 THE Rudd Government has listed Somali-based Al-Shabaab as a terrorist organisation. In a Commonwealth Gazette statement dated August 21, 2009, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith listed the group under subsection 15 (1) of the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945. The Government has been under pressure to proscribe the group, which has been listed as a terrorist organisation in the United States since February 2008. Earlier in August, Australian police arrested several men with suspected links to al-Shabaab. It's alleged the men intended to launch a suicide attack on the Holsworthy army barracks in Sydney. According to the United States National Counter-Terrorism Centre website, senior members of the al-Shabaab leadership are affiliated with al-Qaeda and are believed to have fought with them in Afghanistan. It said al-Shabaab was the militant wing of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council that took over most of southern Somalia in late 2006. "In December 2006 and January 2007, Somali Government and Ethiopian forces routed it in a two-week war," the NCTC said. "Since the end of 2006 it has led a violent insurgency, using guerrilla warfare and terrorist tactics against the continued Ethiopian presence in Somalia, the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia, and non-governmental aid organisations." No comment was immediately available from Attorney-General Robert McClelland's or Mr Smith's offices.
The Australian Government has decided not to attend a United Nations anti-racism conference in Geneva this week.
The Durban Review Conference is supposed to work towards reducing racism, xenophobia and discrimination.
But it has been mired in controversy since the 2001 meeting saw Israel and the US walk out over anti-Semitic comments made by some delegates.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says he has decided not to go to the conference because he is concerned it will again be used to air offensive views. "Regrettably, we cannot be confident that the review conference will not again be used as a platform to air offensive views, including anti-Semitic views," he said in a statement. "Of additional concern are the suggestions of some delegations in the Durban process to limit the universal right to free speech." Canada, Israel, Italy and the United States have already indicated they will not participate. The anti-racism conference's success is also thrown in doubt after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced he would attend, sparking renewed fears the meeting could end in acrimony like the 2001 conference. Mr Ahmadinejad, who has stirred outrage by repeatedly calling the Holocaust a "myth" and with anti-Israel comments, is the only prominent head of state so far scheduled to attend the conference. Some believe that, as was the case at the last conference, talks could be dominated by the debate over Israel's policies in the Middle East. "Unfortunately, it now seems certain these remaining concerns will not be addressed in the document to be adopted by the conference next week," the US State Department earlier said in a statement. "Therefore, with regret, the United States will not join the review conference." Negotiators in Geneva say Western and most Muslim states had agreed on a declaration for the UN anti-racism conference that ironed out the most controversial issues relating to religious discrimination, Israel and the Middle East. Source: ABC Australia
 Opposition Foreign Affairs spokeman Julie Bishop is right - there is no way the Rudd Government should go to the UN’s latest group hate against the West and Israel:
The Australian Government should not attend the United Nations Durban Review Conference, to be held in Geneva on 20-24 April, due to the obvious potential for a repeat of the anti-Semitism that marred the first Durban conference..
The Australian Jewish News is even more adamant:
The US has joined Israel and Canada in pulling out. Some European countries have also indicated they are considering not attending the conference in Geneva… Robert Goot, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and Philip Chester, president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, both called on Australia to follow the US.
The US State Department agrees the draft document of the UN conference is clearly anti-Israeli, and suggests it is also biased against the West and its freedoms:
Sadly, however, the document being negotiated has gone from bad to worse, and the current text of the draft outcome document is not salvageable… It must not single out any one country or conflict, nor embrace the troubling concept of “defamation of religion.” The U.S. also believes an acceptable document should not go further than the DDPA on the issue of reparations for slavery.
So why is the Rudd Government so eager to go to such a festival of hatred against our values and allies? Writer Alan Gold is right - because a refusal to attend might offend Muslim and African countries whose UN votes Kevin Rudd is unnaturally eager to have:
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith hasn’t yet announced whether Australia will attend the review in Geneva. Much is at stake. Australia is a leading contender for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council and boycotting may affect how we are viewed at the tables of the world body.
How shameful a sell-out. As if it wasn’t enough that to toady for UN votes this Government has already voted for two anti-Israeli resolutions in the United Nations that the Howard Government wouldn’t support, and has now resumed aid even to Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.
