Dear members of federal parliament,
I write to you today to mark the one-week milestone of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling that Israel has a plausible case of genocide to answer to in Gaza, and to urge the Australian Government to take urgent measures to hold Israel to account for its violations of international law.
In its ruling, the ICJ ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza. It also gave it four weeks to present a report detailing the actions it had taken to this end.
One of those weeks has now passed, but it is evident that Palestinians in Gaza can’t wait three more weeks. The Israeli Government has made it clear, in both its words and actions, that it intends to proceed with its violence in Gaza, towards eliminating Palestinians from this territory and claiming the land for its own new settlements.
During the past seven days, Israel’s Occupying Forces have killed more than 1000 Palestinians, bringing the death toll to more than 27,000 people, the vast majority of them women and children. Oxfam has reported the daily death toll in Gaza is higher than any other major 21st century conflict.
Israel has deepened its campaign of terror in Khan Younis, directly targeting and attacking hospitals, threatening the lives of medical staff, patients and thousands of people taking shelter in the compounds of those facilities. These facilities are theoretically protected under international law. It has also detained, stripped and blindfolded Palestinian men in Khan Younis, and taken them away to undisclosed locations.
And during the past week, the Israeli Government has continued to deliberately block and hamper the access of humanitarian aid convoys, compounding the risk of impending famine in Gaza.
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network is concerned that the international community, including the Australian Government, have thus far failed to intervene to put an end to these continuing atrocities.
We are concerned that we have not yet heard the Australian Government unequivocally condemn the Israeli Government’s flagrant violations of international law.
We are also concerned that Australia’s language in regards to its noting of the ICJ ruling continues to perpetuate the both-sidesism that has characterised its statements around this crisis, and its impacts on Australian communities, to date. This both-sidesism minimises both the brutality of Israel’s violence in Gaza during these past four months, and the enormity of the suffering and injustice being experienced by Palestinians in Gaza and here on this continent.
APAN is also distressed by Australia’s decision to join 17 countries to freeze vital funding to UNRWA, an organisation described by UN Secretary General Antonion Guterres as “the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza.”
This action represents a devastating blow not only to Palestinians depending upon UNRWA for their very survival at this critical moment, but also to the Australian community’s trust in the government’s commitment to international law and humanity.
It’s a move that flies in the face of the ICJ’s ruling that Israel and parties to the Genocide Convention “take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
We urge the Australian Government to immediately reverse its decision to pause funding to the UNRWA, to publicly condemn Israel and its ongoing violations of international law, and to take all possible measures to support the ICJ’s legally binding ruling.
Sincerely,
Nasser Mashni
President, Australia Palestine Advocacy Network | 
