“The situation is becoming increasingly dire”: Report from Gaza

Written by: ICOR on 11 November 2026

 

The following report on discussion by ICOR Main Coordinator Monika Gärtner-Engel and doctors from the Al-Awda Health and Community Association in the Gaza Strip has been made available.  ICOR, the International Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organisations, is raising funds for the rebuilding of the Al-Awda facility - eds. 

 

Report on a video call with Dr. Rafaat, Dr. Mhanna, and Jehan, the fundraising director of the Al-Awda Health and Community Association in the Gaza Strip.

A Conversation Across Language Barriers
On November 2, 26, ICOR Chief Coordinator Monika Gärtner-Engel met in a small, impromptu gathering with Dr. Rafaat, Dr. Ahmad Mhanna, and Fundraising Director Jehan from the Al-Awda Health and Community Association in the Gaza Strip. A meeting with numerous supporters from around the world had to be postponed several times due to dramatic events in Gaza. Monika Gärtner-Engel was therefore happy to accept the offer of a last-minute meeting: “We’re so curious to hear how you’re doing.”

Another spontaneous guest was Irtefaa from Yemen, an environmental and women’s rights activist currently visiting the German Council for Women’s Policy. She said: “Our hearts are in Gaza; we hope that peace will reign in all countries, including Palestine.” The doctors responded with solidarity: “Yemen, too, is suffering from an unprecedented war and a difficult humanitarian situation.”

The Health Care System: “There Is No Way Out”
Nearly 13 months after the ceasefire began, the doctors say: “The health situation is steadily deteriorating. There is currently no way for us to ensure health care.” Medications, supplies, and medical equipment are not reaching the hospitals; reconstruction is not taking place because building materials are either lacking or their import is being blocked. The doctors criticize the strict import bans on medical devices and equipment. For example, the import of catheters is on the list of “dual-use” goods that Israel cites to justify import bans. This implies the claim that these devices can also be used in the manufacture of weapons and therefore must not be imported. Her response: “What reasonable person would claim that a piece of fabric, a sheet, or a medical blanket could be used for hostile acts?” Cotton, sponges, solar panels, batteries, and medical devices are also on this list.

All 35 hospitals that were operational before the war have been completely or partially damaged. A large portion of the health centers has also been destroyed.
There is a shortage of medical professionals. Many have died, been detained, fled, or been poached by hospitals controlled by the Trump connection with exorbitant salaries. About 16 medical specialists, primarily orthopedic surgeons, have been held by the Israeli armed forces for more than two years. The consequences: “There are signs of misdiagnoses and botched surgical procedures.”

However, the Gaza Medical Association is not giving up; instead, it is training new specialists. Over the past 25 years or so, it has produced about 600 specialists; some of them have since been killed in military attacks or are currently in detention.
More than 20,000 patients are on waiting lists due to critical conditions. Over 60,000 people need treatment outside the Gaza Strip, about 21,000 of them urgently.

There is not a single MRI machine in the Gaza Strip. According to doctors, such a machine could prevent more than 6,000 evacuations.
300 to 400 laboratory supplies, medications, and medical consumables have not reached the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. A new shortage has emerged for insulin. At least 600 children with diabetes need it. Medications for heart disease and cancer are also in short supply.

Electricity and Fuel: Generators at Their Limit
The healthcare system in Gaza relies on solar panels and generators to remain self-sufficient. Doctors report that even the import of solar panels, batteries, oils, and spare parts from Israel is strictly restricted. The Gaza Strip’s power supply has been cut off since the start of the war and has not been restored.

Since the start of the war, Al-Awda has spent more than two million U.S. dollars on power generators, including over 650,000 dollars in the past two months. According to the doctors, the organization pays between 200,000 and 300,000 dollars a month for fuel. “This is unreasonable. This is unacceptable,” says one of the doctors. About a month ago, hospital operations came to a standstill for a week because the generators had failed. Their assessment: “Three months at most. Then there won’t be a single functioning power generator left in the Gaza Strip if these measures continue. And that is exactly the intention.” Al-Awda can no longer cover these costs next month or the month after.

As a countermeasure, the organization is seeking dialogue with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the World Health Organization (WHO). The U.S. is systematically attempting to dismantle and starve UNRWA. The network of civil society organizations, led by one of the doctors, has also agreed to a cumbersome documentation process imposed by the Israeli side for oil deliveries—“reluctantly, but we are forced to do so.” Otherwise, there is a risk of “a complete paralysis of the healthcare system.” By way of comparison: According to the doctors, the shortage of oil, spare parts, filters, and solar energy weighs even more heavily than the already deadly shortage of medical supplies.

Housing and Food: Winter Is Just Around the Corner
Of the roughly two million people in Gaza, about 1.5 million live in tents and emergency shelters. These are not tents like those found at campgrounds here, but rather makeshift shelters cobbled together from tarps, some of which are torn. According to the doctors’ tally, less than 8 percent of the needed shelter materials have reached the Gaza Strip since January 1, 2026. Their assessment: “The occupying forces are deliberately exacerbating the plight of the tent dwellers.”

