The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) welcomes Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s shift in tone in his statements condemning Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid for Palestinians in Gaza, but urges immediate Australian action to end these war crimes.
This morning, the Prime Minister acknowledged that Israel’s blocking of life-saving aid is “completely unacceptable” and an “outrage,” and that Israel’s “excuses and explanations” are “untenable and without credibility” – something Palestinians and civil society groups have maintained for months.
Rhetoric, however, is inadequate. Israel has a demonstrated history of ignoring such statements of condemnation and concern. Australia must now act.
The Australian government is legally obliged, as a party to the Genocide Convention, to take action to prevent and punish genocide, an obligation emphasised in the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures almost 18 months ago.
That obligation begins with immediate concrete measures, including sanctions against Israeli officials and entities responsible for the blockade, starvation and mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza.
APAN notes that the Prime Minister’s statement comes as pressure for Israeli accountability grows, including from the UK, French and Canadian governments, and from former ALP minister Ed Husic over the weekend.
Mr Husic, who claims his outspoken comments on Gaza were partly responsible for his removal from the cabinet, rightly said in a statement on Saturday that Australia “can and should be doing more” and should “extend targeted sanctions against those individuals directing a brutal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza.”
That Mr Husic felt unable to speak more freely about Australia’s obligation to act while in the cabinet raises serious concerns about the suppression of dissent within the Australian government.
APAN urges MPs and senators to find the courage to speak now, and demand immediate Australian action, including:
- Immediate sanctions on Israeli officials responsible for crimes against humanity and violations of international law in Gaza.
- A two-way arms embargo on Israel.
- Support for international accountability for Israel, via the ICJ and International Criminal Court.
- Support for domestic legal safeguards, such as the Red Lines Package of legislation, to prevent Australia from aiding or abetting war crimes, illegal settlements and crimes against humanity.
Comments attributed to APAN President Nasser Mashni:
“Every day that Australia fails to act, it offers impunity to Israel and is complicit in its rapidly escalating genocide.
“Palestinians, civil society and the world’s highest courts have been loud and insistent in their demand for states to take concrete action to prevent and punish Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.
“Sanctions are not extreme, they are the bare minimum response to state-led atrocities of the scale that we’ve witnessed in Gaza during the past 20 months. Australia has imposed sanctions on Russia, Iran, Myanmar, in compliance with its obligations to apply pressure to states committing egregious acts of violence and oppression. It’s beyond time for sanctions on Israel.
“We thank Ed Husic for speaking out, and we urge all MPs and senators to have the courage to follow his lead.”