Australia’s recognition of Palestine a ‘political fig leaf’, advocacy group warns
Australia’s plan to recognise the State of Palestine is being used as a “political fig leaf to deflect from the urgent legal obligations Australia must uphold under the Genocide Convention”, the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) has said.
APAN President Nasser Mashni accused Canberra of shielding Israel from accountability for “genocide and apartheid” while normalising relations with “the apartheid, genocidal state”.
“This recognition comes while Israel is committing an ongoing genocide in Gaza, which has been livestreamed to the world for almost two years,” Mashni said.
Mashni added that recognition is meaningless while Australia continues to arm, trade with, diplomatically protect and encourage other states to normalise relations with Israel.
He called for sanctions, an arms embargo, suspension of trade, and legal action against Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“There is no peace without justice for Palestine. And there is no justice for Palestine until Western states, including Australia, end the genocide by ending their own complicity in Israel’s genocide and apartheid,” Mashni said.
Jewish Council of Australia urges action against ‘intensifying genocide’, Palestine recognition
The Jewish Council of Australia says the country’s expected recognition of the State of Palestine must be accompanied by “principled action” to stop what it calls Israel’s “intensifying genocide” in Gaza.
In a statement, the council said the recognition next month should not be “merely symbolic” and must be matched with measures that include sanctions, an arms embargo, suspension of all military contracts with Israel and ending the supply of components for F-35 fighter jets used in attacks on Gaza.
Executive Officer Sarah Schwartz said: “You cannot endorse Palestinian statehood with one hand while supplying parts of the weapons that destroy it with the other.” She added that Palestinians “have the right to live in safety and dignity – free from occupation, siege and fear”.
The council accused Israel of almost two years of bombardments, forced displacement and deliberate starvation in Gaza and said Israel had “admitted to deliberately assassinating” Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and four of his colleagues.
Advisory Committee member Antony Loewenstein called the killings “a war crime” and urged the international community to protect Palestinian journalists from “Israel’s belligerence”.