They describe the conditions in the tents as follows: For women, living in such cramped quarters poses particular dangers. “Physical and sexual violence occur on a large scale,” say the doctors. There is no privacy; the tent has no door that can be closed.

In about 70 percent of the tents, several generations live in no more than ten square meters—often grandparents, parents, and five children.
There is neither electricity nor water, and no toilets in the tent. People walk 100 to 200 meters to communal toilets.

Rats and mice live in the tents. “You fall asleep and wake up alongside them,” says one of the doctors.

In the summer, the temperature inside the tent rises to 45 to 50 degrees; in the winter, it offers no protection from the cold or rain. Many tents are located on the coast and are flooded by seawater at high tide.

Most children do not attend school.
For many, their diet has shrunk to one meal a day, mostly from communal kitchens that offer only three or four dishes: rice, lentils, or beans. The World Food Program had to cut its aid by 30 percent, from providing meals for 1.5 million families to one million. As a result, around 500,000 people are losing their meals. Rations have been reduced to one meal per day. Eighty-five percent of the population cannot afford fresh fruits and vegetables; at the markets, they are sold—if at all—at exorbitant prices. Children don’t understand the word “apple” because they’ve never seen one, let alone eaten one! The doctor says, “I’m almost certain that more than 500,000 children in Gaza have never seen a tomato and don’t know what a cucumber or a banana looks like.”

As for water, according to the doctors, over 90 percent of the springs have been destroyed or are located in areas under Israeli control that are off-limits to the population. The Gaza Strip is increasingly coming under the control of the Israeli occupation due to the ever-expanding “yellow line.” The people of Gaza are dependent on just 10 percent of the resources. Filtration systems and desalination technology are not allowed into the country.

Economy and UNRWA
According to the doctors, unemployment stands at over 70 percent, and among young people and college graduates, it exceeds 80 percent. The private sector has been destroyed; even large companies such as the electricity and telecommunications companies no longer exist. “There is no longer a private sector in the Gaza Strip,” they say. The former so-called middle class has also slipped into poverty. About 50,000 employees of the administration formerly led by Hamas receive none or less than 10 percent of their former salaries. At the same time, black-market traders are making a fortune off the people’s misery.

At the UN relief agency UNRWA, which employs about 13,000 people in the Gaza Strip, more than 1,500 staff members have already been laid off. The U.S., in particular, has drastically cut or completely eliminated its funding for UN organizations. According to information from the doctors, another 3,000 layoffs are imminent. The doctors sharply criticize this: “We expect a UN agency to respect laws and workers’ rights and to take the human dimension into account.” UNRWA was founded in 1948 in the wake of the Nakba and provides education, health care, and emergency aid to over 70 percent of Gaza’s population, who are refugees or displaced persons. “This organization is on the verge of extinction,” say the doctors.

The Israeli government has repeatedly announced its intention to drive UNRWA out of Gaza.

Funding: Less Money, Difficult Challenges
Funding reaching the Gaza Strip has fallen by at least 35 percent in 2026 compared to 2025. The doctors note that donors are targeting their cuts specifically at medications, treatment costs, and medical supplies. Some donors require that these goods be purchased outside of Gaza. However, their import is blocked by Israel. “We are caught between the measures imposed by the donors and the sanctions imposed by the occupying power,” says one of the doctors. In their planning for 2027, some donors have reported budget shortfalls of up to 50 percent.

One of the doctors also offers an assessment of government development aid: Of every million dollars that large agencies such as USAID allocate for projects in the Gaza Strip, he states that 60 percent goes toward salaries, transportation, and administration outside the Gaza Strip. Only 40 percent actually reaches its destination. He bases this on a study by researcher Bassam Abu Hamad and acknowledges that exact figures are not yet available. Donations from civil society, such as those collected by the ICOR and SI, on the other hand, arrive without any deductions. The doctors repeatedly express their heartfelt and explicit gratitude for this.

Assessment of Politics
Regarding the elections in Israel, the doctors say: “The people in Gaza are hoping for an end to Netanyahu’s rule.” Nevertheless, they do not expect any fundamental change, as Netanyahu and opposition leader Eizenkot are “two sides of the same coin” representing Israel’s interests. Netanyahu has a coalition base of at least 53 members of parliament and can attempt to form governing majorities. A strong showing by the Arab lists in Israel could make them a strategic player. However, the doctors do not believe this will become a reality or that the situation in Gaza will change significantly under a new government in Israel. They anticipate either a grand coalition or new elections.

They call the demand for Hamas to disarm a pretext. Their statement: “The occupying power basically does not want Hamas to surrender its weapons at all. If it did, it would invent dozens of other justifications.” As examples of restrictions, they cite travel bans, the denial of education and internet access, frozen bank accounts, blocked money transfers, and the destruction of cash.

