In 1977, Vanessa Redgrave financed and narrated The Palestinian, a documentary made after travelling through Lebanon and Syria and meeting Palestinians, including Yasser Arafat. The film provoked considerable opposition, including from the Jewish Defense League.

On 3 April 1978, that controversy followed Redgrave to the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, where she was nominated for Julia. Outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, JDL supporters demonstrated while Palestinian and pro-Palestinian protesters held a counter-demonstration. Associated Press photographer Doug Pizac captured this photograph, which AP identifies as JDL supporters burning an effigy of Redgrave.

Redgrave won Best Supporting Actress that evening. During her acceptance speech she thanked members of the Academy who had resisted intimidation from what she called a “small bunch of Zionist hoodlums”, remarks which produced both applause and boos and became one of the most controversial Oscar speeches of the period.

I originally came across this while following up on The Palestinian, which I posted in full over at r/PalestinianCinema about two weeks ago. For anyone interested in seeing the film that formed part of the controversy:

Vanessa Redgrave – The Palestinian (1977)

One archival qualification: AP identifies the effigy in this photograph as Vanessa Redgrave, and other accounts corroborate an effigy of Redgrave being burned. Some contemporary reporting, however, described protesters burning Yasser Arafat in effigy that evening. It's possible both occurred, but I haven't found sufficient primary evidence to state that conclusively.

Contemporary background: Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 30 March 1978 | Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 5 April 1978

Photo: Doug Pizac / Associated Press, Los Angeles, 3 April 1978.

Source: ABC News / Associated Press photograph

https://x.com/davidsaysstuff_/status/2096618832072773845

Israel sent Virginia Foxx (@virginiafoxx)—and your kids are the target. @elonuniversity is ground zero. GET IN THE FIGHT !!!

https://x.com/btselem/status/2096566038976442414

For decades, B’Tselem has documented violence, demolitions, displacement and the dispossession of Palestinians from their land in the West Bank.

Raj’in (“We Shall Return”) brings this documentation work into a new medium.

Co-created by Faiz Abu Rmeleh and Keren Manor and co-produced by B’Tselem and NowHere Media, the film, which is currently being screened as part of the Venice International Film Festival, was shot with 360° cameras and also incorporates footage filmed by Palestinian residents and protective presence activists. Through virtual reality, it places viewers inside the spaces where Palestinian shepherding communities in the West Bank face Israeli violence, demolitions and displacement from their land.

Since October 2023, 65 Palestinian communities have been entirely forcibly displaced, while another 18 have been partially displaced. More than 4,861 people have been driven from their homes and land, including at least 2,315 children.

Netanyahu’s government is guilty of settler colonialism and genocide. With the Knesset elections coming up, is the colony’s opposition the solution? Let’s take a look at key figures.

Neftali Bennet, leader of the “Bennett 2026” Party. He describes himself as “more right-wing than Netanyahu”. He said that Gaza’s children “are not children but terrorists trying to kill our children” and called in 2023 for a total blockade on Gaza. He was head of an umbrella organization of Jewish settlements called the Yesha Council, and supports the annexation of the West Bank.

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the “Yashar” Party. He speaks of “equal rights” within the colony. He was chief of the staff of the colony’s occupation army and led ethnic razing operations in the West Bank. He supported the massive bombing of infrastructure in Beirut as a means of deterrence against the Lebanese resistance, and applied the same in Gaza as part of the “War Cabinet”.

Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the “Yisrael Beiteinu” Party. He spoke of a two-state “solution” on the basis of the ethnic razing of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship from 1948-occupied Palestine to areas under the “Palestinian Authority”. He supports the colony’s focus on “preemptive” military action and claimed that there are “no innocents in Gaza”.

Yair Golan, leader of the “Democrats” Party. He speaks of a two-state “solution”. He criticized the colony’s “killing babies in Gaza” but not the genocide itself. He says the colony’s army is “an occupying military” yet believes it is “justified”. He served as an officer in the occupation army which he believes is “a moral army that protects human dignity”.

Yair Lapid, leader of the “Yesh Atid” Party. He speaks of a two-state “solution”. He said that the media should present “only the Israeli side” as “presenting both sides would serve Hamas”. He supports annexation of occupied Syrian territory. He also expressed support of “Greater Israel”, which he defined as expanding the colony’s borders “as much as possible”.

Alon-Lee Green, co-leader of the “Makom Lekulanu” Party. He speaks of a two-state “solution” and “equal rights” within the colony. He supports “radical empathy” and spoke of occupation soldiers killed by the Palestinian resistance as “innocent victims”. His Party does not mention the right of return and has stated it will support the candidate “best poised to oust Netanyahu”—i.e. one of the above.

