Over 165 Australians of Jewish identity and background have signed an Open Letter (below) calling on their fellow Jews to break their silence on the onslaught on Gaza by Israel. Among the signatories are actress Miriam Margolyes, union leader Kim Sattler and writers Sara Dowse, Antony Loewenstein and Susan Varga.
Vivienne Porzsolt of Jews against the Occupation, which organised the Open Letter, said ‘Silence is consent and as Jews, we must oppose atrocities taken in our name. Our public stand demonstrates that many Jews reject the brutal occupation of the Palestinians by Israel.

By Gerry Georgatos - (courtesy of The Stringer and The Human Rights Alliance) A 22-year-old woman died on Monday afternoon after being taken into custody on the Saturday by South Hedland Police in the Pilbara, Western Australia. It has been reported that on the Monday the young woman continued to complain feeling unwell and was then taken to Hedland Health campus where she died shortly after.

But it was the third time the young woman was taken to hospital since the Saturday.

By Gerry Georgatos - courtesy of The Stringer - http://thestringer.com.au/ - Lex Wotton did time in jail, Craig Hurley got away with what he did. Mr Wotton “sought to correct a wrong” by expressing his outrage. Mr Hurley killed a man, beating him to his death in a police cell. Where is the justice? Mr Wotton will continue to chase down the justice.

One of Europe’s largest university clinics, the 300-year-old Charité in Berlin, Germany, has just returned 14 skulls of Aboriginal people to representatives of the Goemulgal, Lag Mabuyag and Wajarri Yamatji peoples.

Already in April last year the Charité returned skulls and other bones of 33 Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders the Institution had received at the end of the 19th century. That was the first repatriation of its kind of ancestral remains from Germany.