Their personal conclusion: “The real death and the real war began after the signing of the so-called ceasefire.” In the past, tanks and planes killed people directly; today, people are dying from hunger, thirst, a lack of medication, and denied medical evacuations. According to her, for more than two years, not even 5 percent of the healthcare system’s basic needs have been met.

Solidarity and Outlook
Monika Gärtner-Engel appeared shaken but determined: “You swing between tears and anger. We’re passing this information on immediately through every platform we have.” She reports that demonstrations worldwide have indeed declined since the so-called ceasefire, and in some cases it’s becoming more difficult to collect donations. However, she emphasizes how awareness of solidarity with Palestine remains alive and, in some cases, is even experiencing a significant upswing. As a sign of international solidarity, she pointed to the strike by dockworkers and seafarers in 113 ports across five continents last Friday, during which many explicitly opposed arms shipments to Israel and, in some cases, actively blocked them. In February, there were only six ports involved. Her message to her colleagues in Gaza: “You are not alone.”

The doctors replied: “We need support and genuine solidarity. We need real pressure on the occupying power.” And: “We are absolutely certain that this bleak reality will not last.” They are following the actions of dockworkers and unions in Europe and see a shift in public sentiment within American society as well.

In conclusion, Monika Gärtner-Engel suggests trying to set up the next live video call, if possible, during the volunteer meeting or the solidarity concert on December 5.

Time and again, our Palestinian friends express their appreciation for the work of ICOR and “Palestine Must Live”: “We deeply appreciate the time you devote to this, your ongoing solidarity, and your unwavering, steadfast support. We look forward to future collaboration and closer contact,” reads the email from Gaza following the conversation.

Zionist war machine never so isolated

Written by: (Contributed) on 28 July 2026

 

(Many Orthodox Jews support Palestine and denounce Zionism. Torah Jews on X)

Revelations that the Netanyahu government has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars together with a US$45 million lobbying contract to 'improve its image around the world', has carried the hallmarks of an administration failing to maintain adequate diplomatic initiatives with counterparts elsewhere. (1) The Israeli State already has an elaborate propaganda machine; the strength of the world-wide Palestinian lobby, however, has left the Israeli government in a vulnerable position in recent times, following genocidal policies on Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements on the West Bank.

Israel is losing the information war.

It is also a sensitive time for the Netanyahu administration, facing a general election at the end of October. Its electoral support has dropped and polls have shown it will be likely to only win about 20 seats in the Knesset, whereas to establish a government it requires at least 61. Internal, back-room political manoeuvring, therefore, would appear the order of the day with the government and opposition both attempting to establish coalitions of smaller, and fragmented political parties. (2) Netanyahu, moreover, faces serious war crimes charges; fears of losing office and an incoming government putting him on a plane for South Africa to face the charges remain a consideration not easily dismissed.

It has been generally accepted that support for the Palestinian lobby has already made clear inroads into the US Democrats and that Republican support for the Zionist State has been eroded with 'a younger generation of influential conservatives is pushing for change … saying Israel's interests don't always align with those of the US'. (3)
A reliable poll conducted in the US in February found more of the sample now sympathised with the Palestinians and had caused a 'shift fuelling concerns among some Israeli voters about long-term support from one of Israel's most vital allies'; their options are limited. (4)

The developments have also included over a hundred US house Democrats voting to suspend US$3 billion in military aid for Israel. (5) While the vote was unsuccessful, it revealed a shift in the balance of forces. Israel remains dependent upon US military aid.

Elsewhere, the Zionist lobby has also floundered; many Israeli diplomatic personnel have been asked to leave by host countries, who want no more of the Israeli war machine. It has been noted that many traditional Western allies of Israel are now at odds with Tel Aviv about the Netanyahu administration's creation of 'buffer zones' in neighbouring countries. (6)

Israel has, historically, relied upon the Sayanium, who have acted along similar lines to 'illegals'; the volunteers form part of networks of loyal supporters of the Israeli State elsewhere. (7) By the late 1990s, for example, it was estimated that there were over 4,000 Sayanium operational in the UK, with four times that number in the US. (8)

Studies of the Sayanium established that the shadowy intelligence networks were well provided for; it was noted, for example, that, 'MOSSAD … spent several hundred million dollars a month maintaining its assets … the Sayanium'. (9)  

It is now, however, more difficult for the Sayanium to operate with impunity; numerous questions have arisen about Israeli involvement inside other political systems.

The fact that part of the recent Israeli budget allocation has been based upon a lobbying contract awarded to a former Trump campaign manager was met with official diplomatic silence from the Israeli Embassy in Washington; it would tend to indicate the sensitive nature of the operation, in line with usual intelligence provision. (10) While Trump has been a long-time supporter of Israel, problems have now arisen. He has, increasingly, relied upon vice-president Vance when dealing with Israel. He has distanced himself from controversy.

