To my great regret, I largely adopted her mothering skills, although without rejection, with my own children. Without a grandmother, they also felt rejected - or, saw it as my fault. When they eventually met, they understood, yet tend to condemn her. I explain: “until you have walked in someone else’s shoes ...”

I managed to obtain some information from her, but she would change the subject: “let’s not talk of sad things.” I gained information from archives in France, Germany and Australia - completing the picture. It was less the SS documents, emblazoned with insignia, than the two casually, hand-written lines by Watson, Australian Dept. of Internal Affairs, overturning my father’s visa - and his death sentence - I found most distressing. By this time, they knew what was happening to Jews - even referring to him as “a Jewish refugee” - unfortunately, an Austrian, thus enemy alien, he was not permitted to enter Australia.

Australian officials tried to deny their knowledge of much happening in Europe, yet a deputation of aboriginal Koories demonstrated against the persecution of Jews (and Christians) as early a December 6, 1938, outside the German Consulate in Melbourne.

Nazi’s kristallnacht, November 1938. heralded an upsurge of violence, intimidation and persecution of Germany’s Jewish population.

“Less than one month later, on December 6th 1938 ... Victorian Aboriginal man, William Cooper, led a deputation of Kooris from the Australian Aborigines League ... to present the German Consulate in Melbourne ... a resolution ‘condemning the persecution of Jews and Christians in Germany’. The Consul-General, Dr. R.W. Drechsler, refused them admittance.”

http://thegroovolution.org/?q=node/42

“Thus, the first group in Australia to try and lodge a formal protest with the German government's representative about the persecution of the German Jewish community, were a group of Koori political activists”

http://www.eteachers.com.au/Samples/int/Sec/Hitler/week12/stim02.htm

In recognition of indigenous support, Jewish university students spend summer holidays working in particular communities.

Some years ago an aboriginal woman told me a major problem today, was the whites had emasculated their menfolk.

Danielle,

Yes we share much common ground. The death penalty in most countries is an abuse of human rights and first among the users are the Chinese. The Chinese carry out 90% of the world's judicial executions annually. I too was until very recently involved in activities protesting the use of the death penalty. The one thing that really appalls me is the executions that take place outside of the court systems. Predominant in that particular abuse are many African nations. While the numbers are unknown, for the obvious reasons, they are regarded as substantial. Israel joins them when they undertake political assassinations.

keith

Whilst being very uncomfortable about political assassinations I personally would place them as different from the death penalty. At least assassinations cam be the lesser of evils if you are removing someone who is pivotal to a campaign of killing. An unrelated historical example is the attempts on Hitler, if any had succeeded many lives would have been saved.

They equate only when punishment is intended rather than stopping a worse problem. Otherwise it could be seen in the same light as soldiers killing each other in battle. A terrorist or militant leader is after all choosing to place them self in a battle situation.

Palestinian Return into Israel

Very few Palestinian refugees are originally from Israel.

The massive discrepancy in numbers of those cited by Israel (from years ago) and those by the current Palestinian Authority are an artifact of their history since 1950.

Jordan annexed the West Bank in 1950, thereby blocking the establishment of a Palestinian state. Palestinians living there became Jordanian nationals. Initially none of the members of the Arab League recognised Jordan’s annexation of the West Bank, but accepted it as de facto.

The Egyptian government took over the administration of Gaza. However, Palestinian citizenship was withdrawn by Egypt in 1979.

In 1988, the Palestinian National Council was to adopt a  resolution calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza once Israeli occupation was lifted. The late King Hussein of Jordon, surrendered his claim to the West Bank severing all legal and administrative ties with it.

By Royal decree, he revoked Jordanian nationality of over 1.5 million Palestinians living in the West Bank..

Article (2) of the royal decree  stipulates: “Every person residing in the West Bank before 31st  July 1988 is to be considered a Palestinian, not a Jordanian citizen”.

Although challenged, the High Court of Justice in Jordan held that the Jordanian monarch's actions were not subject to judicial review because they fell under the rubric of 'acts of state'.

