(2022) From Bear Pit to Smear Pit

Anyone who thrived in the Bear Pit of the NSW Parliament, where the finer points of civil debating etiquette are not rigorously followed, is bound to be colourful in argumentation. Which brings me to Bob Carr’s polemical article ‘Is criticism of Israeli settlement policy anti-Semitic? Israeli nationalists insist it is’ (Pearls and Irritations, June 6).

(2021) Israel and the Apartheid Slur

The relentless demonising and delegitimising of Israel continues apace. With so many references in the media, in hard and far-Left publications, on university campuses and in public discourse generally, to Israel’s alleged practice of apartheid, it is timely to evaluate the substance of the claim, assess the origin of the slur, and consider whether there is any merit in the use of the word.