The recent escalation of diplomatic tensions between the US and Israel, furthermore, followed attempts by the Trump administration to resolve its war-footing with Iran; allegations were made in Washington, by Vance, that a pro-Israeli journalist employed by Time magazine was behind 'a literal foreign influence campaign' by Israel to undermine peace-talks. (11) It amounts to a particularly damning criticism of a prestigious publication.

Israel is generally held responsible for providing the Trump administration with intelligence about Iran's supposed nuclear program and vested interest in promoting the present war. A statement from the corridors of power and a US intelligence assessment in Washington, however, that found that Iran has made no attempt to rebuild nuclear facilities, has added to diplomatic tensions between the US and Israel. (12) Israel's intelligence was flawed.

The developments carry a strong resemblance to earlier initiatives by Apartheid South Africa to shore up its system in the face of universal condemnation and sanctions imposed by other countries. The country was, increasingly, under siege from perceived adversaries.

The so-called Information Scandal grew out of diplomatic initiatives taken in Pretoria during the early 1970s to counter the problem. The Information Department secretly funded 138 projects designed to influence world opinion, and safeguard the Apartheid State. (13) Hundreds of influential people, including numerous journalists, were subsequently invited to South Africa to project a favourable image. Vast sums of money were allocated for the project; some was never officially accounted for, raising warning signs of illicit operations.
The whole secret operation, however, back-fired and proved counter-productive.

Even after the scandal subsided it was noted that at least half of the 138 secret projects continued to be operational. (14) Financial support was found from elsewhere for what had become vital intelligence organs for Pretoria.

It was, moreover, not coincidental that throughout the same period Israel maintained strong support for South Africa; both were regimes which rested upon supremacist and ethnic ideologies, confronting unfavourable political opinion from elsewhere. (15)

Publicity in South Africa about the Information Scandal was quickly used by the opponents of Apartheid to increase support and hasten the collapse of the political system; those associated with the controversy sought to distance themselves from involvement. The whole Apartheid system eventually ceased to be tenable. Whether a similar scandal is now brewing in Israel, remains the matter in question; it has been noted, for example, that 'Netanyahu is extremely worried'. (16) And so he should be. The writing may be on the wall.

Reports emerging from inside Israel about the widespread political divisions are not difficult to access; policies from the Netanyahu administration to continue to fight wars with neighbouring countries have met with widespread opposition and massive protests. Cracks are becoming openly observable in Israel. Emigration and draft-dodging are commonplace.

The recent Israeli initiative to create a lobbying body to promote favourable images of the Zionist State, therefore, would appear more in line with an act of desperation rather than a clearly planned and careful diplomatic manoeuvre. It is a sign of weakness, not strength.

1.     'Go to hell': Vance ramps up criticism of Israel's public opinion campaign, Australian, 17 July 2026.
2.     Clock is now ticking on Netanyahu's political future, Australian, 20 July 2026.
3.     Australian, op.cit., 17 July 2026.
4.     Former general emerges as Bibi's chief election rival, Australian, 7 July 2026.
5.     Australian, op.cit., 20 July 2026.
6.     Australian, op.cit., 7 July 2026.
7.     Gideon's Spies, Gordon Thomas, (New York, 1999), pp. 54-55.
8.     Ibid.
9.     Ibid.
10.   Australian, op.cit., 17 July 2026.
11.  Ibid.
12.   Tehran 'posed no nuclear threat': American spy chief, Australian, 27 March 2026.

13.   Inside BOSS., Gordon Winter, (London, 1981), pp. 524-525.

14.   Ibid.

15.   The Unnatural Alliance, James Adams, (London, 1984); and, Birds of a Feather: Israel and Apartheid South Africa,  Colonialism of a Special Type, Ronnie Kasrils, Israel and South Africa, The Many Faces of Apartheid, (London, 2015), Part One: Historical Roots, Chapter One, pp. 23-41.  
16.   Australian, op.cit., 20 July 2026.

Sydney’s anti-Herzog rally – snipers, a police riot, and defiance

Written by: Lindy Nolan on 12 February 2026

 

In the leadup to Sydney’s rally against Israeli war criminal Isaac Herzog, it was clear to this writer that police would attack protesters at some stage.
They tried for over two years to cause trouble, to ‘prove’ those marching for justice around the country are dangerous, bringing trouble here from overseas. But strict organisation and discipline, loud opposition to antisemitism, and the presence at every rally of Jewish organisations and people (including holocaust survivors and their families) ensured they didn’t succeed. 

 Fascist-leaning laws were strengthened in the days before Monday’s protest, when a special event, usually reserved for sporting events, was declared. Stop and search powers and move on orders were announced. Carrying a flag or placard was made illegal and $5000 fines applied for not carrying ID in a restricted zone. 

Nearly 90 years after Australian Attorney General (and later PM) Robert Menzies met Hitler and declared he was good for Germany and the German people, and that it would be good if Australians behaved more like Germans, NSW Premier Minns outdid himself in grovelling to a mass murderer.

