Palestinians always knew that their culture, history and land constituted an independent, sovereign state.

Nevertheless, they will celebrate the UN General Assembly vote that officially recognises their statehood and are entitled to do so.

Recognition has taken decades and the struggle has taken thousands of lives.

The Israeli regime declared through its propaganda foghorn that there was no such entity as Palestine and the Palestinians “didn’t exist”.

An overwhelming majority of 138 nations voted to support the Palestinian application, including France, Italy, Spain, Norway, Denmark and Switzerland.

There were 41 abstentions, including Britain and Australia, which was given the green light from Washington.

The Zionist regime received the backing of its foremost benefactors the United States and Canada and a motley crew of nations-on-the-take, including Panama, the Czech Republic, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and Palau.

If Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had their way, Australia would have voted with the rejectionists.

The vote is a historic blow to Zionist diplomacy which has spent billions of dollars on foghorn propaganda claiming that there was no such entity as Palestine and the Palestinians “didn’t exist”.

Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is discovering the perils of insulting the US President in an election year and building settlements on the military-occupied West Bank when Barack Obama called upon him to stop.

UNWRITTEN LAW ON COMBAT

ABC reporter Tom Tilley this week interviewed Sydney Jews who were planning to return to Israel, undertake military training with the Israeli army and become combatants against Palestinian Arabs.

His report, carried on 7.30, provoked no interest from the other media or the Federal Government.

What if young Palestinians started to return to their homeland to take up the struggle for an independent, democratic, multi-denominational state?

Would the authorities grant them visas and welcome them back home after they’d finished their training?

I think not. There is unwritten law that Australian Jews can participate in combat against Palestinians and Arab neighbours in Lebanon and Syria. Even when the UN and the Red Cross condemns their operations as amounting to “war crimes” there is no official redress by the Australian government against the Zionist mercenaries.

CHARACTER FORMATION AT ST JOHN’S

Anyone reading about the torrid bastardry by senior students at Sydney University’s St John’s College will not be surprised to learn that this is where Tony Abbott, the Federal Opposition leader, boarded during the 1970s.

Why hasn’t the mainstream media made the connection?

From his St John’s College base, Abbott became president of the Student Representative Council (SRC) and led his notorious warfare against the Labor Club and other left-wingers.

In other words, the odious character-forming initiation rites of the Catholic college are part of Abbott’s DNA.

This is not to suggest that Abbott is homophobic, misogynistic and a bully, but these traditions existed at the college when Abbott was a prize student and collected degrees in economics and the law.

Responding to the embarrassment of Cardinal George Pell and the right-wing Catholic faction in the NSW Liberal Party, Premier Barry O’Farrell has produced a bill to amend the Saint John’s College Act. (Yes, folks, the college has its own parliamentary legislation as a form of protection against uppity parents and students).

Under pressure to “do something” about the college’s well-publicised bullying, binge drinking and sexism, O’Farrell has brought forward a Bill which restarts the college’s council.

But all the appointments to the council will be made by Cardinal Pell, the Vatican’s point man in Australia and the chief spokesman for 19^th century orthodoxy, in consultation with the vice-chancellor.

“The O’Farrell government is ignoring community outrage and allowing the powerful St John’s college alumni to perpetuate their privilege and appalling behaviour,” said Greens MP John Kaye.

“There is no attempt to address the sense of entitlement and arrogance that has led to a culture of harassment, vandalism and intimidation

“While sweeping changes are needed, this bill merely tinkers with the edges.”

He accused O’Farrell of wanting “not to offend the Cardinal or the elitist group of former residents and parents who have rushed to protect their institutionalised privilege”.

Carmel Tebbutt, the Opposition education spokesperson, has, as usual, said nothing and the Greens are making the running.

A product of a convent education, Ms Tebbutt is putting her faith in O’Farrell and Pell to reform the religious college system with a fresh bill to be presented at some time in the future, perhaps next year.

BLITZKRIEG IN PARLIAMENT

The final week of Federal Parliament was about one thing – forcing the Labor Caucus to take action to replace Julia Gillard as Prime Minister.

Four forces were at work – Tony Abbott’s demented Liberal Party, News Ltd newspapers, Murdoch’s Sky News and Kevin Rudd’s supporters.

The blitzkrieg on the floor of parliament and in the media failed to shift the Caucus, although it has rattled many of them.

Ms Gillard has seen off her vicious detractors and won sympathy and support for her political courage.

If the ALP Leader was a male, he would be gone by now and Labor would be uniting behind a new team and new policies to confront Abbott in next year’s election.

Will the political violence stop next year? No.

Two compelling battles will be in play: ongoing Liberal and News Ltd assaults on Gillard to force a leadership change; and mounting Liberal dissatisfaction with Tony Abbott fuelling a comeback by Malcolm Turnbull.