29.08.24
Editorial Note
After many years of failure, the BDS movement has started to see success on Australian campuses.
One avenue of entrance is Australia’s National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU), a not-for-profit trade union for Australian tertiary education. NTEU has close to 30,000 members and offices on campuses at most universities.
In a regional vote in mid-July 2024, the NTEU ACT Division, an NTEU branch, held a General Meeting to consider supporting an Academic Boycott of Israel, in line with the guidelines of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), and to make that a policy recommendation to NTEU National Council. More than 80 percent of members supported the motion titled “NTEU support for the Academic Boycott of Israel.”
The motion explains that “On 7 October 2023, Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel resulted in the killing and abduction of Israeli civilians. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has condemned these attacks, called for a ceasefire, and called for the release of hostages. The Israeli response to the 7 October 2023 attacks has also drawn widespread condemnation. The International Court of Justice found on 26 January 2024 that South Africa had established a plausible case that Israel has engaged in genocide in Gaza. On 20 May 2024, prosecutors from the International Criminal Court announced they were seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leaders and Israeli leaders, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel has also failed to comply with international law in relation to an International Court of Justice ruling on 24 May 2024 that Israel must immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah.”
The motion goes on to note: “Since the beginning of the conflict, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. At the same time, education has been systematically destroyed in Gaza. Every university in Gaza has been destroyed, and many educators and students are among the casualties. The destruction of Palestinian education has been referred to as a ‘scholasticide’. Palestinian civil society has called on the international community to respond to ongoing oppression and occupation by engaging in the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).”
There were earlier signs that a change was coming. The official position of the NTEU, titled “NTEU Statement on Israel and Palestine,” from October 20, 2023, states that “NTEU supports the policies and statements… that call for an end to violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and for the creation of an independent Palestinian State. The quest for a comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine, based on the co-existence in conditions of security of two sovereign, independent and viable states, requires renewed international attention and support as a highest and urgent priority.” NTEU supports “An end to the occupation of Palestine; Development of a just and sustainable peace in accordance with resolutions 242 and 338 of the UN Security Council; In accordance with 2 above, removal of illegal settlements, withdrawal of Israel from all Palestinian lands and the dismantling of the separation wall; and Immediate recognition by all countries of Palestine as a sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital, confirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in a freed and independent Palestine.”
The NTEU calls the Australian Government to “Recognise Palestine as a sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital; Until such time as Israel has withdrawn from all Palestinian lands, all illegal settlements are removed, and the separation wall is dismantled: Cease the strengthening of trade relations, including any Free Trade Agreement, with the state of Israel; and Suspend all military and intelligence ties and co-operation with the state of Israel; and Restore aid funding to the occupied Palestinian territories and immediately implement an additional and comprehensive humanitarian aid program for Gaza following the destruction of water, electricity and medical services and the resultant humanitarian catastrophe. Further, NTEU supports the work of Union Aid Abroad (APHEDA) and calls on all members to contribute through APHEDA to the aid effort in Gaza and the West Bank by donating.”
Later, the NTEU posted an announcement titled “University action and solidarity with Gaza: Supporting human rights and academic freedom,” published on May 10, 2024, stating that the NTEU “calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, condemns the use of starvation as a weapon, urges the Australian government to halt military trade with Israel, and advocates for a two-state solution to secure a just and sustainable peace.” NTEU “condemns the horrific impact of the war on the higher education community in Gaza, and recognizes the responsibility that Australian universities have to a global higher education community that champions human rights, peace, and democratic debate. We therefore, call on Australian universities to: Explore and implement practical support measures for affected Palestinian educational institutions, their faculties and students, such as the provision of resources, partnerships and institutional scholarships.”
In particular, “Critically review, disclose and divest from research and commercial partnerships with firms and entities directly involved in military support for the war on Gaza. Ensure that Enterprise Agreements and policies protecting academic and intellectual freedom are clearly communicated and vigorously enforced.”
Equally important, the NTEU states that it demands to “Critically review any university’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s definition of antisemitism, which itself constitutes a challenge to academic freedom.”
Moreover, NTEU is currently running a national campaign to encourage UniSuper to divest from Elbit Systems. UniSuper is a not-for-profit company whose shareholders are 37 Australian universities. It is governed by a corporate trustee named UniSuper Limited. All the Australian universities are represented on the Consultative Committee of UniSuper. In a public letter to Peter Chun, the CEO of UniSuper, NTEU wrote, “We note that UniSuper has a small investment in Elbit Systems, a weapons company that is one of the largest suppliers of military technology to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Given that the IDF is responsible for the death of over 35,000 civilians in Gaza since October last year, UniSuper’s holding in this company is clearly inconsistent with the fund’s values as an ethical investor, and can only damage UniSuper’s hard-won reputation. Based on this, we the undersigned call on UniSuper to divest in total from Elbit Systems and to work with other profit-for-member super funds to divest from Elbit Systems.”