Minns deliberately created fear, telling people to work from home, to avoid the city, that public transport would be disrupted and people may not be able to get home. That it would not be safe. As if the protest were a natural disaster.

In response to the Palestine Action Group (PAG) legal challenge, police provided an unsigned briefing to the minister which failed to state NSW Police was the promoter of the special event. Ten minutes before the rally was to commence, they miraculously provided correct details in a signed version. 

The protest in Town Hall Square was declared illegal. Minns said 3000 cops stationed in Sydney to protect Herzog would be at Town Hall. Pictures have now emerged of snipers stationed above the Square. We are clearly the enemy.

The protest was big, but not huge. Many were intimidated to stay away, and show support in other ways. Many were blocked from entering. Yet, thousands defied Minns and filled Town Hall Square anyway. They were disciplined, brave and full of spirit. 

First Peoples adjust tactics to suit the circumstances

A First Peoples’ speaker said, ‘They try every attack on us first.’ They understand too well what it’s like to be on the receiving end of police violence. 

First Peoples have made compromises to ensure protests are big and powerful. During Covid they were told there could be no protest on January 26. They knew they had enough active support, and refused to comply. Instead, they agreed not to march, but the huge Sydney Domain was full of socially-distanced groups. 

Police attacked a small group as they walked to the station, just as they attacked another group at Central Station after the first huge Black Lives Matter protest during Covid. Those attacks ensured ‘demonstrator violence’, not Aboriginal deaths in custody, became headlines.

Before Invasion Day 2026, First Peoples determined to rally and march with or without police permission. They agreed to police conditions to rally in Hyde Park and march along an altered route. 30,000 attended. 

Much of First Peoples’ staggering achievement in resisting British and settler invasion in almost 140 years of guerrilla warfare is documented in Ray Kerkhove’s brilliant How They Fought. It doesn’t include Pemulwuy’s attack in Sydney Town itself, on the George Street where Monday’s attack. took place.

Probably dragging hidden spears gripped in their toes, they made a lightning attack, retreating into sunset’s blinding light with no losses. 

Just as First Peoples adjust their tactics to suit the circumstances, we need to think about doing the same.

The same offer of a rally and march to Central Station was made to PAG, who refused, stating they wanted more visibility than a park in the dark, though sunset wasn’t till almost two and a half hours after the rally’s start. 

A host of unions sponsored the Harbour Bridge March. This time only the MUA did so. The NSW Teachers Federation has for decades supported Palestine and ensured its biggest flags flew over the biggest union contingent at every protest since October 2023. Its members were there in numbers on Monday, but not under union flags or with union authority.

Yet those aerial images of Town Hall Square and its surrounds were powerful. There were certainly many more people than the 7000 Zionists welcomed to the International Convention Centre, with all Sydney City Hotels allegedly booked out by the NSW Government.

History’s sweep

On Monday night, encouraged by several speakers, thousands chanted, ‘Whose streets? Our streets!’ 

There was no leadership, no guidance, no training. That’s a huge problem.  

Calling, ‘Let us march! Let us march!’ they spontaneously confronted a wall of police on George Street. They were held at bay, until many had dispersed. Trained and armed police were always going to win. 

After a stand-off, smaller marches flowed like water in directions where there were no police. A large group who marched to Central Station, knowing nothing of the carnage behind, were elated at their success.

Another lesson? Despite being Aboriginal Land, the streets and everything else are – until we can overthrow it – the property of the ruling class. Capitalism’s iron fist, its laws, police, courts, jails and even military, aim to ensure it. 

If our protests are big enough, determined enough and organised enough to seize the streets temporarily, it’s a victory. 

(77-year old James Ricketson being brutalised during Sydney's anti-Zionist protests by the city's militarised police)

 

Many people were traumatised by police violence last night. They didn’t expect the brutality of the attacks, the pepper spray of the elderly and small children, the bashing of people praying or with their hands in the air. Breaking a grandmother’s back in four places, ignoring her agony.  At the Harbour Bridge protest police turned protesters back, with police chief’s ridiculously presenting themselves as our protectors, citing ‘danger of a crowd crush’ when the crowd was orderly, calm and patient. On Monday night police created a terrifying crush with military precision. 

It’s an old tactic. They did it in the second Vietnam Moratorium here, and before the Iraq War, against school students in the Books not Bombs protest. 
Monday was way more.  Australians have learned a new verb, ‘kettling’. On Monday night, police systematically confined people in four separate groups before attacking. 

And they learned about the men in black, the riot squad, physically hyped up, like players before the World Cup, ready to attack. Even some of the men in blue were overheard saying, ‘What the hell are they doing???’

Riot squad members are volunteers. Many sported moustaches identical to a prominent Australian Nazi. 

People don’t forget such images or vicious lessons. It broadcast across the country. It’s changed things. 

Who are we here for?

We have to ask before, during and after protests, why are we here? Who are we here for? What is our primary purpose? 