The above paints a picture of the colony’s opposition, clearly showing it opposes Netanyahu, not settler colonialism. One need not delve into that many details, however. Zionism is, by definition, the support of the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. One’s support of Zionism is enough to make one guilty, regardless of one’s statements regarding solutions, rights or peace.

The truth is clear: The problem is not the Netanyahu government for the solution to be a different government. The problem is the genocidal settler-colonial state of Israel and the solution is its dismantling and the establishment of its antithesis: One democratic Palestinian state, for all its citizens, from the river to the sea.

Six year old Wafaa Yousef Aqila was killed alongside her father in an Israeli airstrike on their car in Gaza City.

Wafaa was killed on the very day she was meant to begin school.

Labor and the Coalition have voted down a Greens amendment to strip tax breaks from charities funding illegal Israeli settlements and the IDF. Stephanie Tran reports.

The Labor Government has joined with the Coalition to vote against a Greens amendment which would have stripped deductible gift recipient status from Australian organisations found to be supporting an illegal occupation by funding Israeli settlements and organisations linked to the IDF.

Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi introduced the amendment in the Senate this week, arguing that Australian taxpayers should not subsidise organisations whose funds support illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Genocide is a war crime. Ethnic cleansing is a war crime.

But in this country, you can send money to fund those war crimes, and you’ll receive a tax deduction,” Faruqi told the Senate.

Both Labor and the Coalition opposed the amendment.

Faruqi referenced investigations by Michael West Media which revealed that Australian charities registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) were hosting fundraisers linked to the IDF and Israeli settlements in the West Bank while benefiting from DGR status.

“These charities are helping to bankroll the genocide in Gaza by channelling funds to organisations linked to the IDF and to violent illegal settlements off the back of Australian taxpayer money.”

The proposed amendment would have amended the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to provide that an entity would not be entitled to DGR endorsement if it had supported an “illegal occupation”.

Last month, the UK Charity Commission launched an investigation into charities in England and Wales donating funds to illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine.

ACNC rules “don’t extend to … international law”

Faruqi said the amendment was necessary because the existing regulatory framework did not adequately address conduct that breached international law.

“By maintaining DDR status for these supposed charities, the government says that this violence is okay. That is what this government is doing. That these murders are okay. That this ethnic cleansing is okay,” she said.

“How can supporting ethnic cleansing, settler occupation, and murdering Palestinians be ensuring the safety of vulnerable individuals overseas? It cannot and the ACNC has not been able to answer these questions.”

When she previously moved the amendment in March, Labor senator Anthony Chisholm told the Senate that the ACNC’s external conduct standards did not extend to conduct under international law.

Faruqi said that meant charities could continue to fund activities that are unlawful under international law while retaining their tax concessions.

“Labor is more than happy for those who participate in, sustain, and fund the illegal occupation of the West Bank, an occupation that Labor itself has recognised as illegal, yet it gets a tax deduction,” she said.

Labor senator Tim Ayres said “charity registration can be revoked by the ACNC where the governance and external conduct standards are not met”.

However, Ayres reiterated the government’s previous position that “the external conduct standards don’t extend to conduct under international law.”

Subsidising illegal occupation

Faruqi challenged Ayres over whether the ACNC was investigating specific organisations identified in MWM investigations.

She cited the Chai Charitable Foundation, which received more than $19m in tax-deductible donations in 2025 and had hosted campaigns for organisations that publicly stated they provided direct support to IDF soldiers.

She also referred to reporting by MWM which revealed that the Foundation had hosted fundraising campaigns linked to settlements in Tekoa and Hebron in the West Bank.

Faruqi also cited investigations on United Israel Appeal Australia, which reported $50m in revenue in 2024, and funded the Lone Immigrant Soldier program, which provides support to immigrants serving in the IDF. The organisation has also funded settlement-related activities in the West Bank.

“Minister, do you know if the ACNC is investigating these organisations?” Faruqi asked.

Ayres heads off allegations

Ayres responded that “the ACNC is an independent regulator and it’s accountable for the work that it does on an independent basis”.

When Faruqi pressed him on whether he should know whether the organisations were receiving tax deductions and whether the allegations demonstrated that existing safeguards were insufficient, Ayres said he could not respond to questions about individual organisations.

Faruqi challenged the government over the external conduct standard requiring charities operating overseas to take reasonable steps to protect vulnerable people.

Palestinians living under occupation, displacement, and genocide

are clearly vulnerable people. Australians are deeply distressed that tax-deductible donations may be supporting organisations connected to the very forces and settlements harming them,” she said.

“Minister, why won’t the government listen to those concerns and support this amendment, so that it can be crystal clear that Australian tax concessions cannot be used to subsidize what your own government recognizes as an illegal occupation? What is the problem here?”

Ayres said the government’s “approach in relation to the broader question has been very clear”.

