The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) demands immediate and decisive action from the Australian Government in response to Israel’s escalating genocidal attacks on the besieged Palestinian population of northern Gaza.
Israel is attempting to force people to leave northern Gaza, but at the same time shooting at and murdering those who attempt to leave via its duplicitously named “safe routes.”
Meanwhile, Israel has also blocked humanitarian aid organisations from delivering food to the area for 10 harrowing days in a calculated strategy of annihilation aimed at erasing an entire population.
This catastrophic situation has driven civilians to resort to eating animal feed, donkeys, and horses just to survive.
This is not merely a humanitarian crisis or a “tragedy”; Israel is, in broad daylight and armed and supported by western allies, perpetrating a crime against humanity that the Australian Government has a legal obligation to address.
Palestine’s UN envoy has accurately described Israel’s actions as “a genocide within a genocide.”
APAN demands that all members of the Australian parliament have the moral fortitude to speak up against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. This rogue state is committing the gravest of atrocity crimes, and any further weak rhetoric or silence can only be seen as tacit approval of these heinous acts and a betrayal of our collective humanity.
We also demand that the Australian Government complies with its legal obligations under international law – and its moral duty – to act immediately. We demand:
- Immediate sanctions against Israeli individuals and entities responsible for these genocidal attacks and grave violations of international law.
- A two-way arms embargo on Israel to prevent further military aggression against the Palestinian people.
- A complete severance of diplomatic, economic and other relations with Israel to compel it to comply with international humanitarian law.
- Urgent and unfettered humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
- A steadfast commitment to uphold the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination and protection under international law.
The Australian Government must take a firm stand against Israel’s repeated and escalating violations of international law. Silence and inaction in the face of genocide constitute complicity.