The difference between the MEDIA reaction (this author has no idea what individuals think about foreign tragedies and killings) to Parrammatta and Isreal, Palestine etc., is that the Parrammatta murder occurred in Australia, and an Australian was murdered by a terrorist.

Anyone with a modicum of common sense and still living and breathing knows that the people closest to us are more important than those we don't know at all. Family, neighbourhood, state, country then, way down the list, people far away and unknown. It's human nature.

The Chair of the NSW Community Relations Commission really should not be wasting his time, and NSW money, lecturing people on how we should feel about foreigners

Perhaps the general population in Australia view Israel's treatment of Palestine in the same way that the Australian government treats asylum seekers on Manus and Nauru...shameless, hypocritical and mostly illegal in International jurisdictions.

Dear Vic Alhadeff,

The wave of stabbings in Jerusalem is indeed shocking, it must make life there very uncomfortable and highly stressful for its residents.

I also take the point about the press coverage and I understand how it would concern and frustrate you.

But in a very real sense can't you be rightly accused of exactly the same selectiveness? You have failed to state that Rabbi Aharon Bennett was an Israeli Defence Force soldier and Rabbi Nehemia Lavi was a reservist who was armed and came prepared to kill the attacker.

The greater number of Palestinian attacks have been directed toward soldiers, police and other security services. What is particularly distressing involvement of Bennett's wife and young children who sustained injuries. While attacks on armed occupying forces might have some legitimacy, attacks on civilians most certainly don't and I condemn such as terrorism.

Should we regard policemen or unarmed soldiers with their families as legitimate? I don't.

Here is your problem. During the Gaza conflict Israelis targeted policemen in their homes. They slaughtered them and their families and many including yourself claimed moral authority for them to do so.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/israel-middle-east/gaza-police-chief-survives-israeli-airstrike-on-family-home-but-bombs-kill-18-relatives-including-children

Indeed - “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”

"Compare the above to the reaction which Israel and Israelis ...etc"

No, I will not be doing that at all. It is a fallacious false comparison, manipulative rhetoric and emotional blackmail.

If the author has a case to argue and I am not saying he hasn't, he should be putting in the hard yards and arguing the rights and wrongs and his solution to the tiresome, bloody Middle East.

Perhaps Peter King should stop inventing scurrilous rubbish about the Australian government mistreating illegal immigrants - criminals who were looking to have an easy life spending welfare dollars provided by Australians.

ttbn, he, the author does have a point, but it is not about us, so much as the left wing media. They were some of them down playing the Parramatta attack as being politically motivated until we shouted them down on talk back radio.

Peter King, what is wrong with treating criminals like criminals?

SteeleRedux, islam has 1,400 years of jihad history.

onthebeach, nothing could be easier than solving the Middle East problem.

ttbn, correct.