Since 1988, two types of nationality are current in Jordan:

(1) Jordanians – East Jordanians, or those of Palestinian origin living permanently in Jordan.

(2) Palestinians in the West Bank can have a 'Jordanian passport'.

Targeted Killing

Prior to the adoption of targeted killings, the Israeli government went through legal process. Israel’s attorney general reviewed the policy, and determined it legal under both Israeli and international law.

Israel has a history of accuracy in such attacks; when tragic errors do occur - generally the result of flawed intelligence - investigation is undertaken to prevent any recurrence.

cont ...

The British are not averse to targeted killing. They assassinated Nazis after WWII; targeted IRA terrorists in Northern Island, and terrorists in Malaya. I have no doubt that those considered dangerous to national security have been assassinated by Security Services (MI5 and MI6).

In April 1986, after the Libyan terrorist attack on a West Berlin discotheque, the US led a raid
on Libyan targets, including Gadaffi’s home. Reagan defended this: “As a right to self-defence, any nation victimized by terrorism has an inherent right to respond with force to deter new acts of terror.”

After the bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, in 1998, the Clinton administration tried to assassinate Osama bin Laden for his role in these.

Bush’s Administration stated that they would not hesitate to assassinate bin Laden, and other al-Quaeda operatives. Bush, himself, has ordered assassination of political leadership in the 2003 Iraq war. (Incidentally, I am no Bush admirer; and believe the Iraq war wrong)

Mr Gerrit H Schorel-Hlavka

The Netherlands and targeted killing in Afgahnistan.

When Dutch soldiers in the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan identify senior Taliban leaders on the Allied forces’ killing list, they should preferably arrest them. If that is too difficult, they should ask permission from headquarters for their targeted killing even if there is no concrete threat. This has been confirmed by Robin Middel, a Dutch Ministry of Defense spokesman. He mentioned that this concerns, for instance, those who prepare attacks against soldiers. Harry Van Bommel, a parliamentarian of the extreme left wing Socialist party reacted that this is against the agreements between the Dutch government and parliament, as only when Dutch soldiers are attacked they are allowed to use violence.

Peter Wierenga, “Militairen gebruiken dodenlijst,” DePers.nl, (online) 11 June 2007. [Dutch]

“Bot: aanslag al-Rantissi verwerpelijk, Nos Nieuws, (online), 18 April 2004 [Dutch]

Personally, when faced with an either/or situation (without alternatives) I would not hesitate. When subsequent innocent killings resulted from my not acting, I would feel morally responsible, indeed, that I had colluded (albeit unwillingly) with the terrorist.

Danielle,

George W Bush declared “God told him to invade Iraq”. Well he too will argue that the killing of so many innocent people was god’s will.

I do not accept so called targeted killing (assassinations etc) and regardless if others may be injured due to faulty intelligence (don’t we all know this about Weapons of mass Destruction) leaders will always seek to excuse their killings of others.
While you may seek to justify this as for some terrorist to otherwise kill, the truth is that we had a Palestian killed who was opposing violence but nevertheless the Israelis killed him by targeted killing because of was a Member of Hamas.
Criminals of all sort have also their own reason to kill.
Like a rapist not wanting his victim to be able to identify him. Well, from every killers point of view they may have their kind of justification but I do not accept this to be acceptable for target killings, etc.

While opposed to killings, I was trained as a sharpshooter and would have killed when needed while serving in the armed forces, and once nearly did kill my best friend aiming to shoot him, as he was stupidly holding an .50 automatic weapon towards fellow soldiers complaining the weapon wasn’t firing. When he noticed me aiming for him he quick smart then aimed his weapon into the air. He knew that I was a sharpshooter and would have taken him out. However, that was in those circumstances because there was no alternative to avoid him killing fellow soldiers. And, afterwards he agreed that I acted correctly and didn’t hold it against me.
The difference was that it was not that I was seeking to kill him for some “God told me” or other stupid excuse but there was then no real alternative but to do as I did.
However, I would never seek to kill a person as some kind of preventative action as to me that is and remains to be plain murder, no matter if Israel claims it is lawful by them.
No court-imposed-death-sentence either!