And if you doubt that this UN conference could be as loaded and viciously anti-Western and anti-Israeli as I suggest, read its draft declaration here - a document created under the supervision of a Preparatory Committee chaired by Libya with the help of co-chairs including Iran and Pakistan, as well as a rapporteur from Cuba. (Yes, you couldn’t write a farce this absurd.)
Here are just some of the most alarming excerpts, which emphasise the sins of the West above those of the rest, blame colonialism for Third World failures, elevate “Islamophobia” above other forms of racism, propose legal restrictions on criticism of religions and Muslims in particular, single out only Israel for (extreme) criticism, recommend reparations for colonialism and (particularly colonial) slavery, accuse Israel of torture and collective punishment; attack moves by the West to protect itself against Islamist terrorism, and suggest the deletion of a reference noting the Holocaust wiped out a third of the world’s Jews.
You’d never guess from this document that in recent decades the worst genocides have been in Africa, the most savage terrorism has been launched by Islamists, the worst ethnic cleansings have been in Africa and Asia, and the people most likely to kill for their faith are Muslims:
20. Welcomes the actions taken to commemorate the memory of victims of slavery and the slave trade in particular the transatlantic slave trade [and the abolition of those historic tragedies and including the establishment of national, regional-hemispheric bicentennial committees to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade [and stresses the need to similarly address the trans-Saharan slave trade and the slave trade in the Indian Ocean.] [Also]Welcomes the adoption of GA Resolutions 61/19 and 62/122 related to the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade and remembrance of its victims and, in particular, the designation of 25 March as the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade …
(Note: square brackets indicate words that some delegates have suggested be removed.)
Further welcomes the initiative of the States Members of the Caribbean Community to erect at a place of prominence at United Nations Headquarters that is easily accessible to delegates, United Nations staff and visitors, a permanent memorial in acknowledgement of the tragedy and in consideration of the legacy of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade…
ALT: Appreciates the actions of those countries that have, in the context of colonialism and slavery, expressed remorse, apologized, paid reparations or restituted cultural artifacts…
[Draws attention to the impact of] [Strongly deplores the [overt and covert] discriminatory] counter-terrorism measures [on] [that have led to] the rise of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance [including the practice of racial, ethnic, national and religious profiling;]…
NEW PARA: Reaffirms that counter-terrorism strategies should not undermine the protection of human rights and the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance ...
26. [[Notes with concern] [Seriously concerned at the] instances of defamation of religions, which manifests itself in [projecting negative, insulting and derogatory images of religions and religious personalities,] generalized and stereotypical association of religions, in particular Islam, with violence and terrorism, thus impacting negatively on the rights of individuals belonging to these religions, including Muslim minorities, and exposing them to hatred and discrimination…
(Holocaust) [proposal to change title]
29. [Affirms that the Holocaust, which resulted in the murder of one third of the Jewish people, along with numerous members of other minorities, will forever be a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice; recalls again that the Holocaust must never be forgotten;]
ALT: Recalls that the Holocaust must never be forgotten; ...
30. [Expresses deep concern at the practices of racial discrimination against the Palestinian people as well as [Syrian nationals of the occupied Syrian Golan] [other inhabitants of the Arab occupied territories] which have an impact on all aspects of their daily existence and prevent the enjoyment of fundamental rights, and renews the call for the cessation of all such practices;]
31. [Reiterates that the Palestinian people have the inalienable right to self determination and that, in order to consolidate the [Israeli] occupation, they have been subjected to unlawful collective punishment, torture, economic blockade, severe restriction of movement and arbitrary closure of their territories. Also notes [with concern] that illegal settlements continue to be built in the occupied [Arab] territories [since 1967];]
32. [Reaffirms that a foreign occupation founded on settlements, laws based on racial discrimination with the aim of continuing domination of the occupied territory[y][ies], as well as the practice of reinforcing a total military blockade, isolating towns, villages and cities from one another, [totally] contradicts the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations [and constitutes a serious violation of international human rights and humanitarian law, a crime against humanity, a contemporary form of apartheid and serious threat to international peace and security] [and violates the basic principles of international human rights law];] ...
