We Love You, God

Nothing has brought me as much joy as when Donald Trump announced to the world that America had bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. Below is a short excerpt from what I’m sure was a long-winded pat on the back to himself. Near the end, he says, “I would like to thank everybody. In particular… God—we love you, God.” I literally nearly wet my pants laughing. The way he thanked God—like He was just another guy in the room—was absolutely hilarious. It felt like he was giving a shout-out to God. He thanks God near the end, and I highly recommend watching the whole thing to get the full experience.

I would seriously love to know what Israel has on America—or more specifically, what Netanyahu has on Trump—that causes the United States to literally do whatever Israel asks. In so many ways, I am outraged by it.

Israel attacked Iran first. Iran struck back—and rightly so, as it has a right to defend itself. And then America threatens Iran, saying “Surrender now or we’ll take serious action.” In this instance, Iran was the victim.

Netanyahu has been claiming for 30 years that Iran is “months,” “weeks,” or “days” away from having a nuclear weapon. It’s interesting how this all suddenly escalates now—just when global condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza is reaching fever pitch; just when the U.S. is close to striking a deal with Iran; just when Bibi Netanyahu faces a real risk of going to jail.

And then, as if on cue, Israel once again breaks international law and launches a preemptive strike against Iran.

I’d like to share a few facts with you about Iran and the concept of nuclear weapons.

1. Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

• Iran joined in 1970, committing not to develop nuclear weapons and to allow inspections of its nuclear facilities.

2. Iran allows inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

• The IAEA conducts regular inspections of Iran’s declared nuclear sites.

• Under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — aka the Iran Nuclear Deal — Iran agreed to even stricter monitoring, including:

• Limiting uranium enrichment

• Reducing its stockpile of enriched uranium

• Modifying its nuclear facilities

• Allowing 24/7 surveillance and snap inspections at key sites.

• 3. Iran has faced accusations but remains under international oversight

  • While Western powers have accused Iran of covert activity, there’s no public IAEA evidence that Iran has developed a nuclear weapon.

  • After the U.S. pulled out of the JCPOA in 2018 (under Trump), Iran began breaching limits but still permits IAEA monitoring — albeit with reduced access.

This is in contrast to Israel:

1. Israel has never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)

• It is not legally bound by the treaty’s rules, inspections, or disclosures.

2. Israel maintains a policy of "nuclear opacity"

• It does not confirm or deny having nuclear weapons — but it’s widely believed to possess 80–90 nuclear warheads, possibly more.

• Weapons are believed to be stored at Dimona, a facility completely closed to international inspection.

3. Israel does not allow IAEA inspections

• Unlike Iran, Israel’s nuclear program is entirely off-limits to international oversight.

• Israel argues that disclosing its nuclear capacity could threaten its security in a hostile region, but this double standard is often criticised.

So, Israel has nuclear weapons, yet it tells other countries they are not allowed to have them. I know there’s much more to this—like Iran’s support of certain militant groups and the potential threat a nuclear-armed Iran could pose to the Western world. But if you asked me, I’d say the last country anyone should want to have nuclear weapons is Israel. Not that they even need them—they’ve managed to all but wipe out most of Gaza without using nukes.

 

Something I found particularly interesting about this whole assault on Iran was Israel’s precision in targeting Iranian scientists. It’s telling that they’re able to track these individuals down, accurately identify them, and carry out assassinations without causing any civilian casualties. But when it comes to targeting Hamas, we’re told they have no choice but to level entire neighborhoods and kill tens of thousands of civilians.

Clearly, Israel has the intelligence capabilities and the advanced technology in its arsenal. It’s a joke—an utter joke—that more people aren’t questioning why this technology isn’t used to avoid mass death in Gaza. The double standard is glaring.

I used to want to go to Israel—to witness firsthand the daily lives of Palestinians living under apartheid. I was even concerned about this anonymous blog and whether it might prevent me from entering, since I’ve heard Israel checks social media when processing visa applications. But now? I’ve changed my mind. I’ll say what I want. I’ll start my own blog dedicated to it if I feel like it. Fuck Israel.

I've discovered this young Palestinian man—I think he's around 22 years old—named Hamzah Saadah. He's an influencer on TikTok and YouTube. His parents and grandparents are Palestinian, and he identifies as Palestinian, but he was born in the USA.