The NTEU ACT Division, as stated in the motion passed in mid-July 2024, has used the rather novel accusation of scholasticide. According to Scholars Against the War in Palestine, a pro-Palestinian solidarity group, scholasticide was first coined by Professor Karma Nabulsi, a Palestinian expert on the laws of war at Oxford University. Nabulsi conceptualized it in 2009 in the context of the “Israeli assault on Gaza, Palestine,” but also with reference to “a pattern of Israeli colonial attacks on Palestinian scholars, students, and educational institutions going back to the Nakba of 1948, and expanding after the 1967 war on Palestine and the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.”
As happens with the US campuses, Qatari money bolsters anti-Israel activism on Australian campuses. Jonathan Muir, former Australian ambassador to Qatar, spoke to the media in early 2022, noting that cooperation in education remains significant in the Qatar-Australia bilateral relations, undertaking various projects between academic institutions. More specifically, “Qatar and Australia have done a number of research projects – between Qatar Foundation, Qatar University, and about 23 Australian universities over the past few years.”
For an unknown reason, Australia’s NTEU adopted the false narrative of the Palestinians, which blames Israel for sabotaging the creation of a Palestinian state. The NTEU has never mentioned the numerous opportunities that the Palestinians had to create a state, nor the enormous effort that Iran mounted to sabotage the Oslo peace process and other opportunities.
Even worse, the NTEU has rejected the Working Definition of Antisemitism, which was adopted widely.
Instead of boycotting Israel, Australia and other Western countries should find out who is behind the calls to boycott Israel and turn the table against them. Better still, Western governments should censure Qatar for sponsoring terrorism.
REFERENCES:
https://www.nteu.au/News_Articles/Local_News/ACT/AcademicBoycott.aspx
NTEU ACT members vote to support Academic Boycott of Israel
Motion supported by more than 80 per cent at Division General Meeting
NTEU ACT Division held a General Meeting of members on Monday 15 July 2024 to consider whether to support an Academic Boycott of Israel in line with the guidelines of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), and to make that a policy recommendation to NTEU National Council.
More than 80 per cent of members supported the following motion:
Motion: NTEU support for the Academic Boycott of Israel
Preamble: On 7 October 2023, Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel resulted in the killing and abduction of Israeli civilians. The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has condemned these attacks, called for a ceasefire, and called for the release of hostages.
The Israeli response to the 7 October 2023 attacks has also drawn widespread condemnation. The International Court of Justice found on 26 January 2024 that South Africa had established a plausible case that Israel has engaged in genocide in Gaza. On 20 May 2024, prosecutors from the International Criminal Court announced they were seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leaders and Israeli leaders, alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel has also failed to comply with international law in relation to an International Court of Justice ruling on 24 May 2024 that Israel must immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah.
Since the beginning of the conflict, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed.
At the same time, education has been systematically destroyed in Gaza. Every university in Gaza has been destroyed, and many educators and students are among the casualties. The destruction of Palestinian education has been referred to as a ‘scholasticide’.
Palestinian civil society has called on the international community to respond to ongoing oppression and occupation by engaging in the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).
NTEU policy positions on international issues are determined at the national level – by National Council as the NTEU’s highest decision-making body, and by National Executive in between meetings of National Council. A Division General Meeting can recommend policy positions for consideration by National Council or National Executive in accordance with Rule 21.1 and Rule 22.3 of the NTEU Rules.
NTEU ACT Division notes:
- NTEU position on Israel and Palestine (NTEU Policy Manual, see ‘Israel and Palestine’ under ‘International’);
- NTEU Position on Palestine (NTEU National Council motion, October 2022) ;
- NTEU statement on Israel and Palestine (NTEU national statement, 20 October 2023);
- Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) statement on Gaza, noting that NTEU is affiliated with ACTU (ACTU statement, 22 April 2024);
- Education International (EI) statement ‘Global Student Forum and Education International joint statement on Palestine protests on university campuses’, noting that NTEU is affiliated with EI (EI statement, 3 May 2024);
- NTEU statement ‘University action and solidarity with Gaza: Supporting human rights and academic freedom’ (NTEU national statement, 10 May 2024); and
- NTEU’s current national campaign to encourage UniSuper divestment from Elbit Systems.
