News and Events

Albanese Government Supports Unconscionable UN Resolutions

SHAME YET AGAIN AS THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS UNCONSCIONABLE UN RESOLUTIONS AGAINST ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE

As Alexander Downer when Foreign Minister of Australia in 2005  said  in reference to United Nations resolutions “too many of these resolutions are aimed at condemning Israel. You would think by looking at these resolutions that this small country – with a population roughly equivalent to NSW and a land mass one fortieth its size – is responsible for the worst human rights violations and much of the world’s ills.

And this is an era when many of the most egregious human rights violators are elevated to positions of responsibility in the UN.  A truly farcical situation!”

So, the question is, what has changed?

What has changed is that under the current Australian Federal Government Australia has for the first time supported resolutions of the UN Second Committee relating to two matters.

The first calls for Israeli compensation for an oil slick on Lebanese shores. This event apparently occurred some nearly 20  years ago in 2006 and according to Israel happened as  a result of Lebanon’s own security failings with terrorists infiltrating the Israeli border leading to the Israel – Lebanon war and damage to a Lebanese power station with a resulting oil spill. It has been reported that the oil spill was cleaned up with a final report published in August of 2009.

Australia has voted NO on this resolution since 2006.

The second UN resolution now supported by the Australian Federal Government recognises “ permanent Palestinian sovereignty” for the first time in 20 years. A resolution Australia has not supported in all that time, and now ridiculously being supported by Australia at a time of war? This resolution, which has serious consequences for the rights of Israel as a sovereign state, has caused great alarm among Australian Jewish roof body organisations and the Jewish community at large.

Australian Jews now feel a great sense of abandonment by our Federal
Government because of the abrupt change in Australia’s position toward Israel at the UN and the destruction of bipartisanship across the Australian political divide. The new position also now puts Australia at odds with its allies including Israel, the United States and Canada .

ARZA, as the Australian Progressive Zionist roof body strongly supports the views expressed by Australia’s  Jewish roof bodies, the ECAJ and the ZFA and calls upon the Albanese Government to rethink its position in the name of racial and religious harmony in our country and in support of a peaceful resolution to the current Middle East conflict, started and continued for over a year by Iran and its proxies.

Helen Shardey OAM

2024-11-19T11:13:18+11:00November 19th, 2024|Events, News|

Israel’s retaliatory attack on Iran

The Mask is Off

Israel’s retaliatory attack on Iran on 26 October 2024 is an unprecedented act representing the beginning of a new phase in the Middle East.

Iran and Israel have been fighting a shadow war for many years. Iran both established and has been supporting a circle of fire around Israel for decades, by arming and financing terrorist groups in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Gaza, Yemen and Iraq, as well as the in the West Bank. As the Iranian leadership has repeatedly declared, this is all with the aim of eradicating Israel whilst trying to obtain nuclear weapons which would provide the ultimate tool to execute their intentions..

Israel, on the other hand, has been fighting these proxies and has led numerous covert operations in an attempt to delay and damage Iran’s capabilities for such annihilation.

Iran attacked Israel directly for the first time in April this year, launching around 100 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones from Iranian soil, and again early in October with approximately 200 (mostly ballistic) missiles.

The mask is now off, with Israel retaliating with a very calculated and targeted attack on Saturday 27th October that has significantly damaged Iran’s aerial defence capabilities and destroyed some military ballistic missile production facilities.

Coordinated with the US, this was a measured response that sends a clear message to Iran of Israel’s capacity to cause significant damage to Iran’s oil and gas industry, as well as to their nuclear facilities, should Iran retaliate further. The US understood and supported Israel’s need and right to respond to the Iranian attack earlier this month. However, with a looming election in the coming fortnight, they wanted Israel to temper their response to avoid further escalation.The US sent reinforcements for Israel’s defence capabilities and sent messages of deterrence to Tehran.

There are two main possible scenarios that could now play out:

The optimistic scenario is that Iran will contain their reaction and avoid retaliation that could lead to a stronger response from Israel in return. This scenario could possibly lead to a negotiated deal that would see the release of the hostages in Gaza, implementation of UN resolution 1701 in Lebanon (Hezbollah withdrawing north of the Litani river) and the promotion of a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia.

The less optimistic scenario is a third attack from Iran, which would generate more significant retaliatory attacks from Israel, potentially targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities and oil and gas infrastructure.

The outcome of this new phase of direct Iran vs Israel conflict will potentially shape the future of the Middle East – a potential process of acceptance, reconciliation and de-radicalisation within some of the Sunni Arab states led by Saudi Arabia, versus continued escalation led by the Iranian-led coalition of radical shite Islamists, including terror organisations like Hezbollah working together with the Jihadist Sunni extremist movements such as the Muslim brotherhood and their affiliated terror organisations like Hamas.

Now that the mask is off, Israel needs stronger support from the international community, led by the US and Europe, to address the risks that these radicals pose to the stability of the Middle East and the world at large.

2024-10-28T15:48:26+11:00October 28th, 2024|News|

ARZA AGM 2024

ARZA AGM 2024

Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the provisions of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012 (VIC), the Annual General Meeting of the Australian Reform Zionist Association (ARZA) will be held on:

Date: Wednesday 6 November 2024
Time: 8:00pm (AEDT) 

The AGM will be held online via Zoom. Click here to join.

Click on the following links to view the:

Notice of meeting and agenda

Executive Committee and Ordinary Member Nomination Form

Minutes of the 2023 AGM

Please RSVP your attendance or apologies to the Honorary Secretary at arza@arza.org.au by Friday 1 November.

2024-10-28T15:46:59+11:00October 28th, 2024|Events|
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