I'm not sure if you're familiar with programs like OME.TV. It's kind of like Zoom, Skype, or WhatsApp, but you select a country you'd like to connect with and randomly video chat with people from there. Hamzah creates content by selecting Israel and calling Israelis. He's pretty provocative—he introduces himself and says he's from Palestine. A lot of people know who he is by now; he has millions of followers. But so many Israelis tell him to fuck off, or to die—it’s pretty harsh.

He gets into debates with some older people, but there are heaps of younger ones too. I’d say 99% of the people he talks to hate Palestine and don’t care about the women and children being killed in Gaza.

I watch this guy for hours. He can be pretty immature—which is to be expected for a 22-year-old—but I’ve also seen him be quite nasty to some Israelis who are just trying to have a reasonable conversation. He leans a little toward Hamas and similar groups—not in support, exactly, but in trying to explain why they became what they are. He seems to be pointing out the conditions that led to terrorism, rather than endorsing it.

Some of his YouTube videos go for up to four hours, and I enjoy sitting back and just watching him talk to Israelis. He occasionally speaks with IDF soldiers, and I even saw him talk to a settler once. It’s just... interesting. I’m tempted to try calling people myself, but most of the users are really young. There are some older ones, but not many.

I was thinking back to last year when Opposition Senate Leader Simon Birmingham introduced a motion that condemned the use of the chant “From the river to the sea.” Apparently, Labor Senator Fatima Payman referenced the chant as she became the first federal Labor parliamentarian to break ranks by publicly describing what is happening in Gaza as a genocide.

I remember when all of that happened, and how people were claiming that “From the river to the sea” is genocidal. I am not a fan of Simon Birmingham, and I’m glad he's out of the Senate—because the Senate is no place for a man like that.

But “From the river to the sea” is not genocidal. What is genocidal is bombing tens of thousands of civilians in a densely packed population, destroying an entire network of hospitals, executing children, and blocking access to aid, water, and medical supplies. That is genocide.

Labor senators backed the motion, which passed with 56 votes in favour and only 12 against. And I ask—why doesn’t someone put forward a motion to say that the Israeli Government has orchestrated and is currently conducting a genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza? Why doesn’t anybody do this?

I’ve said this before on this blog: I feel like someone should tell a higher authority what’s going on in Gaza—but there is no higher authority. The United Nations is a joke.

I love how Israel recognised the UN back in 1947 when it proposed dividing the land of Mandatory Palestine between Jews and Arabs. But now that the UN is telling Israel to implement a ceasefire, now that it's calling out their actions as genocidal and declaring that the settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are in violation of international law—suddenly Israel no longer recognises the UN.

There are so many horrible things happening in the world right now—civil war and famine in Sudan, gang violence and hunger in Haiti, the long-standing civil war in Yemen, and the war in Ukraine, to name a few.

But if an alien came down to Earth right now and asked me to tell them the story of humanity, I would tell them the story of Israel and the Palestinians. I would tell them that we must be close to the end of this story—because there will come a point when there are no Palestinians left.

But this is our story. It is a story of white supremacy, colonialism, ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and impunity. That is the human story. And we are all complicit in these acts—because we allow them to happen.

On the flip side of this coin—I was at my hairdresser’s the other day getting a blow-dry. Mario was doing my hair, and we usually have deep conversations. I enjoy talking to him because, although he’s a tough businessman, he’s also a very hard worker, and I’m often inspired by his work ethic.

However, the other day I was telling him something Israel had done, and he said the worst thing possible.

He said, “You know, Hitler knew something we didn’t know.”

My jaw dropped. I put my hands over my ears and started saying, “Lalalalalala,” just to block it out.

He then went on to say how Jews have always considered themselves better than the rest of us. I felt really sad that he said that, because I like him so much otherwise. But I knew in that moment that I needed to find a new hairdresser.

I told him I didn’t agree with that at all, and that I had wanted to convert to Judaism for years. Then I quickly changed the subject.

I kind of regret not being firmer, not showing more disapproval in the moment for what was such a blatantly antisemitic statement. But the truth is—I’m getting a special straightening treatment done later today, actually—and I want to get that done as my final service from them. After that, I’ll look for someone new.

I’ve already started looking online. I’m searching for a cosy little salon nestled inside a corner shopping centre, with a few hairdressers and preferably low-toxic colours.

