17 April 2025
Israel is about to empty Gaza israel-palestine, politics, topfive
As Israel prepares to ethnically cleanse the whole of Gaza, it is also setting the stage for a regional crisis.
17 April 2025
Inspiring Australia?
With 48% of voters paying little or no attention to the campaign, according to an Essential poll, Senator Kim Carr, a former Labor minister, takes a look at how the two major parties have performed in what he describes as an uninspiring campaign.
17 April 2025
Faith and public policy
Easter is as good a time as any to be reminded that Christianity has a contribution in the formulation of public policy.
Israel's war against Gaza
Media coverage of the war in Gaza since October 2023 has spread a series of lies propagated by Israel and the United States. This publication presents information, analysis, clarification, views and perspectives largely unavailable in mainstream media in Australia and elsewhere.
Download the PDF
17 April 2025
Australia urgently needs to get serious about long-term climate policy – but there’s no sign of that in the election campaign
The federal election should be an earnest contest over the fundamentals of Australia’s climate and energy policies.
17 April 2025
Easter: More rising than falling
“I call upon heaven and earth this day to witness that I have put before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life! Choose life, so that you and your descendants may live.” (Deuteronomy, 30:19)
17 April 2025
Trump: a ridiculous ego and incredibly ignorant
The analysis underpinning Donald Trump’s tariff policy is fatally flawed. Thus, it will fail to achieve its objective of restoring the living standards of his MAGA supporters.
17 April 2025
Xi pushes for fair trade after Trump tariffs land
After President Donald Trump’s decision to exempt selected electronic goods from tariffs, the gloves are temporarily off between Washington and Beijing. However, though some sanity has returned to the White House, the damage has already been done.
17 April 2025
Humanitarian data drought: The deeper damage wrought by US aid cuts
“We have to be extra honest, this is a challenge; it’s not easy to find a solution.”
17 April 2025
Australia’s innovation system needs new partners
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
16 April 2025
Easter, triumph of life over death
On 11 April, P&I published a wonderful Geoff Pryor cartoon showing “first semester exam results” for a self-satisfied Donald Trump lying back comfortably in a lounge chair.
16 April 2025
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Hugh White on what the next PM should tell Trump and defending Australia – without the US
The Trump ascendancy has forced international economic issues and the future strategic outlook onto the Australian election agenda, even if they are at the margins.
Latest on Palestine and Israel
17 April 2025
Israel is about to empty Gaza
As Israel prepares to ethnically cleanse the whole of Gaza, it is also setting the stage for a regional crisis.
14 April 2025
Gaza's trees now bear a strange fruit
Nobody following the real news, and aware of the long history of colonial occupation, ever believed that Zionist Israel would proceed into the second phase of the ceasefire as agreed.
11 April 2025
Zionist Federation lodges Federal Court complaint against journalist Mary Kostakidis
The Zionist Federation of Australia has filed a legal action with the Federal Court of Australia against renowned Australian journalist Mary Kostakidis relating to a complaint it first raised with the Australian Human Rights Commission in July 2024, claiming posts she made on social media platform X were antisemitic in nature.
10 April 2025
Federal election: Time to hold MPs accountable for stance on genocide
Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza, and now its seizing of their land is the worst example of genocide since the horrors of the genocides of Darfur in Sudan in 2003 and Rwanda in the 1990s.
9 April 2025
An arresting American Gaza challenge
Recent US commentary backing President Trump’s extraordinary American Gaza takeover project has regularly stressed how critics should come up with a better plan.
6 April 2025
Was Israel complicit in the 7 October 2023 massacre?
The dreadful atrocities by Hamas on 7 October 2023 horrified the world and triggered the destruction of Gaza, the deaths of more than 50,000 Gazan men, women and children and the wounding of tens of thousands more.
5 April 2025
Palestine is the issue to consider when you enter the voting booth
On the day Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the election date, Jews Against the Occupation '48 issued an open statement addressing the current government in the hope that Labor would shift its policies on Israel/Palestine.
3 April 2025
Peter Slezak's speech to the University of Technology Sydney rally on 26 March
Remarks made by UNSW academic Peter Slezak at a rally at UTS on 26 March, have attracted considerable negative coverage in the Murdoch media. [The Australian and The Daily Telegraph] Pearls And Irritations is carrying the full text of the speech so that readers can make up their own minds.
Support our independent media with your donation
Pearls and Irritations leads the way in raising and analysing vital issues often neglected in mainstream media. Your contribution supports our independence and quality commentary on matters importance to Australia and our region.
DonateLatest on China
17 April 2025
Xi pushes for fair trade after Trump tariffs land china, economy, politics, topfive, usa
After President Donald Trump’s decision to exempt selected electronic goods from tariffs, the gloves are temporarily off between Washington and Beijing. However, though some sanity has returned to the White House, the damage has already been done.
16 April 2025
When elephants clash: The strategic logic behind Trump’s tariffs and China’s response
The world is mesmerised — and unsettled — by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
15 April 2025
Looking for a fair wind: Reflections on Australia’s maritime security
Australians may miss out on opportunities to reinforce our regional security if they are over-concerned about Chinese aggression in the South Pacific and do not take the opportunity of engaging in regional dialogue to resolve common problems.
More from Pearls and Irritations
Latest letters to the editor
How about public housing, Minister Pawson?
Richard Barnes — Canterbury 3126
The Enemy
K M — Canberra
Politics with Michelle Grattan
Robin Wingrove — WA
'Temu Trump' strikes yet again!
Wes Mason — Gisborne