On Monday night, although Palestine was front and centre of most speeches, the protest itself, and police violence, became the media message. 

On Monday night Netanyahu announced Palestine would cease to exist from the river to the sea, as the bombings, bulldozing and genocide continue. 

On Monday night, Four Corners showed ASIO had failed to protect Jewish and other Australian people from terrorists they had been warned about. Despite its $600 million budget last year, apologists cried poor unchallenged by the reporter.  

On Monday night, Four Corners reiterated the police refusal to send officers to protect the festival at Bondi. Yet they can send thousands to police to smash demonstrators. 

In history’s broad sweep

The 300,000 March for Humanity across Sydney Harbour Bridge gave inspiration across the world. 

It terrified the ruling class. Its state machine always resorts to force when threatened by such a movement. 

Growing numbers who confronted police on Monday night have lost their fear, or act despite it. They understand, in history’s sweep the masses in action are stronger than the state and its police, that we are many and they are few. But that’s a strategic assessment, not an immediate tactical one.

Though the attack by two terrorists at Bondi emboldened the ruling class and Zionism to build more active and organised community support, the majority of Australians have seen the horrific truth too clearly. Support for Palestine is as strong as ever. Now the police have exposed their brutality for all to see.

In the Frontier Wars, only once did Aboriginal warriors take on the murderous invader front on. The Kalka Dunga (Kalkadoon), after years of guerilla warfare, determined to protect their most sacred site with their lives. They lined up and faced an overwhelming force. Even brutal racists acknowledged their bravery.

A small group has led these protests. They’ve had successes and inevitable failures. But they’ve refused to consult about tactics or anything else. 

Rising Tide has successfully blockaded and shut down Australia’s biggest coal port using guerrilla tactics. While one group occupies police attention, another seizes the opportunity elsewhere. Rising Tide provides systematic and thorough training both to minimise arrests and make those that happen worthwhile.

Everyone works in teams that suit their strengths. They provide safe and culturally vibrant protest places. We need to learn from them. 

Just as at Bondi, many people on Monday night rendered assistance. Teachers remained in the Square to provide support. Shopkeepers provided refuge and other help. This can be systematically built upon. 

We need to create more active community engagement beyond the punishing weekly rallies. The Vietnam Moratoriums succeeded in ending our involvement in Vietnam and ending conscription. It had just three major rallies over one year. It gave time and energy to build in every other mass space.

That’s already happening now, but can we expand on it? 

Above all, in the 1970s workers stopped work to stop the war. They provided the leadership that young people expanded upon. We are in such a different situation now, after 50 years of deliberate ruling class disorganisation and disempowerment of the working class.

We need to build anti-imperialist understanding and organisation for peace in unions and among workers. Unions need to speak out and organise about Palestine, about rising fascism, about police violence.

We also have to join the dots, to give meaning and understanding to scattered and unsystematic ideas and experiences. In that way, with eyes open, we can chart a forward path with optimism.

The ground’s fertile. From negative things, positive can grow. 

Adelaide Writers’ Week near collapse as authors stand with Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah

Written by: Nick G. on 9 January 2026

 

Nearly 100 of the 124 writers invited to participate in this year’s Adelaide Writers’ Week have withdrawn in protest at the Adelaide Festival Board’s decision to cancel Australian Palestinian academic Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah’s appearance at the Week.

The Adelaide Festival Board is appointed by the SA Government to oversee the Adelaide Festival of Arts. Writer’s Week is normally organised and conducted by the Adelaide Writers’ Week Committee under its Director, currently Louise Adler. The Writers’ Week Committee is a committee under the Board.

 

Adler and her committee do not support the axing of Abdel-Fatteh. But they have been over-ridden by the Festival Board.

 

The Festival Board appointees represent capitalist commercial and financial interests.

 

According to its website, its members are:

 

• Tracey Whiting, Chair of the Board and a Director of Solstice Media, which owns Indaily, the online alternative to Murdoch’s The Advertiser. She has a background in marketing.

• Leesa Chesser, who as Leesa Vlahos was a SA Labor Minister. Vlahos was the founding director of SA Progressive Business Inc. which acts as Labor's corporate events arm linking them with the business community. She has publicly advocated for nuclear energy.

• Mary Couros, Councillor for the North Ward of the City of Adelaide. She owns and operates multiple businesses located in North Adelaide, particularly in the real estate industry.

• Brenton Cox, Managing Director of Adelaide Airport. Described as having extensive executive leadership experience in business and finance, including having worked for Macquarie Capital in London.

• Nicholas Linke, a Director and Partner of law firm Dentons Australia Ltd.

• Daniela Ritorto, former ABC and SBS journalist, married to SA Labor federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler. She returned to Adelaide in 2018 and was the media and communications manager for fossil fuel company Santos Limited. She now runs her own consultancy.

• Donny Walford, CEO of public unlisted companies and various strategic boards in the Finance, Defence and Government industry sectors with specific expertise in strategy, finance, strategic marketing and building businesses. 