“I don’t really understand the relationship that you’re trying to draw between the purposes of this piece of legislation, which is about DGR status and a whole range of things,” he said.

Escalating settler violence

The amendment comes as violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has escalated, with two Palestinian teenagers murdered last week by Israeli troops.

Sixteen-year-old Khalil Abu Alia and 19-year-old Omar al-Nassan were killed in the Palestinian village of al-Mughayyir after settlers entered the village under police and military escort.

Abu Alia, who was about to begin year 11, was shot in the neck while standing on the doorstep of his home. Al-Nassan, who had recently graduated from the same school, was also shot and died before reaching hospital.

The two teenagers were among five students from the same school killed in Israeli attacks this year. The other victims included a 17-year-old Palestinian youth footballer and two 14-year-olds.

At the same time, Israeli forces demolished the homes of 12 Palestinian families in Khirbet al-Taban in the South Hebron Hills, leaving all 70 residents homeless, including 28 children, according to Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem.

The organisation said the community was the 66th Palestinian community to have been wiped out since October 2023.

“These are whole worlds and lives extinguished in evil, depraved, and violent attacks that have become part of everyday life for Palestinians,” Faruqi said.

Coalition, Nats, Labor, One Nation – same deal

The Coalition also opposed the amendment.

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie accused Faruqi of conflating support for the IDF with criminal conduct and criticised what she described as “abhorrent anti-Semitic comments”.

“Listening to Senator Faruqi, it would seem that supporting the IDF or the families of the IDF is somehow now a crime in Australia,” McKenzie said.

She said the Coalition would not support the amendment and “look forward to voting no as soon as possible”.

Faruqi, meanwhile, argued that the amendment was about preventing Australian tax concessions from supporting activities Australia itself recognises as unlawful.

“The International Court of Justice, in 2024, called on parties, states such as Australia, to prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of illegal situations created by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories,” she said.

“Labor allows Australian charities to funnel money to support ethnic cleansing, apartheid, violence, and occupation.” She accused Labor of hypocrisy

over its position on Palestinian statehood and Israeli settlement expansion.

“It is completely disingenuous for the government to say it supports a Palestinian state while effectively subsidising its destruction,” Faruqi said.

“Supporting these heinous crimes deserves a criminal investigation, not a tax deduction.”

“Labor says they mourn the death of Zomi Frankcom, but in the same breath, they hand tax benefits to those who support the murderers.”

Hey everyone, I’d like to purchase a keffiyeh to show my support and solidarity to Palestine. After a quick google search, I couldn’t find a website where I could trust that the keffiyeh actually comes from Palestine or that the money I’m spending would be going to a good cause.

Can anyone recommend where I could ethically buy a keffiyeh in a way that supports Palestine or a Palestinian run business? I won’t just buy one from any website.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

First image: Skeptically Optimistic

Source:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc8_1PHthwO/

https://youtu.be/ob1SzKP1MlQ

More than 500 Australian doctors and medical students, including a Nobel laureate, have signed an open letter calling on the federal government to “move from statements of concern to action” regarding Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The signatories – 86 per cent of whom are verified doctors spanning physicians, surgeons and psychiatrists – say they are “legally and morally compelled to protect any child suspected to be at risk of harm or neglect”.

“We cannot remain silent while Palestinian children are being starved, maimed and killed by the actions of Israeli authorities and military forces,”

We have released the Gaza Node Map: every event, location, person, video, soldier, strike, victim, journalist, etc - are mapped out as a nodes, and each node linked with it's related nodes for researchers.

It includes:

92,588 events
159,520 links
3,440 fascilities
715 Actors/IDF units
21,427 strikes
Fully searchable index
Downloadable database
Dossier per node with related events & source links
Generate report button per node & node groups

It can be accessed here: archivegenocide.com

Please re-share & quote tweet to help it break out of the algorithm.

This is a slice of the data, we are uploading the rest of it as fast as possible. If you want to submit footage or give feedback / report a bug, you can join our telegram server linked on the website.

Thanks to everyone involved in this project. This is a beta so expect bugs & errors, especially on mobile devices - we suggest you use a PC.

God bless.

​

The search for people still buried beneath the rubble continues.

Today, around 100 recovered bodies are being buried, including at least 50 children whose remains were finally found after being trapped beneath the ruins.

But many more people are still missing under the rubble.

Finding and recovering their remains requires heavy equipment, specialized teams, and resources that are extremely expensive and difficult to access here.

Please remember that the war did not end for the families still waiting to recover their loved ones from beneath the ruins.

I recently watched "The voice of Hind Rajab".

"The voice of Hind Rajab" is only 1h30min long yet it was very hard for me to watch this movie knowing what happened to Hind Rajab on January 29th 2024. I know about the genocide of Palestinians ever since I was 10/11. The worst part is Hind Rajab is not the only kid that was killed by the IOF.

