- The US recently blocked a Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza
- The Australian Government must call strongly for a ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and massive humanitarian aid for Gazans
- The Israeli ambassador should be expelled until such actions are taken.
On this UN Human Rights day, the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) is alarmed by the refusal of the US to support the UN Secretary-General António Guterres resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza. The US was the only country to veto the resolution
“Australia has previously abstained in a vote for a ceasefire and we have long suspected that the Albanese government’s position on Gaza is being decided in Washington,” said IPAN spokesperson, Kathryn Kelly. “The Prime Minister must demonstrate that this is not the case by calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza”.
“As Kings Counsel, Paul Heywood-Smith said recently, Israel does not have a right to defend itself in this completely disproportionate manner in the Occupied Territory of Gaza. Civilian casualties, the majority of whom are women and children, are nearing 20,000, and the real figure is likely to be many more. This is a clear war crime,” she continued.
“The Israeli Human Rights group, B’Tselem condemns this humanitarian catastrophe as Israeli policy. They write, “Life in the Gaza Strip right now is an unimaginable nightmare, as the result of a deliberate Israeli policy… This reality isn’t the war’s biproduct, it’s the deliberate outcome of Israel’s policy – a manufactured humanitarian catastrophe.”
“This analysis is shared by Alan Johnson in the Nation who says, ‘Israel is engaging in massive population transfers and attempting to depopulate Gaza, and everything it does must be understood through this lens. The Israeli government has explicitly said this from the beginning. ...Israel needed to use military force to remove everyone from the hospital because hospitals are, by their very nature, one of the last places people will evacuate.’”
“Israel’s aim is not to ‘defend itself and root out Hamas’, but to empty out Gaza and take the land, That is what the Israeli settlements on the West Bank are all about as well – taking over Palestinian land, even if it means starving the population of Gaza, which they are doing,” Ms Kelly said.
“The Australian government cannot continue to make Australia complicit in this inhumanity and these war crimes. The humanitarian catastrophe is unimaginable. The Prime Minister and Senator Wong must immediately call for a ceasefire, massive humanitarian assistance and the withdrawal of Israeli troops, and give the Israeli ambassador notice of his expulsion until these actions are in place,” she concluded.
Background Information
Australia was a founding member of the UN and was one of only eight nations involved in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the newly-formed UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948, 75 years ago. It is a crucial international document that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings.
The formation of both the United Nations and the Declaration have helped reshape our modern world, and Australia played a prominent role.
Australia’s External Affairs Minister, Doc Evatt, originally opposed the Security Council veto and had a major role in the formation of the United Nations and the establishment of Israel. Australia has a particular responsibility in relation to Israel-Palestine.
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