Letter

In response to Mass Palestinian starvation as a weapon of war

Australia is playing a cynical game re Palestine

Bob Carr in his article suggests that Australia should follow the French in their stated plan to recognise Palestine in September. This ignores the reality that for Macron this is a combination of theatre and self-protection, not a serious proposal at all.

More than 140 nations already recognise Palestine, representing the vast majority of UN member states.

The fact that Macron has consulted closely with Mahmoud Abbas, the aged leader of the Palestinian Authority, an organisation which works closely with Israeli military forces against Palestinians in the West Bank, and an organisation which has no credibility among Palestinians in Gaza, raises the question of whether Macron’s proposal is designed to redefine “Palestine” by whittling it away to nothing.

It should be noted that France still supplies military support to the Netanyahu regime.

— Peter Henning from Melbourne