or signs with words to that effect would constitute an offence when the changes take effect in September. "I'll take their (Victoria Police's) advice on that matter," she said. Jacinta Allan has been warned against following the lead of a fellow state premier in rushing through law changes to curb anti-Semitism without all the facts on high-profile attacks. The Victorian government has been drafting laws to ban protests outside places of worship and demonstrators wearing face coverings. The proposed changes were announced in December after rallies from masked neo-Nazis and a synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne being firebombed. Another arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue, one of four alleged anti-Semitic incidents at the weekend, has prompted the premier to set up a task force and promise further action if required. Human Rights Law Centre legal director Sarah Schwartz stressed everyone has the right to worship in safety and without fear. But she accused Ms Allan of conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "Neither the attack on Adass Israel Synagogue or the arson attack on East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation were in any way protests," she told AAP. "These laws around places of worship would not have done anything to prevent those attacks." The motivation for both incidents remains unknown, though counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the Ripponlea firebombing and a 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the other alleged arson. Ms Schwartz cited sexual abuse survivors outside churches as a legitimate form of protest that may be impinged under the plan and said mask ban exemptions for health, disability and religious reasons would be "impossible" to enforce without discriminatory policing. "These new laws taken altogether will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest," she said. NSW rushed protest and speech laws through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January. Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job". Ms Schwartz, who doubles as Jewish Council of Australia executive officer, said the Victorian government was similarly resorting to "knee-jerk measures" instead of addressing the root causes of racist attacks. "Jacinta Allan really risks going down the same path that NSW Premier Chris Minns did when he enacted regressive, anti-protest measures in response to what we know now was an opportunistic criminal conspiracy," she said. Other Jewish groups have suggested the task force should consider Victoria adopting a NSW-style protest permit system, an idea Ms Allan has long dismissed. In a separate incident on Friday night, Israeli restaurant Miznon in the Melbourne CBD was targeted by about 20 pro-Palestine protesters who chanted "death to the IDF" - a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. The chant, which has gained notoriety after English punk rap duo Bob Vylan led it at Glastonbury music festival, was repeated at another Melbourne rally on Sunday. Victoria passed beefed-up anti-vilification laws in March but Ms Allan was unsure if the chant or signs with words to that effect would constitute an offence when the changes take effect in September. "I'll take their (Victoria Police's) advice on that matter," she said. Jacinta Allan has been warned against following the lead of a fellow state premier in rushing through law changes to curb anti-Semitism without all the facts on high-profile attacks. The Victorian government has been drafting laws to ban protests outside places of worship and demonstrators wearing face coverings. The proposed changes were announced in December after rallies from masked neo-Nazis and a synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne being firebombed. Another arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue, one of four alleged anti-Semitic incidents at the weekend, has prompted the premier to set up a task force and promise further action if required. Human Rights Law Centre legal director Sarah Schwartz stressed everyone has the right to worship in safety and without fear. But she accused Ms Allan of conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "Neither the attack on Adass Israel Synagogue or the arson attack on East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation were in any way protests," she told AAP. "These laws around places of worship would not have done anything to prevent those attacks." The motivation for both incidents remains unknown, though counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the Ripponlea firebombing and a 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the other alleged arson. Ms Schwartz cited sexual abuse survivors outside churches as a legitimate form of protest that may be impinged under the plan and said mask ban exemptions for health, disability and religious reasons would be "impossible" to enforce without discriminatory policing. "These new laws taken altogether will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest," she said. NSW rushed protest and speech laws through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January. Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job". Ms Schwartz, who doubles as Jewish Council of Australia executive officer, said the Victorian government was similarly resorting to "knee-jerk measures" instead of addressing the root causes of racist attacks. "Jacinta Allan really risks going down the same path that NSW Premier Chris Minns did when he enacted regressive, anti-protest measures in response to what we know now was an opportunistic criminal conspiracy," she said. Other Jewish groups have suggested the task force should consider Victoria adopting a NSW-style protest permit system, an idea Ms Allan has long dismissed. In a separate incident on Friday night, Israeli restaurant Miznon in the Melbourne CBD was targeted by about 20 pro-Palestine protesters who chanted "death to the IDF" - a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. The chant, which has gained notoriety after English punk rap duo Bob Vylan led it at Glastonbury music festival, was repeated at another Melbourne rally on Sunday. Victoria passed beefed-up anti-vilification laws in March but Ms Allan was unsure if the chant or signs with words to that effect would constitute an offence when the changes take effect in September. "I'll take their (Victoria Police's) advice on that matter," she said. Jacinta Allan has been warned against following the lead of a fellow state premier in rushing through law changes to curb anti-Semitism without all the facts on high-profile attacks. The Victorian government has been drafting laws to ban protests outside places of worship and demonstrators wearing face coverings. The proposed changes were announced in December after rallies from masked neo-Nazis and a synagogue at Ripponlea in Melbourne being firebombed. Another arson attack on an East Melbourne synagogue, one of four alleged anti-Semitic incidents at the weekend, has prompted the premier to set up a task force and promise further action if required. Human Rights Law Centre legal director Sarah Schwartz stressed everyone has the right to worship in safety and without fear. But she accused Ms Allan of conflating acts of violence with peaceful protest. "Neither the attack on Adass Israel Synagogue or the arson attack on East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation were in any way protests," she told AAP. "These laws around places of worship would not have done anything to prevent those attacks." The motivation for both incidents remains unknown, though counter-terrorism police continue to investigate the Ripponlea firebombing and a 34-year-old man from Sydney has been charged over the other alleged arson. Ms Schwartz cited sexual abuse survivors outside churches as a legitimate form of protest that may be impinged under the plan and said mask ban exemptions for health, disability and religious reasons would be "impossible" to enforce without discriminatory policing. "These new laws taken altogether will have a chilling effect on peaceful protest," she said. NSW rushed protest and speech laws through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January. Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job". Ms Schwartz, who doubles as Jewish Council of Australia executive officer, said the Victorian government was similarly resorting to "knee-jerk measures" instead of addressing the root causes of racist attacks. "Jacinta Allan really risks going down the same path that NSW Premier Chris Minns did when he enacted regressive, anti-protest measures in response to what we know now was an opportunistic criminal conspiracy," she said. Other Jewish groups have suggested the task force should consider Victoria adopting a NSW-style protest permit system, an idea Ms Allan has long dismissed. In a separate incident on Friday night, Israeli restaurant Miznon in the Melbourne CBD was targeted by about 20 pro-Palestine protesters who chanted "death to the IDF" - a reference to the Israel Defence Forces. The chant, which has gained notoriety after English punk rap duo Bob Vylan led it at Glastonbury music festival, was repeated at another Melbourne rally on Sunday. Victoria passed beefed-up anti-vilification laws in March but Ms Allan was unsure if the chant or signs with words to that effect would constitute an offence when the changes take effect in September. "I'll take their (Victoria Police's) advice on that matter," she said.
