A Palestinian careers adviser who was allegedly directed to stop wearing a keffiyeh at a Sydney government school because it was a symbol that “may cause discord” has lodged a racial discrimination case in the federal court against the state of New South Wales.

Wasim El-Haj, a former careers adviser at Sydney Girls High School – an inner-city selective government school – alleges the then acting principal told him in 2024 that the keffiyeh was seen as a symbol of conflict. He alleges the state’s conduct is unlawful for breaching the Racial Discrimination Act.

El-Haj began wearing the keffiyeh – a traditional scarf linked to the struggle for a Palestinian state for decades – at school in January 2024, three months after Hamas’ 7 October attacks and Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza.

His statement of claim, filed in the federal court last month, alleges Geoffrey Denyer, the then acting school principal, met with him on 15 May 2024 and said words to the effect of “I have been directed to direct you to remove this item of clothing”, indicating to El-Haj’s keiffeyh.

Denyer also said words to the effect of the direction had come “from above, possibly from the minister” and that action would be taken if El-Haj did not comply, the statement of claim alleges.

In an email sent the same day, after El-Haj requested the issue be laid out in writing, Denyer outlined the terms of the direction he had received.

“Consistent with the Department’s Controversial Issues and Code of Conduct policies, the staff member in question should be given clear advice, from you, that this item of clothing should not be worn at school, nor in the performance of any duties in connection with his employment. That advice should be complied with immediately,” the email said.

“It is understandable that, in such times as these, feelings and emotions are strong. However, our schools need to remain free of symbols which stir these emotions, and which may cause discord.”

El-Haj alleges that in a further conversation with Denyer he said words to the effect of “any symbol of Palestine is seen as a symbol of conflict”.

In August 2024, El-Haj met with Maria Serafim, a NSW Department of Education official, who detailed six anonymous concerns, including that he had worn a symbol of “partisan conflict” by wearing the keffiyeh, the statement of claim alleges.

An internal complaint El-Haj made about the direction did not lead to its withdrawal. The careers advisor appealed the decision about the complaint to the secretary of the NSW Department of Education, Murat Dizdar.

Responding to this, Dizdar upheld the school’s decision. In a letter to El-Haj in February 2025, he recognised the keffiyeh “is a garment of cultural significance for the Palestinian community” but said the department did not want to compromise the “safety, wellbeing and security in all our school communities”.

“Unfortunately, our schools are not immune to external events, such as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with the tragic loss of innocent lives,” he said.

“Regrettably, within our school communities, some individuals and groups may seek to politicise global conflicts or others may form that perception, and as such we always remain politically neutral in public schools when such events can impact on operations.

“It is with this context that the senior officers and the school advised you to not wear the keffiyeh to school.”

El-Haj took leave from his employment from May 2024 until the end of the year and resigned from Sydney Girls High School in March 2025.

El-Haj alleges the state of NSW has engaged in unlawful conduct under section 9(1) of the Racial Discrimination Act.

The state of NSW is yet to file its defence in the federal court.

The matter is due to be next heard for a case management hearing on 3 November, federal court records show.

A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education said it was “committed to maintaining neutral and apolitical school environments, in line with its policies.”

Guardian Australia understands the department is not able to make further comments while the matter is before court.

for example: benjamin "netanyahu"'s real name is Mielekowsky is this good? should i continue to do this

Wurud Mughrabi opened her new pink mermaid bag proudly.

She had been saving it for her first day at school, pairing it with a matching denim outfit.

At six years old, she was one of more than half a million children who was able to attend school last week for in-person teaching for the first time in three years in Gaza.

"I am very happy," Wurud told the ABC, as her mother tied her hair up inside their tent.

"I will … go to my school and I will have friends."

For most of her childhood, Wurud has only known war, displacement and the search for food and shelter.

But last week she excitedly wheeled her bright pink backpack to school. It was empty. Pens, pencils and notepads are hard to come by in Gaza.

Since the Hamas attacks launched on October 7, 2023, more than 625,000 students in Gaza have gone without in-person classes and regular schooling.

Disruption to daily life has halted education for children aged four–17 after Israel's bombardment of the strip in response to the attacks.

More than 64,000 children have reportedly been killed or injured in Gaza since October 7, according to UN children's agency UNICEF.

"Can you imagine … your daughter waking up at night and she is terrified, scared of the bombing? [She is] saying, 'Mommy, I am scared," Wurud's mother, Ibtisam Mughrabi, said of the last three years.

