Feb 16, 2024
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) welcomes today’s joint Australian, Canadian and New Zealand statement urging Israel to refrain from furthering its catastrophic military offensive in Rafah and urges the Australian Government to take tangible steps to prevent genocide in Gaza. Words are not enough.
APAN acknowledges and echoes the government’s expression of grave concern for Palestinians trapped in Rafah as Israel prepares to double down on its genocidal campaign in Gaza.
Israel’s brutality has resulted in more than 100,000 Palestinians killed, wounded or missing – the majority of them women and children.
APAN supports the government’s urgent call for an immediate ceasefire and expects it to follow through with concrete actions to ensure Israel knows there will be consequences for its violations of international law.
Most immediately, Australia must restore its frozen UNRWA funds to ensure that those Palestinians who are spared from Israel’s atrocities don’t then face death from deliberate starvation, dehydration or lack of access to medical care.
It is also past time for the Australian Government to issue a clear and unambiguous statement of public support for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, which declared there was a plausible case of genocide for Israel to answer to in Gaza, and orders for the state to take all possible measures to prevent this genocide.
In light of Israel’s defiance of these orders and its escalating violence in Rafah since that ruling, South Africa has returned to the ICJ just this week to request further immediate provisional measures to prevent Israel from doing irreparable harm to Palestinians in Gaza.
The Australian Government must unequivocally support this request and must begin to take steps to ensure Israel complies immediately – the people of Gaza cannot afford any more wasted time.
Australia must also clearly condemn the Israeli Government for its defiance and violations of international law and impose sanctions against Israeli ministers and officials who have incited genocide and championed plans for illegal settlements in Gaza.
It is also time to end any military intelligence cooperation and weapons component exports we offer to Israel, and the federal parliament must support a motion to cut ties with Israel to pressure it into compliance.