NTEU ACT Division moves:
This meeting of NTEU ACT Division members, in accordance with Rule 21.1 and Rule 22.3 of the NTEU Rules, makes the following policy recommendation to 2024 NTEU National Council:
NTEU supports the Academic Boycott of Israel in line with the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) guidelines.
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UNSW and University of Melbourne NTEU branches pass BDS motions in landslide votes
In landslide votes, they each called on their respective universities to endorse an academic boycott, divestment from weapons and arms manufacturers and end its relationships with Israeli universities, in accordance with the demands of Palestinians.
By Valerie ChidiacAugust 21, 2024
On Tuesday August 20, the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) branch at UNSW passed a motion endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) while the Melbourne NTEU branch meeting took place today with 315 people present and a 97% vote in favour.
In landslide votes, they each called on their respective universities to endorse an academic boycott, divestment from weapons and arms manufacturers and end its relationships with Israeli universities, in accordance with the demands of Palestinians.
The UNSW deemed the motion as befitting an “urgency of action” given the International Court of Justice (ICJ) preliminary ruling that Israel is “plausibly committing genocide”, as well as the destruction of all universities in Gaza and the targeting of academics.
The UniMelb motion similarly noted that Israel is “committing genocide in the Gaza Strip” detailing the physical, human, scholastic, medical, and institutional facets, and backed the 19 July by the ICJ which confirmed that Israel is “responsible for the crime of apartheid” and its illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.
They emphasised the “direct involvement of Israeli universities in perpetuating genocide in Gaza and Israeli apartheid, through their roles in weapons research and military training”, and therefore UniMelb’s institutional ties to universities and “weapons manufacturers that arm or support Israel and other repressive regimes.”
As such, the “potential exposure of staff and students to moral and even legal censure” via this connection to war crimes was highlighted, and that because of the ICJ’s ruling for states, there is an obligation for all institutions to “not to enter economic, trade, or investment relations with Israel” that assist and maintain Israel’s occupation.
The UNSW NTEU demanded that Management:
- Disclose total monetary figures awarded to UNSW in research contracts with complicit companies
- Disclose subject matter of said research
- Cut ties with all organisations enabling violence in Gaza
- Establish international scholarships for Palestinians arriving from Gaza and partnerships with Palestinian academics and universities
- Replace the funding of all staff whose positions depend on arms manufacturers with research for the public good
- Ensure protest on campus and academic freedom in relation to Palestine is protected
The UniMelb motion shared the aforementioned demands, in addition to calling for:
- Management to cut ties with and cease partnerships with “the defence industry/sector, the weapons industry and militaries in general”, including research collaborations
- Amendments to its Gift Policy “to abstain from accepting gifts from donors in the defence sector”
- Amendment to its anti-racism commitment by ending its adoption of the controversial (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism which conflates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism
- Join the Scholars at Risk program and host endangered Palestinian academics
Both branches specified that this motion “does not prevent collaboration with individual academics” rather any collaborations with Israeli universities or those “officially mediated” by Israeli institutions.
The UNSW branch also reiterated that “support for Palestine and a commitment to justice is union business” having previously passed motions condemning the 2021 forced evictions of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, and another in solidarity with Palestinians experiencing genocidal violence after the October 7 attack, calling for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian aid.
Following a Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009, UNSW was revealed to have ties to companies such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing, who have research contracts with the US Department of Airforce, Army, and the Navy, and institutional partnerships with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Similarly, UniMelb is known to have ties to Lockheed Martin, Boeing and BAE Systems, and partnerships with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Technion — Israel Institute of Technology.
When asked to comment on the passing of the motion, a spokesperson for UNSW said they are “committed to driving positive societal impact which includes contributing to the security and cohesion of Australia and the wider global community.”
They reiterated their unequivocal support for academic freedom and commitment to “conducting and managing research responsibly and with integrity” including in “joint research and collaboration with international research partners… critical to Australia’s success, security and advancement.”
“The University’s mandatory disclosure scheme for foreign affiliations and partnerships enables consideration of potential risks of our international engagements and fulfilment of our disclosure obligations to government.”
The spokesperson also spoke to the establishment of an Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Advisory Group which will “further focus alignment and reporting” on “environmental, social and governance goals and outcomes” as well as review “investment frameworks, supply chains, policies, procedures and practices… [and] more proactive and transparent reporting.”
David Gonzalez, NTEU branch president at UniMelb said in a press release that “staff and students have been surveilled, silenced and intimidated repeatedly by University management when expressing views against the death and destruction unfolding in Gaza.”