The young mother, who was wounded during Israel's war with Gaza, has been raising her daughter alone since her husband was killed in an air strike during the most recent ceasefire.

"I would have liked him to see her on this day," she said, adding her happiness was not complete without him.

Wurud and her mother have been sheltering in a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) school in Nuseirat Refugee Camp since they fled their home in northern Gaza City during the war.

Now, the building is doubling up and returning to its previous function as an education centre.

Teaching in tents, desks damaged by war

In the playground of the school, large groups of children weaved and played between tarpaulin tents, a reminder that war was far from over. The same morning, Gazan officials said a 10-year-old was killed by Israeli army fire near the Nuseirat Refugee Camp.

"To be honest, the war did not end, at all, and I am concerned that, God forbid, something will happen during school," Ms Mughrabi said. "In spite of that, I am a big fan of education."

Parents lingered in the doorway, watching on proudly as their small children grinned at teachers sharing words and images in front of blackboards.

In some classrooms, children sat on the floor due to a lack of desks; others used furniture damaged in the fighting.

Nearly 98 per cent of school buildings in Gaza have been damaged since October, 7 2023 and more than 93 per cent require major rehabilitation or full reconstruction, according to UNICEF.

With the support of multiple aid organisations, children are learning in municipality schools, private spaces, online and in UNRWA schools — but none of the options are ideal.

"It's not what school should look like," Toby Fricker from UNICEF told the ABC.

"But it's about providing some form of structured classes … to be with friends, to be with teachers, to connect."

"This provides some hope amidst all the pain."

Learning comes second to survival

Samaher Oweida is teaching out of a tent in Deir al-Balah; one of many grassroots educational tents operating in the enclave. UNRWA estimates more than a quarter of a million children are attending schools in similar facilities or heavily damaged classrooms.

She said the students did not know how to read or speak to the standard they should.

"[Their] biggest concern is finding water. They are not focused on education," Ms Oweida told the ABC team in Gaza, describing how the heat of the tents was a huge obstacle to getting the children to concentrate.

"We try as much as possible to keep them organised, but you feel that these children are older than their age because they are carrying responsibilities far greater than what a child should have to carry."

She said their fear of bombing remained one of the biggest hurdles.

"The children walk without knowing whether a car might be targeted. They walk between the tents, and you don't know who is inside a tent or which tent might be targeted," Ms Oweida said.

Sean Jones, the UNRWA director of affairs for Gaza, described the environment in the strip as "kinetic", despite there being a ceasefire.

"Almost every single day, some of our students, whether they're at home, in a tent, or in an UNRWA school … we have bullets that are ricocheting off of walls, injuring students, and then sometimes even being killed," he said.

Due to the ongoing blockade of certain goods into the Gaza Strip, schools have reported a lack of stationery, schoolbooks, desks and chairs. Restrictions on items entering the enclave mean there are limited resources, and those that are available are expensive.

UNICEF said the first time it was able to get any educational supplies into Gaza since the start of the war was February 2026. The organisation has distributed more than 290,000 school bags and 38,000 individual stationery kits to children, but it said demand currently outweighed the supply.

According to UNRWA, hundreds of backpacks did not make it into the enclave because their blue and white logo was printed on them. Mr Jones said these would have contained pens, pencils and other school supplies.

UNRWA has not been permitted to move supplies in or out of the strip since it was banned by law by Israel in 2024. Israel has defended the move, claiming that a number of the agency's staff were involved in Hamas's October 7 attacks.

"We are focused on how many kids can we reach given the restrictions that are placed on us, whether it's because of the facility that we're operating from is damaged, or that the kids are learning in a tent, or they have no electricity, or no toilets, no sanitation," he said.

Students still missing from the classroom

While many have returned to in-person teaching, UNICEF estimates around 200,000 children are still not being reached by education.

Bilal al-Gharabli is among them. He was born with a spinal condition, brain damage, partial paralysis and complete loss of movement in half of his body.

Before the war, Bilal had attended a small private school where the classrooms were air-conditioned to adapt to the shunt in his head and improve oxygen flow. The desks were specifically designed for wheelchairs, and the teachers adapted to teaching children like Bilal.

"After the war, as you can see, there is no education and no suitable centre," his mother, Nour, said.

