SBS Hebrew

Peta Jones Pellach with the latest news and current affairs from Israel

A Gaza ceasefire deal remains elusive, even as the Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins. Israel has not ruled out a military offensive in Rafah during Ramadan, and world leaders are renewing calls for an end to the fighting.

Shane Desiatnik from The Australian Jewish news says "As pressure builds within Labor, there is speculation a backflip is imminent on the government’s suspension of $6 million in UNRWA funding". It comes as Foreign Minister Penny Wong, addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza, told a business lunch in Sydney on Tuesday that “unless Israel changes its course it will continue to lose support”.

Investigations are continuing to what caused a Boeing 787 to suddenly loose altitude during a flight between Sydney and Auckland. The incident, involving a LATAM Airlines jet, left more than a dozen people with injuries severe enough to be sent to hospital after they were violently flung around the cabin.

An interview with Professor Yuval Elbashan. Yuval is the former Dean of the Faculty of Law at Ono Academic College. He is an established author, lawyer, academic, social activist and much more. Why is there a split in the Israeli society ? Yuval suggests that "both sides, the Netanyahu government and the extreme protesters, share the blame for that catastrophic split, though evidently P.M Netanyahu, by virtue of his position, is largely to blame".

Giada Condello is a young professional, originally from Italy, and has been living in Israel for the last few years. Giada was stunned not just by the Hamas onslaught on October 7 but also "by the media bias and by the apparent lack of empathy towards the Israeli victims". Giada points out that "Israel ought to explain itself in a far more systematic and organised manner".

(English Interview) Dror Doron is a senior political analyst specialising in the Middle East, who has worked for the last 17 years for the Israeli government as a research and analysis expert. He currently lives in Sydney, Australia.

(English interview) The NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STRATTS) and The Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (FASSTT) agencies have launched 'Witness to War' a free and confidential multilingual telephone hot-line for people in Australia affected by overseas conflicts. The project is staffed by mental health practitioners and bicultural support workers, and staff can speak Hebrew, English and other languages with an interpreter. 'Witness to War' offers community members incidental counselling, information about available support, and connections to other local services.

Gary Abrahams talks about 'Yentl'. Gender identity, religious and sexual politics, and traditional Yiddish culture collide in this bold and contemporary adaptation by Gary Abrahams, Elise Hearst and Kadimah Yiddish Theatre Artistic Co-Directors Galit Klas and Evelyn Krape. This new stage adaptation of Nobel Prize laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer’s iconic short story ‘Yentl’, is the first new adaptation since the pop culture phenomenon that was Barbra Streisand’s 1983 musical film.

News highlights from the past week (4th of March to 8th of March)