elizabeth colman

Editor @ The Weekend Australian Magazine

[Jake Wallis Simons @JakeWSimons]

Sometimes Britain makes you proud.

[S Sebag Montefiore @simonmontefiore]

There is great confusion about what Decolonization and indeed Colonization means.
The fact is: it means very little except 'a culture or mindset you dont like.' For whatever reason. And that usually means: the West. Since the West decolonized long ago, it really means the Western liberal democracies. It is a smart criticism because it means nothing, and hence it is hard to disagree with nothing and furthermore since the West itself is embroiled in a mix of moral fuddlement, political paralysis and cultural self hatred, you can be sure that Western leaders are very embarrassed by the very use of the word and many in the West will actually agree - even though they are not sure what they are agreeing with. it is a very useful rhetorical tool because Westerns are always going to be worried to answer in any meaningful way other than guilt and shame; and it is a growing industry - perfect for endless conferences. Like this one.
The reality of empires and colonies is something else entirely.
In early modern times, the Ottoman Turks conquered colonized enslaved exploited murdered and forcefully converted millions and ruled a vast tricontinental empire for four centuries; the Western powers led by Spain Portugal France and Britain later joined by Italy Germany Belgium also conquered colonized enslaved exploited murdered and converted using missionaries huge empires across the continents.
The Iberians lost much of their empires first; the Ottoman sultanate-caliphate started to decolonize with the Greek war of independence in 1820s and totally disintegrated in 1918; the British and French decolonized between 1940s and Sixties.
You could argue the Americans and Soviets comported themselves like anti-imperial imperialists during the Cold War and after - and indeed today's America toys at times with neo-tsarist expansionism - Greenland etc .
Thats it - noone in the Legacy Powers Britain or France etc seems keen on colonizing anything now; there are almost no colonizations left to decolonize - though many love to denounce their own country's past which is for some a most enjoyable enriching and virtuous pastime.
But in real life, empire and colonization are happening, often perpetrated by the very proponents of antiWest rhetoric. Russia is attempting to retake its limotrophic empire in Ukraine right now the old -fashioned way: by conquest and killing; a phalanx of Middle East neo-imperial powers are engaged in tournaments of power in failing states like Somalia, Libya and benighted Sudan; Iran established an informal empire across Iraq Syria Lebanon Yemen in its Six Armies strategy - its final destiny as yet undecided on the battlefield of the Third Gulf War; and Turkish leaders now regularly and openly declare their wish to reassert Ottomanist power in former Ottoman vilayets Syria Lebanon Israel, and former Ottoman cities Damascus Beirut Jerusalem....
So imperialism and colonialism just mean: other people, but never you.

[The Australian @australian]

The former Qantas CEO grounded the fleet, outsourced staff, insulted customers and became a very rich man. Only one of these does he regret. Read the full story: https://t.co/E9rU66d64q

[Zoe Strimpel @realzoestrimpel]

As long as absolutely any Nazi-grade bile can protect itself under ‘criticism of Israel’, there will be more and more and worse and worse fire, violence and terror against Jews and Jewish property and organisations — whether by IRGC agents or lone wolves. That’s the POINT.

[Zac Goldsmith @ZacGoldsmith]

@slyowusu It’s a charity. It’s for everyone. It is run by trained volunteers. Similar in structure to St John’s Ambulance.
It is a free and highly valued service provided by the Jewish community to the whole community.
It’s not hard to understand

[elizabeth colman @elizabethcolman]

@realzoestrimpel Disgusted, outraged, dismayed for you. What a display of violence against you and all Jews. Also the “art” truly sucks. Facile. Wouldn’t pass A-level

[OSINTtechnical @Osinttechnical]

Footage of Kuwaiti locals approaching one of the shot down American pilots this morning.

“Are you OK? Thank you for helping us.”