Gonzalez went on to address Chancellor Jane Hansen and Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell, asking them to end the University’s “institutional support of a genocide” and “stop asking staff to be complicit.”
Both NTEU branches concluded by calling for a widespread pressure campaign on the University and called upon NTEU branches across Australia to pass similar motions.
USyd’s NTEU branch passed a motion in favour of an academic institutional boycott of Israel on May 9 of this year, which also provided the basis for UniMelb’s motion.
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‘No exchange with Technion, they help Israel drop their bombs’: Students protest medical school’s exchange program with Technion
The Faculty of Medicine currently has an exchange program with Israeli Institute of Technology – Technion – in occupied Palestine, the institute behind the D9 bulldozers used to demolish stolen Palestinian neighbourhoods and hide graves in Gaza.
By Jesper Duffy
August 22, 2024
At 1pm on Wednesday August 21, students and staff gathered in front of F23 to protest the University of Sydney’s ongoing ties with Israeli universities.
The Faculty of Medicine currently has an exchange program with Israeli Institute of Technology – Technion – in occupied Palestine, the institute behind the D9 bulldozers used to demolish stolen Palestinian neighbourhoods and hide graves in Gaza.
The rally opened with chants of “Mark Scott, can’t you hear, we won’t build your weapons here,” and “Uni is for education, not for Gaza’s decimation,” led by Midhat Jafri, a member of Students Against War (SAW). Rally chair, Vieve Carsnew (SAW) opened by linking the struggles of Indigenous peoples in Australia and Palestine, and condemning Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott for his response to the Student General Meeting where he called those in attendance “terrorist sympathisers”.
The first speaker, Daej Arab, spoke about his experience with the movement as a member of staff in the Faculty of Medicine. He said he was inspired by the students rallying outside F23, and that the rally had brought him out to do something he had never done before.
Arab condemned the medical school’s pretence that the exchange program is harmless, and called upon Mark Scott to listen to the results of the SGM, NTEU votes and the 250 medicine students who have petitioned to end this exchange agreement. He concluded by saying “Mark Scott will be gone in three years with his millions, but we will still be here supporting Palestine.”
The rally then marched down Eastern Avenue and Physics Road towards the Nanoscience building, where Jacob Starling (SAW) condemned Mark Scott for maintaining the many ties with Israel despite the high death toll in Gaza.
Starling linked the Gaza Solidarity Encampment to the introduction of the Campus Access Policy, saying that students have succeeded in scaring management, and continued to do so with the SGM, and the unauthorised stall day on July 31st. He further linked USYD’s ties to the Australian government’s complicity in US imperialism, saying that the true terrorist supporters are the bosses who ignore the workers and line their pockets with genocide. Starling ended by urging mass mobilisation, calling for “thousands of students to disrupt business as usual” until demands are met.
Vieves Carnsew then led the rally to the Susan Wakil building, where security refused protesters entry and locked the front door. The third and final speaker, Tawhid, a medicine student, opened by saying “I am disgusted I can study here in this building yesterday, but cannot protest here today.”
He explained the Gazan origin of the gauze he used in class the day before, mourning the fact that Gazan doctors don’t have access to their own invention and instead must use t-shirts and other material to tend to deadly wounds.
Tawhid condemned the virtue signalling of the University’s empty reconciliation with First Nations Australians, while profiting off of the genocide both here and in Palestine. He said that he “[does] not consent to [his] student fees going towards the killing of Palestinians” and hopes that he is the last cohort of this university to wonder who his fees are killing today.
After the rally, students and staff who were scheduled to use the facilities in the Susan Wakil building were outraged at the front door being locked. One student was seen in a verbal argument with security over the protest being locked out of the building.
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https://redflag.org.au/article/melbourne-university-mass-meeting-declares-support-for-palestine
Melbourne University mass meeting declares support for Palestine
18 August 2024
Bella Beiraghi
More than 600 Melbourne University students attended a mass meeting and rally on 15 August to demand that the university end its complicity in the genocide in Gaza. The meeting was the largest pro-Palestine action ever held on the campus.
Oskar Martin, Students for Palestine member and Indigenous socialist, moved the meeting’s only motion. It called on the administration to “fully divest from weapons companies and cut all ties with the state of Israel, Israeli corporations and Israeli academic institutions in line with the global boycott, divestment, sanctions movement”.
In his speech, Martin condemned the university, arguing that “what matters most to them is investments that boost their portfolios and power”. He then turned his fire on the officials in the University of Melbourne Student Union. “The student union didn’t want this meeting to happen. They previously backtracked on supporting BDS … but we kept fighting and we won!”
