by Jonathan Kuttab Those looking for signs of Hope in this dismal situation of Palestine/Israel must often take the long view and seek to understand long-term trends and forces that point towards justice. Such trends may not get the attention of pundits in the media, but eventually they will explode on the scene with suddenness such that the pundits will later say everyone should have seen it coming. In seeking signs of hope, we need to identify these long-term trends, the limitations of what seems

Organisation cites abuse, including rape of male detainees, by security forces of governments which have blocked UN investigators How do these people live with themselves – Peter The UN has added Israel and Russia to a blacklist for sexual violence in conflict, citing abuse by security forces, including the rape of male detainees. The UN verified sexual abuse of 31 Palestinian men, women and children from the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank between 2023 and 2025. Israeli attacks included repeated gang-rapes and the use of

From deadly strikes and expanding no-go zones to aid restrictions and border closures, Israel has repeatedly breached the US-backed truce while deepening the enclave’s humanitarian crisis We pray for all Palestinians – Peter More than seven months have passed since a US-mediated ceasefire was announced with the stated aim of ending Israel‘s two-year genocide in Gaza. Yet Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes and violations of the agreement, albeit at a lower intensity than before the truce. The humanitarian crisis caused by the war has also

Australia joins the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand in condemning illegal settlements We pray for all Palestinians – Peter The Israeli government is undermining stability in the West Bank as settler violence reaches unprecedented levels, a coalition of western countries says, as its leaders call for an end to construction of Israeli settlements it says breach international law. In a joint statement issued on Friday, Anthony Albanese and the leaders of the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and New Zealand

Australia risks becoming “safe haven” for war criminals, human rights groups warn The war criminals are every Israeli who supports the Israel Government – we pray for them and hope for repentance – Peter Human rights organisations have warned that Australia may become “a safe haven for persons alleged to have committed the most serious international crimes” unless the federal government investigates Australian-Israeli dual nationals who may have committed war crimes in Gaza. In a submission to Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett and

by Jonathan Kuttab Rev. Naim Ateek, founder of Sabeel, once told me that the Psalms can be divided into Psalms of Lament and Psalms of Hope. Psalms of Lament cry out, “How long, Oh Lord? How long will evil go unpunished and the righteous suffer?” while Psalms of Hope praise and celebrate the sovereignty of God and proclaim the ultimate victory of good over evil. In these times, those of us concerned with peace and justice in Palestine/Israel seem to be in a constant state

Far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has shared video taunting prisoners who were detained from the Gaza flotilla, a group of people that included Australians. This man is just another example of pure evil – Peter https://archive.md/pnOtn

Residents of al-Bustan district told to make way for Kings Garden, with knocking down own houses cheaper option How much lower can the evil that is Israel stoop – Peter At the bottom of a steep and densely populated valley just below Jerusalem’s old city walls, the earth has been shaken in recent weeks by jackhammers and bulldozers. These have been the sounds of Jerusalem for decades as the Israeli state has relentlessly sought to stamp a uniformly Jewish identity on to the occupied east