Comments on: Marrickville Council and its Israel Boycott

By: mark beecham

mark beecham — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:04:53 +0000

shame on you marrickville council it saddens me to think that such draconians like yourselves can represent the publics intrests.i think also that your protest is nearly unconstitutional,how can any of the council sign off on such blatant racism and bigotry.stick to catching stray dogs collecting rubbish and screwing up the building codes,because geopolitics is obviously not your forte.sensationalism may gain you a few votes in the short term,but fixing the infastructure and time wasted on things that dont involve you would probably win you more votes.why not curb unnecessary council spending like color copying and private use of rate payers vehicles and the numerous other things that council squander the electrates money on.to think that my uncle to war to protect you lot is really sad.think before you act next time.ps see you at the next meeting of the flat earth society!

By: Saar Darzi

Saar Darzi — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:42:50 +0000

Why don’t you boycott Chaina for they human rights or Sirya for killing it’s own pepole???????
Oh i know becoase they aren’t Jewish!!!!!!

By: Tom McLoughlin

Tom McLoughlin — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 04:26:36 +0000

Too bad none of the critics of Marrickville Council have a skeric of an idea how to stop Yigal Amir’s mates thieving land, as so called “settlers”.

Come to think of it when I was a Waverley Councillor 1995-1999 none of the local Jewish worthies (as best I recall) had anything to say condemning Yigal Amir’s murder of peacemaker prime minister Yitzak Rabin. Certainly my condolence letter to the local Synagogue was snubbed.

Now the barrackers for the predator settler, and Yigal Amir, in particular hold the balance of power in the Israeli Government.

As far as i am concerned all the rest is bupkis sophistry, and no wonder the World Council of Churches and Mandela and Bishop Tutu support the BDS.

Perhaps you might stop whining and actually do something about the predatory settler drawing China into a space arms race to protect its US$70B oil investment in Iran itself in an nuclear arms race with Israel – hardly at any existential risk with the Federation of American Scientists estimating 100-200 nuclear weapons.

And yes I have worked with and for and done charity for local Diaspora in Sydney for at least 15 years. And it doesn’t make one jot of difference when it comes to apologists of Yigal Amir and his mates in Gaza.

[I also want to add the incredulous patter in Israel at the moment – former President convicted of crime, former primer minister Olmert facing financial real estate corruption charges, now foreign minister reported in Haaretz 13 April facing fraud charges. This is not an encouraging situation you may agree.]

By: Kalista Jones

Kalista Jones — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:07:30 +0000

The boycott was supported by 4 Labor councillors and an independent in addition to the Greens councillors. The very fact that this tiny little isolated act has attracted such vitriol shows that it is courageous. There is a whole world out there speaking for and supporting the giant, nuclear-armed Israel, and one tiny council does one tiny thing for the Palestinians and they get pummelled.
Zen, you don’t need to do anything. The council you work for just won’t be buying Israeli-made goods. Simple.
Denise, you are racist and make me, an ‘Aussie’ (though I hate the term) very, very ashamed.
Rita, this is not anti semitic, it is just a little spotlight on a major human rights issue that the world is studiously ignoring. Don’t use those important words and dilute their power and meaning by throwing them around in situations where, and to people to whom, they patently do not apply. If you are Jewish you are doing yourself no favours by using these words.

By: Moya Rosen

Moya Rosen — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:14:58 +0000

Questions I would like to ask the writer above: How come so many Israeli Arabs chose to stay in Israel after the War of Independence which came just after the declaration of the State of Israel. One fifth of Israel’s population is Arab. The other Arab countries made conditions impossible for Jewish citizens and they were forced to leave. How come when the borders of other countries seem to change at the drop of a hat, Israel trying to settle on one small hill that has biblical significance is a threat. How come the Golan Heights (Syria) is `disputed’ territory. I have stood there. Snipers use it as a firing range to shoot at the kibbutz in Israel below – a bomb shelter there is next to children’s swings. Israel has exchanged land for peace – Gaza is a clear example of how dearly Hamas wants peace. Note their charter – Israel is to be destroyed at all costs. It does not, for them, exist. Also note that the main cause of murder in the Palestinian territories are honour killings, where family members kill non-compliant females. Read your history Gil, then visit Israel as did Foreign Minister Downer and Bob Hawke and see the facts for yourself.