34. [Re-emphasizes the responsibility of the international community to provide international protection, in particular from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, for [Palestinian] civilian populations under occupation in conformity with international human rights law and international humanitarian law;]
[Proposal to include reference to Gaza situation – language to be provided] ...
36. Regrets recent attempts at the [pseudo] intellectual and [allegedly] [pseudo] scientific legitimization of racism [on the grounds of descent], in particular the revival of negative stereotyping of Africans and People of African descent [as inferior to other races, as slavery and colonialism have originated in such misguided ideas]...
53. Acknowledges that a most disturbing phenomenon is the intellectual and ideological validation of Islamophobia. When it is expressed against migrants it takes the form of religious-ethnic or religious-racial tones, when it is expressed in the form of defamation of religions, it takes cover behind the freedom of expression and when it is expressed in the form of profiling, it hides behind the war against terrorism. Believes that association of terrorism and violence with Islam or any other religion, including through publication of offensive caricatures and making of hate documentaries, would purposely complicate our common endeavours to address several contemporary issues, including the fight against terrorism and the occupation of foreign territories and peoples; ...
Recognizes that individuals, groups, peoples and nations that are affected by [the violation of] [discriminatory] policies and practices, such as colonialism, slavery and ethnic cleansing based on theories of racial national superiority, hatred and distinction as to race, colour, or national or ethnic origin, as well as culture, religion and language as victims of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and have the right to address these scourges…
Urges States that have not yet condemned, apologized and paid reparations for the grave and massive violations as well as the massive human suffering caused by slavery, the slave trade, the transatlantic slave trade, apartheid, colonialism and genocide, to do so at the earliest. Source: Herald Sun
 February 28
THE federal government will give a further $20 million to help with the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza.
The new funding is an addition to $10 million provided in January for emergency and humanitarian relief through United Nations and international and Australian non-governmental organisations.
A 22-day Israeli offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip ended on January 18 after causing massive devastation and killing more than 1300 Palestinians.
In a statement released by Foreign Minister Stephen Smith's office on Saturday, it was announced the new funding will be committed at an international donors conference on the recovery of Gaza in Egypt on Monday.
Assessments of damage to infrastructure in Gaza are continuing, the statement said.
United Nations agencies report widespread damage to vital infrastructure, resulting in a lack of shelter and energy, deterioration of water and sanitation services and overcrowding.
It is estimated 100,000 people are displaced and living in shelters.
The Australian government has committed $75 million to the Palestinian territories since December 2007. Source: The Australian
If you chose "No," please consider providing your solution to Gaza crisis in the comments.
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 November 26, 2008 | Janet Albrechtsen
TO spend a week in Israel is to begin to understand that this country is generations away from peace with Palestinians. The people here talk about tahadiya: a period of calm. To an outsider, it is a week of alarming disquiet where each day reveals yet another culprit killing the prospect of peace. What you see and hear is disturbing enough. Even more destructive to peace is that which is hidden from you. This is how the week unfolds.
Sunday: A Qassam rocket is launched from northern Gaza into Sderot, an Israeli town within 3km of the Hamas stronghold.
Monday: Three more rockets are fired into this small town of 20,000 Israelis that has endured thousands of rocket attacks in recent years. I arrive in Sderot by helicopter just ahead of Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
I see some of the mangled Qassam rockets that have hit this town. The rockets proudly bear the brand of the terrorists who launch them, written in Hebrew so the Israelis know who is firing at them. The Israelis who later collect the rockets date each of them in white paint and pile them up at the local police station. More than a hundred rockets were launched after Israel destroyed a Hamas tunnel built to attack Israel, a tunnel like the one used in June 2006 by militants to kidnap Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit from the edge of the Gaza strip. Shalit is the only Jew left in Gaza, a precious negotiating tool for Hamas. The Israeli Government has blocked access points to Gaza until the rockets stop.
Tuesday: A young Ethiopian woman, who has lost relatives to the rocket attacks from Gaza, tells me, “We don’t count the rockets anymore”. Three more qassam rockets slam into the fields of the Negev desert.
Wednesday: Two Qassam rockets land south of Ashkelon, a town well beyond the Gaza border, on the coast towards Tel Aviv.
