What began as a powerful anti-Palestinian campaign by a few Zionist organisations and individuals turned into a victory for Adelaide Writers' Week (AWW) and the Palestinian writers who attended.
The sessions featuring the Palestinians, particularly those held in conjunction with Australian First Nations writers, were phenomenally popular; hundreds of people attended these sessions.
As Louise Adler said, “People are free to deeply object. They don’t have to come. Or come, and you don’t need to agree with what people think. But people listened. These steadfast Adelaide audiences came out in their thousands and listened with courtesy and respect for the conversation. It should be something that lifts the spirits of all of us.”
“The definition proposed for adoption by the South Australian parliament is one devised by the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (or IHRA). It is a flawed definition because it singles out one group of people for special treatment. This motion is specific to Israel and to Israel only. The motion moved by One Nation’s Sarah Game gives Israel a ‘get out of jail free’ card.
The motion itself determines the ways in which we might be allowed to criticise Israel without finding ourselves labelled as antisemitic.”
"The roads leading to the Wadi al-Hummus area of Sur Baher are narrow, bumpy, full of potholes and so steep your heart skips a beat and your hand switches to first gear. These narrow arteries are surrounded by very dense construction, inconsistent in its style and quality. Here and there, a few ancient stone buildings stand out, their beauty untainted despite the rushed additions of a floor or a few rooms."
"As the bitter, decades-long conflict with Israel continues, the Palestinians’ traditional cuisine is under threat, as families have been separated from the farms and valleys that supplied their regional ingredients for hundreds of years. As a result, locals worry that their once-proud culinary identity is disappearing and their food is losing its distinct land-to-table flavour."
"Locals in the camp, located in Bethlehem city in the southern occupied West Bank, told Middle East Eye that Israeli special forces raided the camp around 3am in search of wanted Palestinians, sparking small clashes with residents. During the clashes, Israeli soldiers shot and killed the high school student, despite him wearing a reflective vest clearly marking him as a medic."
"This year’s marathon, with 7,000 runners expected, also aims to raise international awareness of the cultural heritage and political landscape of this historical city of Bethlehem, five miles south of Jerusalem. The marathon will pass through the Aida and Dheisheh refugee camps in the city so runners can see how Palestinian refugees who migrated from their cities and villages from within Israel in 1948 are living."
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