I have always been a proud alumnus of the distinguished Melbourne University but now I am ashamed. The student union has seen fit to pass an anti-Semitic resolution, according to current accepted definitions of anti-Semitism.
Ethnic cleansing in Israel, they say? There are approximately 1.9 million Arab Muslims living in Israel currently, representing around 21 per cent of the population. Conversely, in Egypt, out of a population of 100 million Arabs, there are approximately 100 Jews.
In Syria, there are no known Jews out of a population of 20 million Arabs, despite the fact there are 265,000 Syrian Jews (including those born in modern Syria and their descendants) who fled after the Syrian civil war and the rise of Islamic State.
Iranian Jews number 8500 out of a population of 85 million (150,000 before 1948). Moroccan Jews number 300 out of a population of 34 million (200,000 fled between 1948 to 1967 mostly to Israel). Yemenite Jews number 10 out of a population of 30 million (population in 1948 was 50,000 but 400,000 of Yemenite Jews and their descendants live in Israel).
In the Palestinian territories:
There are a handful of Jews in Ramallah out of a population of 24,000 Muslims, same in Bethlehem (population 29,000), zero Jews in Jericho (population 19,000) and so on.
In Gaza, population 2 million Muslims, I couldnt find statistics of any Jewish population there. So where is the ethnic cleansing?
Dr Ruth Rosenblum, Elsternwick, Vic
It isn’t only the Labor Party we should be wary of regarding the rise of anti-Semitism within their ranks (“Labor not trusted to thwart rise in left’s anti-Semitism”, 2/5). The so-called teal independents have also been prominent with expressions of or association with anti-Israel sentiment. The Climate 200 backed candidate for Goldstein Zoe Daniel signed a letter accusing Israel of having an “apartheid regime against Palestinians’’. And teal independent candidate in the Sydney seat of Wentworth Allegra Spender has a prominent anti-Israel activist among her campaign supporters.
Riley Brown, Bondi Beach, NSW
Read the letters in The Australian.