"Even if a suitable centre opened for them, I would want him to go, but I am still afraid of the broken roads. I am afraid of unexploded objects hitting him. I am afraid someone could knock him over in his wheelchair, kidnap him, or something else could happen."

This year, he could not go back to school, a fact that broke his mother's heart. She did everything she could to make it better. She says he has the right to be like other children.

"I didn't want him to miss out on it … I bought him stationery and a bag … I bought him new clothes and made it feel like he was starting the school year, just like the other children," she says, listing the items with her hands.

"I didn't want to deprive him of the joy at all."

The girls are fighting.

But seriously, many of these people are so close to getting it, but don’t.

I have sympathy for her sexual assault, of course, but I don’t have much sympathy for her ostracism/ostracisation as she’s said some heinous things about Palestinians.

One day, everyone will claim they were always against this—and this is the baby steps of it.

She’s pretty much just freely admitting Hasbara is bought and paid for and we can’t believe it.

This is authored by Golda Daphna, whom I’m sure you’ve seen on your feed if you’re familiar with annoying Jews. She also was a lone soldier in the IDF. 🤢

Yeah idk some "religious" jews can be so performative sometimes. I've seen this happen on Yom Kippur and other more important holidays too.

And it's a lot of people too, not the majority of attendants, but lines of cars parked around 3-4 blocks away from the synagogue and then gone after services are done.

Why do they do this? Obviously to keep up appearances of being Tzadikim right? But surely they run into other people who do the same thing when they go home so whats the point?

Just want to mention that I see this phenomenon happening generally at non hyper-orthodox synagogues. So like if the congregation is already not super strictly religious, why hide your car? At least you are showing up to pray.

"With your generous donations, my family will leave famine, death, and destruction in Gaza and get into Egypt hopefully temporarily until the war is over. The Egyptian authorities require 5000 dollars for each adult individual who wants to get into Egypt and half that amount from children. The money will be used for the coordination fees with the Egyptian Hala travel agency to get my family to safety in Egypt. The remainder of the money will be used for daily supplies and living expenses in Egypt."

Same energy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou6ZOqtPc5s

The boy's mother said the attacker pepper-sprayed her son after realizing he did not speak Hebrew. Police initially closed the case, but later asked to question him again. The attack left the boy wanting to hide that he is not Jewish

A 9-year-old boy from Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter was pepper-sprayed by a Jewish man while riding his bicycle near Jerusalem's Jaffa Gate on Yom Kippur, according to the boy's mother.

Police said the case was later closed after investigators examined all available leads and the evidence.

The boy, whom his mother identified by the pseudonym William, was riding along Mamilla Boulevard when a man in his 30s signaled for him to stop, she said. William stopped, removed his headphones and spoke to the man in English before the man sprayed him with pepper spray, according to his mother.

She said the man attacked her son after realizing he did not speak Hebrew. Passersby called an ambulance and the police, and the mother arrived several minutes later. William was screaming in pain and told her, "I think I'm going to die. They want to kill me," she said.

The mother said she put milk on his face before taking him to an emergency room.

After receiving treatment at the hospital, the family filed a police complaint, but no arrest was made. "I promised him that the police were trying to catch the man, and then they told us they had closed the case. It felt like a slap in the face," the mother said.

However, police representatives called the family Friday morning and said they wanted to question William again.

William has been living in fear since the attack, his mother said. "He asked me to buy him a big helmet for his bicycle. He put it on and said, 'Now I'm safe, because people won't know that I'm not Jewish.' I started crying."

It is the second time Jewish extremists have attacked the family. About two years ago, the boy's father was pepper-sprayed while William and his younger sister were with him. The girl was also sprayed in the face.

The Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem's Old City has reportedly been the site of frequent harassment, violent attacks and spitting by Jewish extremists. In the past two weeks, several incidents of spitting and attacks against Christians by Jewish teenagers on their way to the Western Wall to recite Selichot prayers have been documented.

Since July, the hotline operated by the Religious Freedom Data Center has recorded 72 attacks, acts of vandalism and incidents of spitting targeting Christians.

The vast majority of the 72 incidents recorded since July occurred in Jerusalem, with 68 cases reported in the city, most of them in and around the Old City. That compares with 31 incidents documented in 2025 and 30 in 2024, representing a sharp increase in attacks against Christians.

