EARTHCHAT: Gaza, what narratives make sense?

Even in rubble, children just want to play

Who started the war in Gaza? When did it start, 7 October 2023, or much earlier? What is the fighting about and who is involved? Why should it matter to us and what has it got to do with the environment and the global movement for climate justice?

On this week’s EarthChat (SeymourFM, 12noon Tuesday 1st April)  Tim Budge and Ruth Yeatman talk to Dr Rachel Coghlan about this conflict. It is almost a year since she was last on EarthChat and in that time, another 20,000 Palestinians have died and peace seems an impossibility. People in Gaza are starving and words like genocide and war crimes are regularly raised. Why has the world let this conflict continue? Is the international response and media outlook different for Palestinians, compared to the invasion of Ukraine? What has been the impact of this war on the land and environment in Gaza?

Rachel Coghlan did her PhD research in Gaza (palliative care) and has stayed in contact with health workers and friends there. She does what she can and works tirelessly to make sure their voices are heard across the world. She has seen how the reality there gets portrayed in a very different way back in Australia. On this week's EarthChat, we will explore what is going on in Gaza and discuss the "narratives" that sit behind how news of the conflict is interpreted and analysed here. We will also ask "why have so many groups, including politicians, universities and even churches, been silent in response to evidence of genocide?" The good news, for Rachel, is that there is also the possibility of solidarity, and she wonders if this conflict provides an opportunity to rebuild or strengthen global solidarity and to move beyond retaliation and escalating violence?

Want to learn more? Join us on Tuesday's EarthChat. Read more about the conflict here and some groups involved in working for a just peace (Jews Against the Occupation), a church group. (PIEN) and the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN)

TUNE IN: SeymourFM, 12noon, Tuesday 1st April. Click here for Seymour FM's website. 

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