I'm keep seeing dead bodies of children(toddlers,kids under 10,teenagers and more) on twitter, Instagram and all the other social media yet I can't do anything about it other than spreading what's happening in Palestine.

I'm tired of seeing this genocide. Is anything even working? No matter how many times we protest or boycott stuff those monsters are still dropping bombs on people. Islamic countries are shaking hands with the genociders. What do we have to do to stop all of this? Where is the ceasefire?

I now understand the "ignorance is bliss" proverb cause I kinda wish that I never knew about what Palestinians going through.

NO CHILDREN REGARDLESS OF THEIR RACE OR RELIGION SHOULD GO THROUGH SUCH HORRIBLE SITUATIONS FEARING FOR THEIR LIVES EVERY SINGLE DAY.

The justices questioned why soldiers were filmed playing soccer with settlers who seized the homes, and why police failed to arrest suspects identified in attack footage. 'There are questions in abundance; satisfactory answers – fewer' the court said

Israel's High Court of Justice ordered the state on Sunday to allow three Palestinian families who were expelled from their homes by settlers in the West Bank to return and to provide security for them.

In its decision on a petition filed by three residents of Jalud, the court sharply criticized the Israeli military and police for failing to prevent the settler attacks and the families' expulsion, as well as for failing to take sufficient action to bring those responsible to justice.

The petition was filed by three residents of Jalud, which lies in Area B of the West Bank, after violent settlers forced three families from their homes and entered and occupied one of the houses. Jalud, near Qusra, is one of several Palestinian villages in the Nablus area that have become a flashpoint for settler attacks over recent weeks.

Last week, an NBC News international correspondent and members of his press crew who were interviewing a Palestinian woman were attacked and injured by masked Israeli settlers in the village.

One of the families involved in the petition, the Tubasis, had been besieged for almost a month between two outposts that settlers had established on both sides of their plot of land in the village of Jalud, on the edge of Area B, which is under Israeli security control but Palestinian civil control.

After repeated settler attacks and an outpost established in their yard, the Tubasi family was finally expelled from their home in front of a Haaretz team and in the presence of Border Police officers on July 22.

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit and Justices Yechiel Kasher and Alex Stein wrote in their decision that "the bottom line, based on the material before us at the time of writing, is that the petitioners have still been unable to return to their homes. This fact speaks for itself and cannot be accepted."

The justices instructed the state to coordinate a date for the families' return, when security forces are to protect them and allow them to bring in equipment and supplies needed to repair their homes and restore their water and electricity infrastructure.

The court also issued a conditional order requiring the state to detail by September 22 what measures it is taking to arrest the settlers responsible for the attacks, prevent them from returning and harming the Palestinian residents, and pursue their prosecution.

The court noted that the state did not dispute the sequence of events described by the petitioners, according to which the harassment began in April, when settlers erected a tent on the residents' privately owned land. The Palestinians were subsequently subjected to months of incursions, threats, roadblocks, stone-throwing and damage to property and infrastructure.

According to the decision, settlers repeatedly threw stones at the petitioners' homes to intimidate the families, cut off their water line, broke and uprooted trees, grazed livestock on their private land, set fire to a vehicle belonging to one of the families and blocked the road connecting the homes to Jalud with large rocks.

The attacks effectively cut off and placed the homes under de facto siege, the court said. The families were forced to leave in July and have not returned since.

The justices also sharply criticized what they described as the failure of the IDF and police to effectively confront the settler attacks. They questioned why soldiers had been filmed playing soccer with settlers who had taken over the homes, why police had not seized vehicles documented as being used in the attacks and why people clearly identified in footage had not been arrested.

"The picture that emerges is extremely bleak," the justices wrote. "There are questions in abundance; satisfactory answers – fewer."

In addition to ordering the state to facilitate the families' return, the court demanded an update on the confiscation of vehicles, investigative measures and possible prosecutions of suspects involved in the attacks.

Attorney Ghiyath Nasser, who filed the petition on behalf of the residents, called the ruling "a courageous and important decision by the High Court" and "a significant milestone in confronting the phenomenon of settlers taking over Palestinian homes and land in the West Bank."

"The court made clear that general statements about enforcement are not enough, and that the real test is the result: whether homeowners can return to their homes safely and whether the intruders are actually removed," Nasser added.

Shortly after the High Court issued its decision, police announced that two suspects had been arrested in connection with a violent attack in the nearby village of Qusra.

Police said a search of the vehicle of one suspect, a 19-year-old resident of the West Bank, uncovered an air pistol, a knife, a pocketknife and tear gas. A second suspect, an 18-year-old resident of the Jordan Valley who was serving as an active-duty IDF soldier, was also arrested as part of the investigation.