[Bill Ackman @BillAckman]

So let me get this straight. You support the Khamanei regime that killed 38,000+ protesters and maimed hundreds of thousands more. A regime that has repeatedly called for Death to America and has killed thousands of our servicemen and citizens. One that has taken away women’s rights and freedoms for the Iranian people.

And then you call our efforts to destroy the evildoers a catastrophic escalation.

You also support those who attack our police force. You take the side of the criminals rather than the victims of violent actors in our city.

How is it that you can’t differentiate between good and evil?

Why is this so hard for you?

[Terry Newman @terrynewman]

"Some people talk about invasion in Venezuela... I answer, Venezuela has already been invaded. We have Russian agents, Iranian agents, terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, operating freely in accordance with the regime..." #Venezuela

[Tal Hagin @talhagin]

Based on the video, after shooting at two individuals in close proximity, they direct almost* all subsequent gunfire toward the south-east.

Their immediate line of sight, shown by the red movement line, points south-east toward the gathering point of the Hanukkah celebration, marked by the white circle.

[Nicole Lampert @nicolelampert]

There was no famine.
There was no genocide.
These were antizionist lies designed to create hatred towards Jews.
These antizionist lies were pushed by the UN, Oxfam, Amnesty, Save the Children, the BBC and ended up with children bullied out of schools, adults bullied out of workplaces and two men killed in Manchester.

[Eli Afriat 🇮🇱 @EliAfriatISR]

This photo from Sudan, from the genocide they're going through there, made me feel bad. Especially because it reminds me almost exactly of another photo.💔

[Embassy of Israel to the USA @IsraelinUSA]

Hey Ben, challenge accepted.

Our flavor: Am Yisrael Chai - tastes like strength, unity, and standing your ground. Not everyone can handle it. 😏🇮🇱

[elizabeth colman @elizabethcolman]

@amjadt25 This is what a genocide looks like

[Wes Streeting @wesstreeting]

Recent incidents of antisemitism from NHS doctors filled me with shame and anger.

I will not tolerate it - or any other racism.

The NHS must be a safe harbour from the rising tide of racism in our society.

Enough is enough.

[Hen Mazzig @HenMazzig]

The family of Bipin Joshi has asked to share the following message:

"A week ago, we shared proof of life of our beloved son, Bipin. It was filmed in Hamas tunnels about a month after October 7th, showing our son speaking to the camera, healthy and strong. We held on to that video with faith and hope, believing we would see our beautiful boy smile again and return home.
With immense pain, we received today the most devastating news.

Our dear son, Bipin, the brother and soul companion of our daughter Pushpa, was murdered in Hamas captivity. The ground has fallen beneath our feet; words cannot describe the void left within us—a void that first opened two years ago and has now deepened forever. Bipin left us with excitement, setting out for a year-long learning experience in Israel. We never imagined that the hug we gave him that day would be the last.

Today we can say out loud: Bipin, you are a hero! The grenade you deflected before being brutally abducted saved the lives of your friends. We were so afraid they would discover you were a hero and hurt you; we only prayed you would survive. Before you were taken, you wrote to your cousin, asking him to stay strong and always look to the future. It is hard to imagine the future without you, Bipin. Every flower in the garden we planted for you will remind us of you, every orchard, every field. You are part of Nepal's landscape, and now also part of Israel's.

We wish to thank President Trump, the government of the United States, and the governments of Israel and Nepal, as well as all those who helped bring our son back and complete the circle.

Bipin, our hearts ache knowing you will never know how hard we fought for you, that the people of Israel and Nepal fought for you, that the IDF soldiers fought for you. We fought with all our strength, believing that one day we would return home together.
Soon, you will return home to your eternal rest, and we will continue to fight—this time for sanity, for the strength to wake up each morning, for the future, just as you asked.

Rest in peace, our beloved. We love you."

May Bipin's memory be a blessing.

