NIF Australia Podcast

Prime Minister Netanyahu has called Israeli elections for 9 April and we're here to give you the the details on everything that's happening in the lead up.

(This is a podcast version of the video we published on YouTube, which includes charts of the polls and some other great footage.)

You can also read background to all these issues by following the links on our blog.

A discussion on the "shrinking democratic space" in Australia and Israel, featuring Gillian Triggs, the former president of Australia's Human Rights Commission, and Sharon Abraham-Weiss, executive director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).

They discuss the global phenomenon where minorities, civil society groups and democratic institutions are increasingly under threat, and democracies become more illiberal.

You can support the work of ACRI by making a donation at www.nif.org.au/donate

You can purchase Gillian's book "Speaking Up" where all good books are sold.

You can also watch a video of this event on YouTube.

Noa – also known as Achinoam Nini – is one of Israel's most acclaimed artists. In 2009 she represented Israel at Eurovision, along with Palestinian-Israeli musician Mira Awad.

This was recorded at her NIF event in Sydney last year. It includes some of her stirring music and also provided an opportunity for the audience to talk with her about social justice and human rights issues in Israel.

She was on stage performing at the peace rally in Tel Aviv in 1995 just moments before Yitzhak Rabin's assassination and, more recently, sung Hatikva at the "50 Years Out" rally, calling for an end to the occupation on the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War.

Noa's also known for her work promoting peace and equality in the region, and in just one her roles is a member of NIF's governing board in Israel.

You can support NIF's work by making a tax deductible gift at nif.org.au/donate.

Other links:

• Video of Noa and her definition of Zionism
• Video of Noa and thoughts on criticism of Israel

For the first episode of our new NIF Australia podcast, we're joined by Julian Burnside AO QC and Tamara Newman from the NIF Australia-supported Hotline for Refugees and Migrants in Israel for an update on the status of people seeking asylum and refugees in both Australia and Israel.

You can support the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants–Israel with a tax-deductible donation. Visit nif.org.au/donate and write "Hotline" in the notes field.