 

Such is the class composition of the Board which ensures the ideological hegemony of the bourgeoisie over the Adelaide Festival.

 

And these are the people who have banned Abdel-Fatteh from Writers’ Week on the outrageous grounds that her views would reflect “cultural insensitivity” towards the Jewish community in the wake of the Bondi massacre!

 

Needless to say, SA Premier MalinAUKUS has publicly backed the Festival Board, saying that he supports the decision of the Adelaide Festival Board, and did not support the inclusion of Abdel-Fattah in the writers' festival line-up.

 

As a party of capitalism, SA Labor is adding fuel to the fire of reactionary and authoritarian condemnation of the Palestinian cause and its alleged anti-Semitism.

 

The Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week, Louise Adler, is a prominent anti-Zionist and a member of the anti-Zionist Jewish Council of Australia. In 2023, attempts were made to ban Palestinian American novelist and scholar Susan Abulhawa and Palestinian poet Mohammed El-Kurd from Writers’ Week.  Adler refused to cancel their attendance, and both subsequently spoke at their scheduled sessions.

 

Political interference by and for Zionist supporters of the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank in this year’s Writers’ Week must be defeated.  Intending audiences for Writers’ Week must boycott this year’s event and join the courageous and principled writers who have withdrawn.

 

Despite many people’s long-standing attendance at, and commitment to, Writers’ Week, it is necessary to draw the line this time in order to save its integrity and freedom in the future.

Postscript (12 Jan 2026):  In the wake of the controversy over the Adelaide Festival Board's decision to axe Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, the Chair and three Board members have submitted their resignations. Chair Tracey Whiting, and Board members Daniela Ritorto, Donny Walford and Nicholas Linke have resigned. The political complicity of SA Premier MalinAUKUS is now clearer too, following revelations that he had told the Board that in his opinion ("it was not a directive") that Abdel-Fattah should be removed from Writers' Week prior to their decsion having been made.

Further Updates (13 Jan 2026): Adelaide Writers’ Week director Louise Adler has resigned, with scathing words of warning for fellow arts colleagues.
See this report from Adelaide's InDaily.

 

Palestinian people's struggle not forgotten

 Written by: Ned K. on 7 December 2025

 

On Sunday 7 December about 1,000 people turned out to a rally and demonstration through the main street of Adelaide to continue their show of support for the Palestinian people.

The chants were ones of solidarity with Palestinians but also ones showing alarm and disgust at the on-going support for the Israeli apartheid state of Israel by the Australian Government and the so-called parliamentary "Opposition" Liberal and National Party Coalition.

There have been much bigger rallies in Adelaide in support of the Palestinian people's struggle for a free, independent Palestine. However, given the bombardment in the mainstream (false) news bulletins that Trump had ended the armed attacks of the Israel Defense Force against Palestinians, and given the time of the year approaching the holiday season, the turnout of 1,000 people was amazing.

Many young people and Palestinian Australians took part, undermining the false reports that the rallies for Palestinians are only attended by "hardline lefties" and students looking for something to protest about.

One of the speakers spoke for the first time. He was a Palestinian Australian engineer who migrated to Australia 30 years ago. He told the people that he had firsthand phone conversations with Palestinians living in Gaza. They told him not a day went by without Israeli soldiers killing civilians in Gaza, including children and that the situation was grim for Palestinians facing the cold winter. Some children were sleeping on damp ground inside makeshift tents, a far different reality from the Australian Prime Minister's $3,000 a night luxury lodge honeymoon suite in a luxury lodge on Kangaroo Island!

The rally and speeches ended with a chant of "We'll be back" meaning that people's support for Palestinians and demands on the Australian Government to take action against Israeli genocide will not go away as 2026 draws nearer.

 

DFLP to Hold Video Conference on Gaza

 Written by: Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine on 17 October 2025

 

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine has announced that it will hold an expanded political meeting to be held via Zoom, under the title: “The Israeli-American Plan in the Region: Premises and Consequences”.

The conference will be held on October25 with the participation of the General Secretary of the Democratic Front, Comrade Leader: Fahd Suleiman.
We reprint a statement from the DPLF providing background on the discussion – eds.

 

General Ideas for Discussion at the International Political Meeting Organized by the Democratic Front,

On the Second Anniversary of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” Battle

The Foreign Relations Department of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine sends you its greetings and shares some general points that we hope will assist in preparing notes for the expanded political meeting to be held on the anniversary of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle.

Recently, the Palestinian issue has entered a highly dangerous phase, especially since Israeli objectives in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as well as at the regional level, have become explicit and very clear. They are no longer concealed behind any maneuvers but are being presented openly, without any attempt at disguise or concealment.

American Imperialism and the International System:

Through the gateway of Palestine and the region, American imperialism, in its renewed form, is fighting for survival and to maintain its control over the international political system, which has proven incapable of fulfilling the minimum aspirations of the world’s peoples. It is therefore not surprising that the United States, as the leader of the declining system, faces major global challenges, whether in economics, military power, control of technological keys, artificial intelligence, and other areas.