The student politicians who control the student union are mostly from factions associated with the Australian Labor Party. Despite their pretending to champion students’ rights and democracy, their approach to the special general meeting was one of sabotage.
Students for Palestine activists gathered the signatures of 1,200 students to demand the union call a special general meeting on Palestine, as the constitution requires. In response, the union hired lawyers from Labor-aligned law firm Slater and Gordon to find a legal basis to prevent the meeting happening.
The union has form in this regard. In 2022 the union adopted a motion in support of Palestine and the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against Israel. But after legal action brought by Liberal Party-aligned student Justin Riazaty, the union abandoned its position.
The lawsuit was settled in February this year after the union agreed, in the middle of a genocide, to rescind its support for Palestine and pay Riazaty tens of thousands of dollars. The student union has since sought to censor pro-Palestine activity in the union, prohibiting office-bearers from using their budgets and social media to oppose Israel’s genocide.
But their winning streak ended on Thursday afternoon. The student union officials watched, aghast, as hundreds of students descended on the amphitheatre wearing keffiyehs, waving Palestinian flags and holding placards inscribed on one side with “Unimelb must divest” and on the other “Students for Palestine”.
“Disclose, divest, we will not stop, we will not rest!”, the students roared. Cheers and impromptu speeches echoed around the amphitheatre as student union staff sought shelter behind a barricade they had set up to prevent Students for Palestine activists from reaching the stage.
From the stage, I opened the meeting (to the president’s horror), and the floor was ours. “Put your hand up if you’re here today to stand against Israel, to stand against our government, to stand against our university and to fight for a free Palestine!”, I asked the crowd. A sea of hands shot up in response. Chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea” made the meeting feel more like an open-air rally.
At one point the student union president tried to address the crowd to explain why the union hadn’t done more to publicly support Palestine. She was heckled, “You voted to rescind the motion!”, and quickly vacated the stage.
Students hadn’t come to this action for mealy-mouthed words or empty platitudes. We get that from the federal Labor government every day. The crowd was electric with righteous indignation at our university’s complicity in genocide. Yasmeen Atieh, a Palestinian socialist and member of Students for Palestine, told the crowd:
“All over the world, students and workers have stood up to their universities and governments, declaring that we will not sit silent whilst people are being killed. Estimates are now that 186,000 have likely been murdered. From opposing the war in Vietnam to fighting against South African apartheid, students have been at the forefront of movements to spark change for decades. And today we’re making history again. Every one of us is making our voices heard, telling the university that it needs to divest. We are telling our government, the Labor Party, that we will not stop and we will not rest until Palestine is free.”
Students overwhelmingly voted up the motion, followed by a victory march to the vice-chancellor’s office, where we stuck our petitions to his office surrounds, warning: “We’ll be back!”
It was a victorious day for Palestine solidarity activism, and a credit to all the activists who refused to accept the union’s cowardice on Palestine, who refused to give up and who campaigned tirelessly to make the meeting a success.
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Palestine and Inner West Council: a panel on the case for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)
Arguing against the premise that Palestine is not an issue for local government and is about “rates, road and rubbish”, Griffiths said that in this case, rates matter more than ever, as they are going towards companies complicit in, and profiteering off of genocide in Palestine.
June 23, 2024On Sunday, June 23, Dylan Griffiths, an Inner West councillor in the Djarrawunang/Ashfield ward, Palestine Justice Movement, BDS Youth, and Unionists for Palestine held a panel at the Marrickville Pavilion advocating for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) within the Inner West council.Arguing against the premise that Palestine is not an issue for local government and is about “rates, road and rubbish”, Griffiths said that in this case, rates matter more than ever, as they are going towards companies complicit in, and profiteering off of genocide in Palestine.He then spoke about the two ceasefire motions before the Council in November and December 2023, and the open letter put forth by Antony D’Adam MLC and Greens Member for Newtown Jenny Leong. In particular, the stance of Labor councillors and their vote against the motion was spotlighted, with Green Left having reported details from the meeting, and the minutes publicly available. Griffiths then made the point that the final November motion (“Inner West Council supports ceasefire in Gaza”) only came to fruition after public backlash and the resignation of the Inner West Multicultural Committee.Tasneen Shubarta of BDS Youth explained their role in empowering youth to end the illegal occupation through “achievable wins” as strategically determined by the BDS national committee. This includes the implementation of Israeli Apartheid Week on university campuses and targeted boycotts against companies like Intel, Sodastream, and Elbit Systems. Shubarta described the BDS movement as “nonviolent and opposed to discrimination”, based on the South African model which saw divestment as a “recognised tool for change.”Hewlett-Packard (HP) was deemed relevant to the Inner West Council investment portfolio, as well as the Council being serviced digitally by HP. It was argued that if this is the case in one council, it is likely a standard across other councils. HP is directly involved in supplying technology to the Israeli military such as the tiered ID card system and is the exclusive provider of computers for the Israel Defence Forces.Shubarta stated that councils must:
