Gaza has a ceasefire, now Palestine needs self-determination
John Feffer

Gaza has a ceasefire, now Palestine needs self-determination

Whether it’s the Israeli Government, an international peacekeeping force, or a post-conflict reconstruction authority for Gaza chaired (grotesquely) by Donald Trump, the fate of Palestine still rests in the hands of outsiders.

Message from the editor
Catriona Jackson

Message from the editor

Readers are well aware of our special interest in calm and rational coverage of China. Often we focus on geopolitics, and the change in China’s position in a world of continual, swirling change is fascinating.

As Gaza starts to rebuild, what lessons can be learned from Nagasaki in 1945?
Gwyn McClelland

As Gaza starts to rebuild, what lessons can be learned from Nagasaki in 1945?

At first, there might not seem to be any immediate similarities between a devastated Nagasaki after the US atomic bombing in 1945 and Gaza today, aside from massive destruction.


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Albanese meets Trump: A fly to a wanton schoolboy
Paul Begley

Albanese meets Trump: A fly to a wanton schoolboy

Paul Begley looks at how the Australian prime minister might manage his scheduled meeting with Donald Trump this week.

Countering Trump, Pacific Islanders are leading on climate change
Edward Hunt

Countering Trump, Pacific Islanders are leading on climate change

The leaders of the Pacific Islands are forging a united front against President Donald Trump’s climate denialism and leading the world in the battle against the climate crisis.

India’s American dream in tatters
Srujana Bodapati

India’s American dream in tatters

The last couple of months have exposed the humiliating realities of the subordinate alliance that India has been gradually sliding into with the US over the last three decades.

An immodest proposal for an ideal source of strategic policy advice
Michael McKinley

An immodest proposal for an ideal source of strategic policy advice

In the various debates and arguments on Australia’s defence, one thing is at least is settled: the government has agreed to continue funding national security strategic policy work undertaken by a sector composed of think-tanks and university centres that is significantly compromised.

APEC Summit opens a window for Korea – and for Australia
Kym Davey

APEC Summit opens a window for Korea – and for Australia

On 1 November, the leaders of the nations of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum will meet in the historic South Korean city of Gyeongju.

Rooftop solar takes its biggest bite yet out of coal generators’ lunch, as home battery rebates hit 89,000
Giles Parkinson

Rooftop solar takes its biggest bite yet out of coal generators’ lunch, as home battery rebates hit 89,000

Rooftop solar on homes and businesses took its biggest bite yet out of the traditional “baseload” midday lunch on Wednesday, as the combined output hit a record of 15,597 megawatts (MW) at noon AEST.

Proposed housing development in Ipswich raises red flags
Chas Keys

Proposed housing development in Ipswich raises red flags

A proposal to build about 500 apartments on flood-liable land on the banks of the Bremer River in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, raises many questions about our continuing lack of respect for the potential severity of the consequences of flooding.

Was the gospel preached at Charlie Kirk's memorial service?
Keith Mascord

Was the gospel preached at Charlie Kirk's memorial service?

It is now more than a month since Charlie Kirk’s murder (10 September) and memorial service (21 September).

Latest on Palestine and Israel

Gaza has a ceasefire, now Palestine needs self-determination
John Feffer

Gaza has a ceasefire, now Palestine needs self-determination

Whether it’s the Israeli Government, an international peacekeeping force, or a post-conflict reconstruction authority for Gaza chaired (grotesquely) by Donald Trump, the fate of Palestine still rests in the hands of outsiders.

As Gaza starts to rebuild, what lessons can be learned from Nagasaki in 1945?
Gwyn McClelland

As Gaza starts to rebuild, what lessons can be learned from Nagasaki in 1945?

At first, there might not seem to be any immediate similarities between a devastated Nagasaki after the US atomic bombing in 1945 and Gaza today, aside from massive destruction.

Israel returns Palestinian prisoners’ bodies with ‘signs of torture, mutilation and execution’
Brett Wilkins

Israel returns Palestinian prisoners’ bodies with ‘signs of torture, mutilation and execution’

An unknown number of Palestinians abducted by Israel died or were killed while in custody; living former prisoners have described horrific and, sometimes, deadly torture.

One more betrayal of the Palestinians
Melvin Goodman

One more betrayal of the Palestinians

The history of the Palestinians is a history of betrayal. In the wake of World War I, Britain and France redrew the map of the Middle East to suit their own ends.