Mario knows he said the wrong thing. When I was leaving, I gave his wife a big hug to say goodbye—but I didn’t hug him. I don’t always hug him anyway, but the moment was there, and I chose to walk away.

Last night, I was sitting in the lounge when my mother was on the phone to my brother. I could hear what they were saying, and they got onto the topic of China. My brother made a comment to my mother about “when China invades Australia.” Mum shrugged it off, but it got me thinking.

Not long ago, Chinese warships were circumnavigating Australia, and I remember feeling a low, buzzing sense of anxiety about it. Thoughts went through my head—what if China did invade Australia? What would that mean for us, logistically? Strategically? Personally?

After my mum and brother ended their conversation, I messaged him and asked if he really thought China could invade Australia. He answered yes, and even referred me to some reading on the topic. I then asked what was definitely a ridiculous question: “Would this affect our way of life?” He replied, “Absolutely,” and then went on to reference several commentators who have seriously suggested that China could invade Australia.

Thinking about it—I realised we’d be fucked.

It made me see, in a stark way, just how much we rely on the United States. On 11 June 2025, Australia sanctioned Israel’s Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Bezalel Smotrich, the Minister of Finance. This drew criticism from the Liberal Party and from international voices as well. But the day after we imposed those sanctions, the U.S. made a little side comment suggesting they might have to “review AUKUS.”

That’s the world we live in. We can’t speak out against the U.S.—or even against Israel—without risking serious strategic consequences.

Of course, I knew that, in theory. But I never really felt how this works until now.

Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are two evil bastards who incite violence against Palestinians. As a peace-loving nation, we should absolutely be standing up to Israel and saying, “This behaviour is not good enough.” But we can’t—not without jeopardising something like AUKUS.

Meanwhile, I don’t sleep at night anymore. I’m up well past dawn because I’m so scared someone will break in to the house. I can’t settle my mind, so I try to keep busy while jumping at every little noise.

But last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about China invading Australia. The thought had lodged itself in my head, and it wouldn’t let go. I even decided I’m going to learn Chinese—it might be useful. But after another night of a different kind of terror, around 6:00am this morning, I heard fighter jets overhead.

I couldn’t believe it. Were my worst fears coming true?

I ran into my mother’s bedroom like a five-year-old child and woke her up. I asked if she could hear the jets. She said no—but then they flew over again, loudly, shaking the house. I ran back to my room and asked ChatGPT what the jets could possibly be, and it reassured me that it was a scheduled training exercise.

Intellectually, I don’t think I truly believed we were under attack. But it was just such a coincidence—after a long night of running through different scenarios of the Chinese invading Australia—that hearing those jets felt like a punch to the gut.

I still haven't heard back from the organisation about whether my criminal conviction for using my mobile phone while driving will affect my capacity to volunteer with them. I love the it so much—I think it is such an important and genuinely beautiful service. I'm passionate about it. I’d never want to work there in a paid role, because I feel like it only truly means something if it’s done voluntarily.

But I’m beginning to feel like maybe my conviction will prevent me from continuing as a volunteer. Plus, actually starting as a volunteer without having completed my police check—even though it was a genuine misunderstanding—probably wasn’t a great move. I did follow up on it, but ultimately, I’ve got to take full responsibility.

So I started thinking about something else meaningful I could do if I struggle to volunteer with my criminal conviction. And I found the perfect solution: Trauma Teddies.

They are these adorable little teddy bears that volunteers knit for the Red Cross. They're given to children in ambulances, to refugees, and to kids affected by bushfires, floods, and other disasters—any scenario where a child needs comfort. There’s a specific pattern you have to follow and criteria like the type of wool and stuffing that can be used. Once you've knitted a teddy, it’s inspected by someone at the Red Cross. If it ticks all the boxes, they put a special tag on it and it’s given out.

I’ve decided I’m going to learn to knit so I can make these Trauma Teddies. Luckily for me, my mother is a master knitter. She used to own a knitting shop and can knit just about anything. I asked her if she’d teach me how to knit the Trauma Teddies, and she said she’d love to.

In Australia, there are around 600 volunteer knitters and knitting groups who hand-knit Teddies. Together, they create 50,000 Trauma Teddies a year. I’m going to be number 601. I don’t know how many Teddies I’ll be able to make in a year, but I do know that mine will be colourful, meet every specific requirement the Red Cross asks for and most of all, they’ll be knitted with a whole lot of love.