The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) says the extrajudicial assassination of the political head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, is a grave war crime that risks exacerbating violence in the region.
The assassination of Haniyeh in Iran came hours after Israel bombed Beirut in an assassination operation on a Hezbollah commander, killing three people – a woman and two children – and injuring 74 others, and three months after a deadly Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria.
The Australian Government must condemn these brazen violations of international law and take immediate and decisive action to see Israel held to account for its crimes, and to prevent the conflagration of violence across the region.
With the International Court of Justice (ICJ) having already ruled that Israel is plausibly committing genocide in Gaza, illegally occupying Palestine, and violating international prohibitions on racial segregation and apartheid, it is clear the Australian Government must actively work towards holding Israel accountable for its criminal actions and supporting justice and human rights for Palestinians by:
- Supporting the ICJ’s rulings on Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its illegal occupation and apartheid policy in Palestine, and the International Criminal Court’s application for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity;
- Expanding its sanctions to include other Israeli individuals and entities involved in Israel’s illegal occupation, its genocide in Gaza and its apartheid across Palestine;
- Imposing a two-way arms embargo;
- Urgently reviewing with a view to suspending any Australian trade, military and other relationships or agreements with Israel;
- Ending diplomatic relations with Israel by recalling the Australian ambassador and expelling the Israeli ambassador;
- Canceling the DGR status of any Australian charities that contribute to, support or benefit from Israel’s illegal settlements;
- Investigating and prosecuting dual citizens who have travelled to serve with Israel’s Occupying Forces.
Quotes attributed to APAN President Nasser Mashni:
As if Israel’s ongoing genocide and its illegal occupation in Palestine weren’t evidence enough that Israel is a rogue state that cares not one shred for human life or the rule of law, its extrajudicial killings further expose the depth of Israeli impunity and political recklessness.
These brazen attacks on the sovereign soil of Israel’s neighbours tip the region towards the further eruption of violence, and the Australian Government must not wait a day longer to officially condemn this rogue state, sever all economic and diplomatic relationships with it, and take concrete measures to check Israel’s aggression and its flouting of international law.