Letter

In response to The occupation and ethnic cleansing of Gaza was always Netanyahu’s intention

Palestine recognition

The Australian Government’s conditional proposal for the recognition of Palestine is untenable for both reasons of principle and practical reasons.

“Hamas” (like the ANC in South Africa) took part in armed resistance of an oppressive regime as years of failed negotiations presided over by Western Governments facilitated the ongoing oppression. How is a peaceful transition to occur without Hamas involvement?

If members of Hamas are to be excluded from involvement in the negotiations for the establishment of the government of Palestine, why are not the members of the genocidal Israeli regime similarly excluded? Exclusion of “Hamas” confers a de facto veto on Israel as to who takes part in the government of Palestine. Israel’s record of killing people and falsely designating them “Hamas” is well known.

The Palestinian Authority is a corrupt and deeply unpopular “Vichy” government of the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority should have a seat at the table, but Western Governments have no right to appoint them to the government of Palestine.

The condition excluding “Hamas” opens the Australian Government to the accusation that its conditional recognition of the state of Palestine is a fraudulent mask of its ongoing support of the genocidal Israeli regime.

— John Curr from MANLY