Stark contrasts in health of returning hostages
Peter Slezak

Stark contrasts in health of returning hostages

Peter Slezak has been keeping a watching brief on the both harrowing and joyous scenes as prisoners and hostages from Palestine and Israel were freed this week. He has gathered sources for P&I readers and observes the following.

Denial and amnesia: Is the global community ready to welcome Israel back?
Simon Speakman Cordall

Denial and amnesia: Is the global community ready to welcome Israel back?

Analysts express concern over the rehabilitation of Israel, even as it says it has done no wrong.

War without end, peace without justice
Stewart Sweeney

War without end, peace without justice

The Gaza war has become the most searing mirror of our century’s political and moral contradictions.

‘You cease, I fire’: Israel kills at least 9 in Gaza, says it will break truce aid terms
Brett Wilkins

‘You cease, I fire’: Israel kills at least 9 in Gaza, says it will break truce aid terms

“Israel is working extremely hard to blow up this ceasefire,” said one observer after IDF troops shot dead Palestinians trying to return to their homes in the largely flattened strip.


John Menadue's book on Israel's war against Gaza

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

Latest on China

After decades of struggle, women in China are rewriting their future
Ren Yan

After decades of struggle, women in China are rewriting their future

The quiet revolution towards upholding women’s rights in China isn’t just about slogans, but involves the hard work of families, educators and policymakers.

The West’s crucial strategic failures
Les MacDonald

The West’s crucial strategic failures

The Earth is littered with the ruins of empires that once believed they were eternal. Camille Paglia.

Lack of China capability can only do harm to society: Our current situation is a disgrace
Colin Mackerras

Lack of China capability can only do harm to society: Our current situation is a disgrace

In March 2023, the Australian Academy of the Humanities sounded the alarm on the decline in our understanding and knowledge of China through a report on “Australia’s China Knowledge Capability”.


John Menadue

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More from Pearls and Irritations


Latest letters to the editor

Speak up, Australia

Amy Hiller — Kew, Melbourne

Appreciation to Wayne McMillan who, in praising Greta Thunberg, calls for Australians to “write to their politicians and wake them up from their moral and ethical slumber of inaction”. We may live in a democratic country but most of our politicians are captured by gambling, fossil fuel and other lobbying groups. We can’t sit back and allow these industries to pursue profit at all cost. Speak up Australia.
Killing with chooks

Julian Cribb — Canberra, ACT

Mark Macdonald is perfectly correct that antibiotic resistance (ABR) is a major threat to the human future. Unfortunately, even with the generous allocation of word space in Pearls & Irritations, it is not possible to enumerate every case of purblind, human stupidity. Some have to be taken as read! That said, ABR is sure to kill an awful lot of people come the mid-century, especially if we continue to use antibiotics just to create heavier chooks and fatter pigs, while carefully nurturing the zoonotic pestilences of the future. Indeed, we could regard ABR as a byproduct of...
Nothing to see here

Geoff Taylor — Borlu (Perth)

Some Australian ministers are now saying the Palestine war is over, nothing to see there. So we can still ship weapons parts to Israel even though the IDF is supporting settlers attacking Palestinian farms in northeast Palestine. We can ignore the slow Hiroshima carried out by the US and Israel over two years. I see too that the RAAF had a surveillance plane in the Ukraine, which our government seemingly believes to be closer than Palestine, at a time when the government was asked to provide aerial assistance to Australians and others in the Sumud aid flotilla. Oh,...
No 'just peace' without due diligence

Richard Llewellyn — Colo Vale

Peter Slezak demands sincere attention and a fair, just and strong response from our flaccid government leaders, Albanese and Wong. It has taken — what? — little more than 48 hours from the signing of the Trump Peace Plan (TPP) for the Netanyahu Government and the IDF to resume killing Palestinians with the same gratuitously offensive excuses that have been such a predominant feature of their entire genocidal campaign. We wait for Albanese and Wong to change from calling on Hamas to abide by the terms of the TPP and apply the same pressure on the Zionists' genocidal...



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Yemen’s Houthis detain 20 UN staff in latest raid
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Hamas maintains it is abiding by ceasefire as 21 Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks across Gaza on Sunday.
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The fire gutted import cargo terminals areas at Dhaka airport, destroying an estimated $1bn of 'urgent air shipments'.
Trump calls Colombia’s Petro ‘a drug leader’, says US to cut aid to country
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Kenya’s revered opposition leader Raila Odinga being laid to rest
Final ceremony follows days of memorial events that left five people dead and hundreds injured during stampedes.
Kenya’s revered opposition leader Raila Odinga laid to rest
Final ceremony follows days of memorial events that left five people dead and hundreds injured during stampedes.