In confronting these challenges, the United States cannot abandon our region. When it supports Israel, its attention is focused on Russia, China, and Iran. Therefore, it exerts every possible effort to maintain its control over the region. It is also unsurprising that Western countries rally to defend Israel, because its loss would mean losing one of the most important regions in the world—politically, economically, and strategically.

The Israeli Plan and the Failure of Its War Objectives:

Israel, under the pretext of responding to the October 7 battle, believes that local, regional, and even international conditions provide the right circumstances to launch decisive battles on multiple fronts to achieve the goals of the Zionist movement, which is closely linked to imperialism and its objectives. Ideology has become the most influential factor in shaping decision-making. The decisive battles are:

• Settling the situation in the Gaza Strip according to Netanyahu’s five conditions.
• Settling the situation in the West Bank through the annexation of large areas of its territory.
• Settling the situation in Lebanon by disarming the resistance.Settling the conflict with Syria, undermining its geostrategic position in the region and neutralizing its role and influence.

Netanyahu believes that he is fulfilling the historical duty placed upon him, as he claims, reviving the Zionist doctrine of establishing a “Greater Israel” geographically, politically, and economically, relying on the principle of force to shape the new regional order.

Recognition of the State of Palestine and Its Prospects:

The expansion of recognition of the State of Palestine, especially by global decision-making capitals such as Paris and London, represents a political and moral gain for the Palestinian people. It reinforces their legitimate right to freedom, self-determination, and the establishment of a state according to international law and legitimacy. However, these recognitions still lack many elements that would pressure the United States and the occupation to take the correct path toward realizing a sovereign, independent Palestinian state, free from occupation and settlements.

The “Day After”:

Discussions about the so-called “day after” do not only concern the Gaza Strip and its future; they concern the entire national project. The American and Israeli sides see this “day” as a stage through which the occupation can reap the political fruits of its aggression, having failed to achieve its objectives in the war, and determine a political future for Gaza separate in all aspects from the national project, forming the basis for a solution limited to administrative self-rule.

The Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip is currently waging a war of attrition against Israeli occupation forces. Its results will be a key factor in determining the end of the aggressive war in Gaza and will have a positive impact on confrontations in the West Bank, thwarting Netanyahu’s project for the future of the Strip.

International Popular Movements:

While judicial developments, whether in international courts or at the national level in Western countries, are important, the Palestinian issue has become an urgent and pressing matter on the international and regional political agenda. It has become more present than ever and enjoys broad popular support and decisions that uphold Palestinian rights. This indicates the progress achieved by the Palestinian cause. Such movements are welcome, and we encourage their continuation.

The Palestinian issue, besides being the struggle of a people for national liberation and self-determination, has become a central factor in regional stability and security, and a key to strategic transformations.

Foreign Relations Department
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine

Adelaide rally in support of Palestinians calls for action not words by Australian government

Written by: Ned K. on 28 September 2025

 

On Sunday 28 September, about 1500 people rallied and marched through city streets in support of Palestinian people's struggle against the Zionist state of Israel.

This rally was a "warm-up" to the National Day of Action for a Free Palestine on Sunday 12 October 2025.

The 1500 people included many Middle Eastern Australians from Palestine and nearby countries and a larger number of young people, some with children, an indication of widening support for the Palestinian people.

The main speaker was a Palestinian health worker in Adelaide, accompanied by her children and her father. Her father carried two signs supporting the flotilla headed towards Gaza with food, clothing and medical supplies. His daughter told the crowd assembled that her father had fled his Palestinian homeland as a very small child 77 years ago and that he had never given up hope that he and his family would return to a Palestine and the end of the Zionist state of Israel which was formed in the year he fled as a child refugee with his family.

His daughter also explained that her brother was on one of the ships in the Flotilla which was being targeted by Israeli Defense Force drones even while still in international waters!

Another speaker from Adelaide University student activist group read out the latest news from Italy and Germany. 

A general strike in Italy locking down all the Italian ports as well as major industries in 80 cities and towns across the country.  

While in Germany an estimated 100,000 people took to the streets to demand action by western governments, not just words against the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

The convenor of AFOPA also spoke and pointed out that it was the resilience of Palestinians and world-wide support for Palestinians that had forced some western governments, including the Australian government, to take the lowest common denominator "action" of verbal recognition of a Palestinian state, a state with so many qualifications and restrictions. He and other speakers said the latest move by these governments was all about how to control the mass movement against Israel and how to maintain the Zionist state of Israel under the guise of verbal recognition of a state of Palestine that would be more like a barbed wire prison than a free Palestine.

FREE, FREE PALESTINE and SANCTION ISRAEL NOW was the people's response in support of the speakers.

People then marched in high spirits through the sunny streets of Adelaide in Spring with a spring in their steps!