Pearls and Irritations

How much longer can the Australian Government hide from the horrific atrocities that continue in Gaza?

Dr. Al Bursh, Director of the Ministry of Health has reported new weapons ‘that cause people to vaporise’ are being used by the IDF in Northern Gaza. He said residential blocks were targeted by the IDF killing entire families. How can the government retain its diplomatic status with Israel, whose Prime Minister has been called by a Knesset colleague ‘the serial killer of peace’?

The recent statement by Israel’s former Defence Minister, Moshe Ya’aon that ethnic cleansing is a reality in Northern Gaza confirms the view of many international commentators that the war against Hamas has always been less about rescuing hostages and more about a further land grab to build more illegal settlements. Is this reality being discussed in the Albanese Cabinet and when will the government announce that Australia cannot maintain diplomatic relations with a regime that uses indiscriminate military force to achieve its political goals?

Does the Prime Minister read official daily briefings detailing the ongoing killing and maiming of civilians in Gaza? Does he watch news clips of desperate Palestinians struggling for limited food handouts? Has he heard of the recent ”flour massacre“ when civilians waiting for food aid were targeted by Israeli military air strikes? Has he protested about the latest killing of aid workers from World Central Kitchen who, like Australian Zomi Frankcom, gave their lives for humanitarian support ?

Despite all the devastating statistics, global condemnation of Israel and the legal rulings of the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court, the Australian Government remains silent while the Opposition acts as a cheerleader for the pariah state.

In November the Foreign Minister, Penny Wong released an oped in the Sydney Morning Herald which acknowledged “Australians were traumatised by the horrors if the Middle East”. However, her Cabinet colleagues have not yet responded to their trauma. The daily crimes against humanity committed by Israel are ignored by the government and are a low priority in the Australian media .

Now that the parliament is in recess for two months, political leaders can enjoy end of year festivities and summer holidays free from unwelcome reminders that they have failed the people of Palestine. Do they have any regrets that they should have done more in the last twelve months? Are they wrestling with their consciences when they hear the grim statistics of death and destruction? Do they think about the future for 17,000 orphaned Palestinian children? Has any minister advocated an Australian Rehabilitation and Rebuilding Plan to support Palestinians when the war is over?

For more than a year the Australian Government has pretended that war crimes committed by the Isreali Defence Forces are part of “Israel’s right to defend itself”. There have been routine calls for a ceasefire and a few official statements indicating military strikes on aid workers are “ unacceptable “ but the Government has refused to condemn illegal military reprisals against civilians nor commented on the illegal occupation and control of their territory.

The Netanyahu regime has challenged international law and established a devastating precedent that one alleged ‘terrorist ‘ justifies the murder of thousands. Does the Attorney General, charged with oversight of Australian compliance with international law, accept such twisted logic? Can we expect to see local police forces given authority to ruthlessly ignore entire communities to pursue one criminal? Of course, such a question is ludicrous in the Australian context but why has there been no official statement about Israel’s denial of international legal processes ?

In June 2024 for the first time the Lowy Institute Poll included a question about the federal government’s overall handling of Australia’s foreign policy. A majority of Australians (56%) said the current Labor government is doing a good job while 41% rated it poorly. Specific questions about the government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict were rated 4.2 out of 10 and promoting and defending human rights internationally 4.9 , showing that Australians recognise that the Albanese government has failed to take a strong position in defending international law

Recent polling shows that domestic issues dominate voters’ thinking as they consider their choice in next year’s federal election. However, Australians are also concerned about the character and priorities of their leaders and are unimpressed when parliamentarians do not respond to tragedy and loss. They expect their leaders to show empathy combined with genuine understanding about the need to resolve conflict and end suffering.

Parliamentarians and especially those in government should spend their holiday season reassessing their priorities to ensure they also include concern for humanity beyond their electorate boundaries. Many Australians are tired of waiting for their government to show compassion and leadership in facing international crises.

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