[Ici_Fauvette 🤟 @IFauvette]

En leur mémoire 🧡🧡🧡

[dahlia kurtz ✡︎ דליה קורץ @DahliaKurtz]

Bipin Joshi's family struggled so hard to get their son back.

He arrived in Israel 25 days before the massacre. The 23-year-old Hindu student from Nepal just wanted to study agriculture.

He wasn't Israeli. He wasn't Jewish. So the media won't talk about him because that will destroy their narrative that Hаmаs tеrrorists are freedom fighters.

But I will...

He was kidnapped, held in captivity, and murdеrеd in cold blood.

Bipin protected others by deflecting a grenade during the attack — saving lives even as he himself was abducted.

His final messages to his family were of strength and hope.

May Bipin's memory forever be a blessing.

🕉️ Shanti🙏

[Ahmed Al-Khalidi @khalidi79397]

We Had a Chance to End the Conflict and We Chose to Burn It.

In 2005, something historic happened.
Israel withdrew completely from Gaza - not just its soldiers, but also all of its civilians, farms, and settlements. Thousands of Israeli families were uprooted from their homes by their own government. Synagogues were dismantled, greenhouses and infrastructure worth hundreds of millions of dollars were left behind - not destroyed, but handed over to give us a chance to start fresh.

For the first time in our history, we had full control over a piece of land - our own borders, our own cities, our own people, and access to the sea. The world was ready to help. Billions in aid and investment were promised.
It could have been the beginning of a Palestinian Singapore.

But instead of building schools, hospitals, and industries, we built tunnels, rockets, and militias.
Instead of creating hope, we chose hatred.
Instead of turning Gaza into proof that Palestinians can govern themselves, we turned it into proof that we cannot.

When Israel left, the world expected calm, peace, and progress.
What did we give them?

Civil war between Fatah and Hamas.

Executions in the streets.

A terror group seizing power and turning Gaza into a launching pad for endless wars.

And the world still asks: Why doesn’t Israel “just give up the West Bank” too?
Because they already saw what happened the last time they gave land for nothing in return.

The truth is painful, but it must be said:
We were given a chance to build a future and we used it to destroy our own.
We could have shown that we were ready for peace.
Instead, we showed that we were ruled by those who fear peace more than they fear death.

Every rocket fired from Gaza wasn’t just aimed at Israel - it was aimed at our own future.

And now, after all the destruction, poverty, and death, I keep asking myself:
What if, just once, we had chosen life instead of revenge?
We had the opportunity to end the conflict.
But our leaders and too many of us chose to keep it alive.

[Marc Goldberg @MarcGoldberg111]

Dear @BBC,

On the 14th of October you uploaded an interview to your website and app with a woman named as Aida Abu Rob distraught about the fact that after 20 years in prison her brother is being deported not released in Ramallah.

Your video fails to give any information about who Murad is and what he did. Your journalist doesn't even give his full name let alone inform the public of this important context. I found out that he was responsible for a suicide bombing in 2006 that murdered four people.

The piece appears to offer an equivalence between the family of a terrorist with the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade who was tried in court and Israeli hostages kidnapped and by Hamas and other terror orgs due to no fault of their own.

You have failed to inform the public of the context, you have failed to offer balance and as a result have likely increased sympathy for a man who was responsible for the murders of four people. How do you think the families of his victims feel at his release?

Why didn't your staff think to ask who the brother was and then they could have provided the necessary context? Why didn't any of your other stuff who worked on that video and then promoted it think to raise any concerns?

This is a failure not just from the journalist on the ground but through the entirety of the team and their management who oversaw the processing and uploading of the video to a prominent place on your website and app.

At the very least you should be making it clear that Murad and other released prisoners have been convicted of some terrible crimes that warranted long sentences in prison. That would have given a more honest view of the situation.

What are you going to do to redress this?

Sources:

https://t.co/yScSvFBMbi
https://t.co/LvMoLEZ4LO
https://t.co/X8054aRJHS
https://t.co/7VJD0yn4hQ