- Audit their investment portfolio, disclose and divest
- Pledge for an apartheid free zone
- Review policies and ethical practices on an annual basis
Ahmad Abadla, a Palestinian activist from Khan Younis, summarised the legal case for BDS, and spoke of his lived experience in Gaza, particularly four weeks before October 7 and the start of the genocide.“Gaza is beautiful and will remain beautiful despite the wholesale destruction,” Abadla said, elaborating on his amazement at the ability of Palestinians to find hope and a will to live.Abadla identified BDS as the best method for people in the West to help Palestinians, and spoke to its narrow beginnings, often deemed “fraught”. He spoke to the history of Jewish businesses being targeted by real antisemites in the 1930s and that Zionists have weaponised this trauma to limit the potential of BDS when it is “one of the most potent tools available for Palestine.”He continued that under the Genocide Convention, private individuals, corporate actors, and city councils must not be complicit, meaning “there may be real legal and financial consequences for being linked to Israel’s crimes and genocide against Palestinians.”Abadla implored the Inner West Council to adopt and call for BDS to prevent and punish Israel’s war crimes and genocide, concluding that “if Gaza doesn’t win, we will all lose our conscience and humanity”.Antony Loewenstein, local resident and author of The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World (2023), who advocated for a BDS motion proposed in 2011 at the then-Marrickville council spoke next. Loewenstein argued that BDS scares those who oppose it, and so they believe that they can demonise it by framing it as anti-Israel and antisemitic. He then stated that change will not come from a sudden mass movement of Israelis from within, but from an outside movement like BDS applying pressure, similar to the outside forces that were one of the reasons for the fall of apartheid in South Africa. Lowenstein continued that Israel is petrified of BDS, since it spends massive funds to counter it, and is supported by the US, which has made BDS illegal in over 30 states. He elaborated on the reasoning for BDS, with corporations like Starbucks and McDonalds having supported Israel long before October 7, and that Israel is one of the top 10 arms industries in the world, battle testing its weapons on Palestinians before being sold globally to other countries to deal with their minorities. He spoke to the criticism of 2011 which viewed BDS as repeating the attacks on Jewish businesses like in Nazi Germany. Loewenstein asserted that BDS is “not going after Jewish people for being Jewish, but for associating and partnering with Israel”, and that all councils must have a Palestinian-led BDS movement. Lowenstein concluded by predicting that many Western states and elites will remain in support of Israel but that civil society and public opinion are being swayed, especially in the 18-35 age bracket.What are the next steps?
- Inner West Council’s relation with HP will be questioned by Griffiths in a council meeting in August.
- Community group Inner West 4 Palestinehas been formed and its first meeting will occur next Friday, June 28 at the Marrickville Library.
- The process of auditing and disclosure of relationships with complicit companies.
- A motion in the City of Sydney Council will be presented on Monday night at Sydney Town Hall, with a rally outside and bike riders cycling in support.
100 seats were filled up, as people stood outside on the lawns of the Marrickville Pavilion to listen to the panel. Many also participated in the open discussion at the end, including USyd student campers and National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) members.
Various observations were made including that Marrickville is the only Australian city to have a sister city in Bethlehem.
The following suggestions were made to amplify BDS goals:
- Mobilise community members to attend council meetings and pressure councillors or threaten the loss of their seat in the coming elections in September.
- Check where your superannuation funds are being invested in.
- Send submissions for the council’s anti-racism framework, emphasising all First Nations involvement and justice.
- Rejection of the IHRA definition of antisemitism as it harms the Palestinian solidarity movement.
One NTEU member also suggested an on-the-spot vote for the council to adopt a BDS policy, which saw every attendee put up their hand in support.
It was concluded that contrary to as many would claim, local government has a significant part to play in pushing for BDS.
A livestream of the panel can be found on BDS Youth’s Instagram.
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https://www.nteu.au/NTEU/FAQs/Policy_Manual.aspx?International=5#International
NTEU STATEMENT ON ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
As an active affiliate of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and Education International, the global confederation of education unions (EI), NTEU supports the policies and statements of both organisations that call for an end to violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories and for the creation of an independent Palestinian State.
The quest for a comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestine, based on the co-existence in conditions of security of two sovereign, independent and viable states, requires renewed international attention and support as a highest and urgent priority.