Thursday: The Palestinian Authority runs advertisements in Israeli newspapers detailing in Hebrew Fatah’s commitment to a peace plan. It is a meaningless commitment. Analysts call this a virtual negotiation. How can Israel negotiate peace with Palestinian interlocutors in Fatah, who have no control over Gaza, where more than 40 per cent of Palestinians live? If elections were held in the West Bank today, predictions are that Hamas would win there, putting an end to the co-operation that has stopped the terrorism emanating from that Palestinian enclave.
Friday: Another rocket is launched from Gaza into the industrial zone of Ashkelon.
Put aside the rocket attacks by Hamas, the ineffectual leadership of Fatah, the Israeli settlements that poison relations and stymie solutions, the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the other intractable hurdles to peace. The real, long-term harm is happening quietly away from the prying eyes of what the locals here call Pali-wood: the Hollywood stars, the array of doe-eyed peace activists and the knaves at the UN who simplistically side with the Palestinians. That said, no one imagines Israel is free from fault. But its Government is not creating civil institutions that preach hatred and violence.
By contrast, an entire generation of Palestinian children is being raised on a full diet of hate education, on jihad and anti-Semitism. This is the long-term hurdle to peace in this generation, and the next. Look at the website of Palestinian Media Watch (http://www.pmw.org.il) where analysts have long tracked what the Palestinian leadership under Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas is doing. Not what is said to Westerners in English or what they tell Israelis in Hebrew.
Look at what Palestinians are teaching their children in Arabic. Look at the geography books for Palestinian children that encourage children to see no Israel, books that feature maps of Israel in the colours of the Palestinian flag, and described as Palestine. Learn about the May 2008 soccer championships for young boys in honour of terrorists such as Samir Quntar and Muhammad al-Mabhuh. Or the July 2008 summer camp held for young girls named in honour of female suicide bomber Dalal al-Mughrabi, who hijacked a holiday bus in 1978, murdering 12 children and 25 adults.
Listen to Fatah-funded children’s television where children are taught to continue the way of the shahids (the suicide bombers) and quizzed about Mughrabi. She is presented as “the beloved bride, child of Jaffa, jasmine flower”. Or quizzes where children routinely identify Israeli landmarks, towns and ports such as Haifa, Ashdod and Eilat as Palestinian. Where children are taught that “Palestine” covers 27,000sqkm; in fact Gaza and the West Bank total 6200sqm. When the next generation of leaders is taught from childhood that Israel does not exist, how is future negotiation possible?
The irony is that this hate education is funded by the West, by countries that pour money into the PA who use it to glorify terrorism and to twist young minds against Israel, and peace. Countries such as Australia. Last year in Ramallah, headquarters of Fatah, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith lauded one of the first acts of the new Labor Government as being a pledge of $45million to the Palestinian people and $7.5m going directly to the PA. Does the minister know how the PA is using Western money?
Hillary Clinton knows about the direct flow of Western money into Fatah’s sewer of hate education. Last year she launched PMW’s latest report and pointed out the consequences of the toxic indoctrination of children: “We cannot build a peaceful, stable, safe future on such a hate-filled violent and radical foundation.”
The other irony is obvious to anyone with any understanding of the Palestinian leadership. Fatah is a discredited, corrupt, ineffective political party filled with the remnants of the Arafat era that has lost support of its people. Hamas is a terrorist movement still committed to bloody violence against Jews. There is no two-state solution until Palestinians can agree on one voice to represent them in a genuine peace settlement.
Yet consider this. According to the PMW, more than half of the Palestinian educators in the teachers’ union are affiliated with Hamas. What hope the children? What hope is there emerging from the next generation a group of moderate Palestinian leaders capable of carving out peace for their people?
These are questions not simply for the present leadership of the Palestinian people. But also for the leaders of countries such as Australia, who talk in rhetorical flourishes about a renewed peace initiative, and yet must surely know that this money is used for propaganda that kills any chance of peace.
They call this a period of calm. Surely they mean the calm before the storm unless the hate education of the next generation of Palestinians ends.
Janet Albrechtsen travelled to Israel as the guest of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Source: The Australian
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Copyright Muslims Against Sharia 2008. All rights reserved.
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