By: denise davern

denise davern — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:24:20 +0000

Hi, I am disgusted with Marrickville Council pandering to the middle eastern community in Marrickville because its the middle eastern people in Marrickville who are behind all this. Marrickville Council is gutless. I will mention “middle eastern” because I am not afraid to call it as I see it. I lived in Campsie not far from the suburb of Marrickville for 22 years and have shopped in Marrickville and believe me, when I left Campsie, that suburb and Marrickville looked like downtown Dubai and it was “spot the Aussie”. One thing I have to say to these people is, “if you want to come to this country to live – don’t bring your ethnic hate with you as Aussies will not tolerate it and we will let you know in no uncertain terms, also, if you don’t like our values on life here then go back to where you come from. Don’t try and change our values as Aussie men and women lost their lives trying to protect these values in two world wars. Further, when I went to school in Campsie my classmates were from varying immigrant backgrounds including mine, e.g., Lebanese christians, Polish, Greek, Italian, Yugoslavian, you name it, and we all got on well together. Why is it that some middle eastern immigrants are creating so much trouble, well its because they are the biggest whingers and the bigger whinger you are the more likely you are to get heard.

By: Stu

Stu — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 10:40:37 +0000

I live in Marrickville I vote in Marrickville I support a Ban on Israel.
If you don’t live here or vote in the council elections then go away and mind your own business.
I pay my rates I get to vote for who I like thank you very much.
If we as rate payers choose to vote for the greens then suck it up.
If we as rate payers support a ban on Israel then its our choice not yours.
Equally if we vote out the greens then i will suck it up.
I am not anti -semitic just because i don’t support the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.
I am sick of every time someone criticizes Israel they are anti-Semitic that in itself is bigoted.
The following article is only one example of why i choose to support the ban.

http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/2411.htm

I am sure there are plenty of arguments for and against.
I am also sure the truth about the Israel Palestinian conflict is buried beneath propaganda from both sides. I read I listen I learn I make my choices.
If you think Israel is some kind of perfect state that never does anything wrong then your a fool and even more stupid if you think i am going to believe you for telling me how righteous Israel is.
Same goes for Palestine or any country for that matter.

By: Ken Wilson

Ken Wilson — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 04:52:18 +0000

An unbelieveable situation where a local Government can have a say in what goods are allowed to enter our country. Very selfish politically and driven by anti-semitism. Maybe other councils can have a say in what nationalities are invited to settle within it’s boundaries

By: Gil

Gil — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 23:38:58 +0000

What about Palestine’s right to exist?
None of these comments address the question of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, the only land that Palestinians can hope to call their own.
With so many Jewish organisations now trying to force Israel to change its policies, supporters of Israel’s future would do well to become more focussed on solving the problems in the area, instead of accusing all critics of Israel’s policies of being anti-semitic.

By: Rita

Rita — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 10:26:53 +0000

Virulent anti-Semitism as the one shown by Peters, Byrnes and 6 other councillors seems to be a prerequisite to gain “Brown-ie” points in the Greens Party.

See the stridently anti-Semitic activities of Lee Rhiannon when she was (successfully) coveting a place in the Upper House where the Greens will now hold the balance of power. She stood shoulder to shoulder with jihadist Sheik Hilali of the Lakemba Mosque on the steps of Sydney Town hall, playing up to the Jihadist gallery and shouting strident anti-Semitic, Jew-hating slogans. That Sheik who publicly blamed the poor Australian girls for being systematically gang-raped by Muslim packs “because they dressed the way they did”.

_ Lets boycott the Marrickville Council – why should we finance the personal political ambitions of dangerously anti-Semitic councillors with our council rates.

There should be an option for a conscientious objection to pay council rates, only to see them used for illegal, immoral and unethical activities of racist/anti-Semitic Green Party members.