NTEU supports:
- An end to the occupation of Palestine;
- Development of a just and sustainable peace in accordance with resolutions 242 and 338 of the UN Security Council;
- In accordance with 2 above, removal of illegal settlements, withdrawal of Israel from all Palestinian lands and the dismantling of the separation wall; and
- Immediate recognition by all countries of Palestine as a sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital, confirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in a freed and independent Palestine.
In accordance with these principle calls on the Australian Government to:
- Recognise Palestine as a sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital;
- Until such time as Israel has withdrawn from all Palestinian lands, all illegal settlements are removed, and the separation wall is dismantled:
- Cease the strengthening of trade relations, including any Free Trade Agreement, with the state of Israel; and
- Suspend all military and intelligence ties and co-operation with the state of Israel; and
- Restore aid funding to the occupied Palestinian territories and immediately implement an additional and comprehensive humanitarian aid program for Gaza following the destruction of water, electricity and medical services and the resultant humanitarian catastrophe.
Further, NTEU supports the work of Union Aid Abroad (APHEDA) and calls on all members to contribute through APHEDA to the aid effort in Gaza and the West Bank by donating at https://palestinecovid.raisely.com
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https://www.nteu.au/News_Articles/National/Supporting_Human_Rights_and_Academic_Freedom.aspx
University action and solidarity with Gaza: Supporting human rights and academic freedom
10 May 2024
This motion should be read in conjunction with the “NTEU Statement on Israel and Palestine” issued 20 October 2023.
NTEU endorses:
- The “ACTU statement on Gaza” released 22 April 2024 which calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, condemns the use of starvation as a weapon, urges the Australian government to halt military trade with Israel, and advocates for a two-state solution to secure a just and sustainable peace; and
- the “Global Student Forum and Education International joint statement on Palestine protests on university campuses” released 3 May 2024 , which expresses solidarity with students and academic staff worldwide participating in peaceful protests supporting the Palestinian people and condemns all forms of Antisemitism and Islamophobia;
- and reaffirms the Union’s longstanding view that the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression, and academic freedom are fundamental to the character of universities.
NTEU joins with many others in Palestine, Israel, Australia and internationally to reiterate demands for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, unrestricted access to humanitarian aid, and the lifting of the siege of Gaza.
NTEU condemns the horrific impact of the war on the higher education community in Gaza, and recognises the responsibility that Australian universities have to a global higher education community that champions human rights, peace, and democratic debate.
We therefore, call on Australian universities to:
- Explore and implement practical support measures for affected Palestinian educational institutions, their faculties and students, such as the provision of resources, partnerships and institutional scholarships.
- Critically review, disclose and divest from research and commercial partnerships with firms and entities directly involved in military support for the war on Gaza.
- Ensure that Enterprise Agreements and policies protecting academic and intellectual freedom are clearly communicated and vigorously enforced.
- Critically review any university’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s definition of antisemitism, which itself constitutes a challenge to academic freedom
This constitutes the NTEU’s position and remains in place until amended, withdrawn or replaced by the National Executive or a future National Council.
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https://act.newmode.net/action/nteu/unisuper-divest-elbit-systems
UniSuper divest from Elbit Systems
To: Peter Chun
CEO, UniSuper
Dear Peter
We note that UniSuper has a small investment in Elbit Systems, a weapons company that is one of the largest suppliers of military technology to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
Given that the IDF is responsible for the death of over 35,000 civilians in Gaza since October last year, UniSuper’s holding in this company is clearly inconsistent with the fund’s values as an ethical investor, and can only damage UniSuper’s hard-won reputation.
Based on this, we the undersigned call on UniSuper to divest in total from Elbit Systems and to work with other profit-for-member super funds to divest from Elbit Systems.
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I would like to stay informed about the campaign to divest form Elbit Systems and other NTEU campaigns.
This campaign is hosted by NTEU. We will protect your privacy, and keep you informed about this campaign and others.
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Scholasticide Definition
Scholasticide is a term that was first coined by Professor Karma Nabulsi, an Oxford don and Palestinian expert on the laws of war. She conceptualized it in the context of the Israeli assault on Gaza, Palestine in 2009, but also with reference to a pattern of Israeli colonial attacks on Palestinian scholars, students, and educational institutions going back to the Nakba of 1948, and expanding after the 1967 war on Palestine and the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
The term combines the Latin prefix schola, meaning school, and the Latin suffix cide, meaning killing. Nabulsi used it to describe the “systematic destruction of Palestinian education by Israel” to counter a tradition of Palestinian learning. That tradition, Nabulsi observed, reflected the enormous “role and power of education in an occupied society” in which freedom of thought “posits possibilities, open horizons”, contrasting sharply with “the apartheid wall, the shackling checkpoints, [and] the choking prisons”. Recognizing “how important education is to the Palestinian tradition and the Palestinian revolution”, Nabulsi noted that Israeli colonial policymakers “cannot abide it and have to destroy it.”