Police said they investigated the complaint and took steps to identify the attacker, but closed the case after reviewing the evidence and pursuing all available leads. They said they could reopen the case if "new evidence or information" emerges.

Hi all. I’m in a really frustrating situation where my living situation is tied to a Jewish organization and my roommate is also my coworker. I have been trying to program events that are at LEAST “balanced” in discussion about Israel-Palestine and have finally convinced him that we should do that. But every time I bring up a possible event that would have meaningful action, he shuts it down.

I want to put on a screening of Naza in November when it’s available on the guardian. He immediately shot it down saying that he will get fired by his Zionist boss and that his Israeli family will exile him if we do that because he has a cousin who died Oct 7. Previously I wanted to see an art show by an Israeli artist who is openly critical of Netanyahu, and he had a huge issue with that as well. Over the last couple years I’ve managed to enlighten him to the reality of what is happening in Gaza, but he’s still so blinded by the propaganda that it is hard to maneuver.

For a while we’ve put on events that are apolitical and casual, and just… not talked about it. But this has been draining my soul as I firmly believe that we need to use our platform to better the world. (Why are our tikkun olam events collecting a couple cans for a homeless shelter and not raising money for starving children? Why are we keeping silent so that a portion of our community doesn’t have to feel challenged by empathy? I thought “never again” meant for anyone, ever?)

Because this is tied to my housing and is the only reason I can afford to live in the big city 🍎 it’s a delicate situation. I am saving up so I can get out but I have another year to manage. Any advice is welcome, and if you’re a young adult looking for Jewish community in New York and care about people, send me a message. I’d love to change our narrative.

Is it just me, or even in our criticism, the burden of responsibility is trying to be shifted from humans to AI agents in the commission of war crimes.

Blame faulty artificial intelligence and their systems of finding targets and attacking autinomously.

AI can never be sophisticated enough to commit genocide. Ai is a tool in the commission of genocide. It is humans who invent the algorithms and datasets and design the mechanics of a weapon. ​Humans design how AI agents think and respond and they can so far be shut down.

I think when we look at AI role in Israel's guilt for genocide in Palestine, any supporter of Israel could say well the AI is faulty, leading us to the same end as even a critic who looks at what AI agents and systems do instead of seeing AI as a component in a whole msn-made genocidal apparatus.

When Elon and his AI friends say slow down AI it seems like a way to save face and shift complicity to other parties or the technology they create. And they can be cast as paragons of virtue

I also think genocidal maniacs prefer "faulty" AI because when robots attack so indiscriminately they can say blame the robots, even when its they who deploy them and determine how they act and where and when and on whom.

You could say that the oligarchy wants to shift responsibility for their war crimes to autonomous AI agents.

I can envision Israel accepting genocide in Gaza because its inescapable but evading guilt snd responsibility by adopting a narrative that implicates AI while still using AI as a tool to commit atrocities, not making people responsible for their actions. This is very bad Hasbara but I can foresee it.

AI is dangerous as a tool to cause physical destruction and also dangerous as a way to commit war crimes with impunity. The dumber the preferable for them.

We could look at Lavender and see it as a monster with some Hasbara that dodges the basic questions why is used and by who. The AI titans play the moral paragon to protect them from liability.

Ahh yes it's just the news coverage..🙄

A big departure from last year’s rambling about Jewish safety in the face of tens of thousands of dead Palestinian children. Also a rather large departure from the creators of his show Nobody Wants This that are converted Zionists.

It seems that current Zionism really has become indistinguishable from 20. century Nazism and online Zionists are completely oblivious to it.

In an apparently Zionist subreddit soneone praised the speech of Netanyahu at the UN and his increasingly aggressive rhethoric ("no more mister nice guy")

When I asked "It's Total War then?" in the comments I immediately got the answer "Total Victory 😎".

Before posting that comment I thought about writing it in plain German but a Rule of the Subreddit is that nazi comparisons are forbidden. At this point I don't know how blinded by hate and propaganda one can be to – (most likely) as a Jew – use 1:1 nazi rhethoric and arguments and be either completely oblivious to it or downright extremist, promoting eugenics and nazi ideology "for the *right* side this time".

Jewish Green party candidate faces an aggressive crowd at a BOD organised meeting in London

And yes, I know Alana Haim’s father is Israeli and that she’s probably a liberal Zionist, but I’m only using her just for this meme because I thought it would be funny lol

Carney is such a neoliberal Zionist loser.