Published: 25 February 2025
Last updated: 25 February 2025
A full-page advertisement proclaiming “Jewish Australians say NO to ethnic cleansing” appeared in today’s Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
Signed by more than 500 Jewish Australians, the advertisement was designed to demonstrate Jewish opposition to the proposal by US President Donald Trump to forcibly transfer Gaza’s two million residents to Egypt and/or Jordan.
Among the signatories are the founder of health peacebuilding organisation Ron Finkel, barrister Robert Richter KC, academic Dennis Altman, prominent lawyers Josh Bornstein and David Heilpern, journalist Jenna Price, musician Ben Lee, doctor Alex Wodak, and writer Anna Fienberg.
One of the organisers Corinne Fagueret, from Australian Jewish Women 4 Peace Action Ready Group, said many Jews wanted to speak out and show their compassion for Palestinians, understanding that it is necessary to care about both the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis. She said more people had wanted to sign the advertisement than there was space to include.
“Jews have a very specific experience that’s in our genes and in our family history of racism and ethnic violence. For this reason, we have a moral obligation to speak out about what is happening in Gaza and Trump’s plan for the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip.
“We must speak out wherever there is ethnic violence happening. At the moment, it’s about Palestinians and it’s about standing in solidarity with Palestinians. That doesn’t mean we don’t feel the suffering of Israelis and of the hostages and the hostage families. We can feel compassion for both sides and that doesn’t mean we are less Jewish.”
Fagueret said in addition to the moral compulsion on Jews to speak out, they should realise that a just solution for Palestinians was in the interests of Israelis. “Peace for Israelis is intertwined with a just peace for Palestinians. There can be no peace for Israel unless there is a just peace for Palestinians, and I think it’s really important to realise that, as Jews.”
Comments16
John-Janusz Ebel28 February at 04:46 am
Phillip Mendes: DO you support the mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank?
As you are well aware, I am the son of Holocaust survivors and consider the duty of all righteous Jews to oppose the horror we have been all witnessing by Netanyahu’s government which bears close similarity to other regimes responsible for genocides.
I hope you are differentiating yourself from Ben-Gevir, Smotrich and Netanyahu who have been indicted by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.
Deborah Stone27 February at 02:19 pm
TJI Philip! Two grooups involved were Emet and Jewish Women 4 Peace.
Rachel Sussman27 February at 08:19 am
unfortunately, there is a discrepancy with this list.
I saw this petition advertised as an expression objecting any FORCEFUL displacement of the people of Gaza, and I agree. I object to any person living in Gaza (unless a terrorist) being forced to leave, it is wrong… And so I signed… Then the list was advertised as Jews ‘objection to Trump relocation plan’, the word ‘forceful removal’ was not even mentioned…
Allowing this false advertising of the petition to begin with, I actually signed something I would not have signed if its true intention was rightfully expressed from the beginning…. I wonder how many who signed this petition were caught just like me…. I find it deceitful! …. But what is done, is done…
To be clear, I do not object to Trump’s plan, the people of Gaza should be offered choices – to leave or stay… Trump does not speak about ‘forceful removal’…
philip mendes