During the latest Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, Palestine in 2023/2024, scholasticide has intensified on an unprecedented scale. Israeli colonial policy in Gaza has now shifted from a focus on systematic destruction to total annihilation of education. There is, indeed, an intimate relationship between genocide and scholasticide. Raphael Lamkin, the pioneering Polish Jewish legal scholar who first defined genocide and played a key role in inserting the concept into international law, saw genocide as an effort to “undermine the fundamental basis of the social order.” Key to this effort, in Lamkin’s conception, was the assault on the cultures of national, ethnic, racial, or religious collectivities.
Scholasticide is comprised of any of the following acts that entail systemic destruction, in whole or in part, of the educational life of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group: 1) Killings and assassinations of university and school teachers, students, staff, and administrators. 2) Causing bodily or mental harm to university and school teachers, students, staff, and administrators. 3) Arresting, detaining, and incarcerating university and school teachers, students, staff, and administrators. 4) Systematic harassment, bullying, intimidation of university and school teachers, students, staff, and administrators. 5) Bombarding and demolishing educational institutions. 6) Destroying and/or looting of teaching and research resources including libraries, archives, and laboratories, as well as facilities supporting the educational process, including playgrounds, sports fields, performance venues, cafeterias, and residence halls. 7) Impeding the import of essential materials for rebuilding damaged schools and universities. 8) Obstructing the creation of new educational structures. 9) Besieging schools and universities and using them as barracks, logistics bases, operational headquarters, weapons and ammunition caches, detention and interrogation centers. 10) Closing educational institutions and/or disrupting their daily operations. 11) Invading educational institutions. 12) Restricting faculty, student, and staff access to educational institutions. 13) Denying education to political prisoners including child detainees. 14) Hindering access to the internet, disrupting the provision of electricity, and preventing free entry of educational supplies including books and laboratory equipment. 15) Blocking the hiring of academic staff and denying them entry to their institutions through visa denial and other restrictions. 16) Revoking residency rights of students or academics who may pursue educational opportunities abroad. 17) Preventing scholarly exchange in all its forms. 18) Disrupting international and domestic funding of educational institutions. All of these acts are currently being carried out to devastating effect in Gaza, Palestine. They are part and parcel of the genocidal effort to impede the reproduction of the social order in that occupied territory, as part of a broader effort to render it uninhabitable, hence paving the way for its comprehensive ethnic cleansing. Many of these acts have long been practiced against educational institutions and communities in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and some are experienced by Palestinian citizens of the Israeli State.
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https://www.gulf-times.com/story/711274/education-key-part-of-qatar-australia-relations-envoy
Qatar / QatarEducation key part of Qatar-Australia relations: envoy
Joey Aguilar
Published on March 07, 2022 | 10:55 PM
Co-operation in the field of education remains to be a significant part of the Qatar-Australia bilateral relations, undertaking various projects between academic institutions of the two countries, Australian ambassador Jonathan Muir has said. Speaking to reporters recently, the envoy said Qatar and Australia have done a number of research projects – between Qatar Foundation, Qatar University, and about 23 Australian universities over the past few years.
Citing the reopening of Australia’s borders to the world, Muir said that students in Qatar will have the opportunity to study in Australia, which he noted has the 3rd largest number of international students around the world after the US and the UK. “It is important that Qatari students and students in the Qatari community more broadly know that Australia is open for business. Like many countries, we were closed for a long time to new students for a couple of years. Australia is consistently ranked in the top 10 for students around the world,” Muir said.
He noted that many students from various countries go to Australia – renowned for its excellent education system – taking up courses like engineering, marketing, and business, among others. Muir said that there are many potential scopes for co-operation between Qatar and Australia in the education field, as well as in trade and investment, and culture.
Noting that Australia enjoys a “great trading relationship” with trade volume reaching QR5.5bn in 2021, he pointed out that Aviation services remained Qatar’s top export to Australia, bringing goods not only to the country but also through Europe and the Middle East. Qatar Airways, the envoy pointed out, plays a key role in this co-operation and has been bringing travellers from Qatar and other parts of the world. He urged citizens and residents to visit Australia this summer.
israel-academia-monitor.com 