Open Letter to Anthony Albanese: ‘Why collusion with this grotesque Israeli government?’
Jun 13, 2024
We write in sadness and despair at your government’s failure to condemn openly and persistently the Israeli government’s determination to ethnically cleanse Palestine and to cause brutality, famine, death and destruction to a whole people and their country.
From: Australian Academics
To: The Hon Anthony Albanese MP
Prime Minister,
Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600
June 14 2024
Dear Prime Minister,
‘Why collusion with this grotesque Israeli government?’
We write in sadness and despair at your government’s failure to condemn openly and persistently the Israeli government’s determination to ethnically cleanse Palestine and to cause brutality, famine, death and destruction to a whole people and their country.
Courage in public life is crucial. To that end, we urge an Australian Labor government to acknowledge the genocide occurring in Gaza, the slaughters on the West Bank, to support South African initiatives before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to support the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and to follow the example of Ireland, Spain and Norway by recognising the State of Palestine.
We support without reservation the letter from over 800 public servants charging Australia with complicity in genocide and with supplying arms or with the means of assembling arms to enable Israel to continue massacres against Palestinians.
Refreshing and reasserting leadership on those issues would see Australia crafting an independent foreign policy, never unduly influenced by Washington let alone by cooperation with a state which always flouts international law.
Reference to Hamas atrocities of October 2023 cannot provide justification for the unhindered genocide committed by Israel in Gaza and on the West Bank. In comparisons of Israel and Hamas, there is no ‘moral equivalence’. Even a cursory reading of history reveals decades of Israeli terrorism and massacres of Palestinians by Israeli forces which far outstrip the Hamas murders of October 2023.
Australia’s attitude to Israel and to the civil liberties of Palestinians should be influenced by a reading of history, by adherence to the rules of international law and by ideals of a common humanity.
Yours sincerely,
Prof. Stuart Rees AM,
On Behalf of Colleagues:
Dr. Wajeehah Aayeshah, Curriculum Design in the Arts, University of Melbourne
Mohamad Abdalla, Islamic Thought & Education, Univ. of South Australia
Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah, Futures Fellow, School of Social Sciences, Macquarie University
Dr. Natalie Aboustate, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide
Dr. Rojan Afrouz, Global, Urban, Social Studies RMIT University
Professor Bart Anderson, School of Psychology, University of Sydney
Danielle Andree, School of Art, RMIT University
Lily Atkinson, School of Social Sciences, University of Adelaide
Professor Thalia Anthony, Faculty of Law, University of Technology, Sydney.
Dr. Stephen Atkinson, SA School of Art, University of South Australia
Dr. Melanie Baak, Faculty of Education, Univ. of South Australia
Professor Emeritus Wendy Bacon, former Head, Centre for Independent Journalism, UTS
Associate Professor Barbara Baird, Women’s & Gender Studies, Flinders Univ.
Associate Professor Ali Gumillya Baker, Arts & Social Sciences, Flinders University
Dr. Caryl Barnes, Associate Professor Psychiatry, University of Sydney
Dr. Frances Barrett, Art, Design & Architecture, Monash University
Dr. Margaret Beavis, GP, Public Health Nuclear Issues, University of Melbourne
Professor Mark Beeson, Australia-China Institute, Univ. of Technology, Sydney
Dr. Michael Beggs, Political Economy, University of Sydney
Dr. Alison Broinowski, former Visiting Fellow, Australian National University
Professor Emeritus Philip Boyce, Psychiatry, Sydney Univ. Medical School
Dr. Tuba Boz, Global, Urban & Social Studies, RMIT University
Professor Linda Briskman, Social Work, Western Sydney University
Dr. Susan Britton, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales
Dr. David Brophy, Modern Chinese History, University of Sydney
Dr. Scott Burchill, School of Humanities & Social Sciences, Deakin University
Professor Emeritus Joseph Camilleri, International Relations, La Trobe
Dr. Na’ama Carlin, Humanities & Languages, UNSW
Dr. Bree Carlton, Criminology, Social Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
Dr. John Clegg, Political Economy, University of Sydney
Dr. David Coady, Humanities, Philosophy, Gender, University of Tasmania
Associate Professor Kate Coleman, Arts Education, University of Melbourne
Dr. Daniel Connell, Artist, Arts Educator, Flinders & Univ. of South Australia
Dr. Jayson Cooper, Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne
Dr. Gregory Crocetti, Biochemistry, Microbiology, University of Queensland
Associate Professor Joanna Cruikshank, ARC Discovery, Deakin University
Tessa Cunningham, Education, Psychology, Social Work, Flinders University
Dr. Kathryn Daley, Social Equity Research Centre, RMIT University
Dr. Kamilia Eriani, Social and Political Science, University of Melbourne
Dr. Freya Higgins Desbiolles, Business Unit, University of South Australia
Dr. Jack Desbiolles, Agricultural Research Engineer, Univ. of South Australia
Dr. Abigail Diplock, Education Futures, University of South Australia
Caitrin Donovan, History & Philosophy of Science, Univ. of Sydney
Professor Maria Fiatarone Singh, Geriatrics, Sports Science, University of Sydney
Associate Professor Gerhard Fischer, Humanities & Languages, UNSW
Dr. Prudence Flowers, Department of History, Flinders University
Associate Professor Charlie Fox, Hon. Fellow, School of Humanities, Univ. WA
Dr. Tami Gadir, Music Industry Research, RMIT University
Dr. Nathan Gardner, Melbourne Law school, University of Melbourne
Associate Professor Nidhi Garg, Neurology, School of Medicine. Univ. of Sydney
Dr. Alison Gibberd, Epidemiology, Global Health, University of Melbourne
Dr. Tristan Graham, Life Sciences, Biomedicine, University of Melbourne
Professor Susan Goodwin, Policy Studies, University of Sydney
Dr. Jan Gothard, Adjunct Associate Prof., Murdoch University
Dr. Leia Greenslade, Health Sciences Griffith Univ. & Jewish Council
Dr. Sahar Ghumkhor, Criminology, University of Melbourne
Associate Professor Marianne Hanson, University of Queensland
Dr. Julian Harris, Education, University of Melbourne
Christiana Harous, College of Education, Flinders University
Professor Dennis Haskell, Emeritus Prof., University of Western Australia
Dr. Haidee Hicks, Global, Urban, Social Studies, RMIT
Siti Nur Hidayah, Education Futures, University of South Australia
Dr. Richard Hil, Adjunct Professor Health Sciences, Griffith University
Associate Professor Anne Honey, Mental Health, University of Sydney
Dr. Joe Hughes, English & Theatre Studies, University of Melbourne
Nathan Fioritti, School of Social Sciences, Monash University
Professor Emeritus Jim Ife, Social Policy, Curtin University
Rosie Isaac, Faculty Fine Arts & Music, University of Melbourne
Dr. Sacha Jamieson, Social Work & Policy Studies, University of Sydney
Professor Kanishka Jayasuriya, Politics International Studies, Murdoch Univ
Professor Hubertus Jersmann, Thoracic Medicine, University of Adelaide
Associate Professor Diana Johns, Criminology, University of Melbourne
Dr. Alice Jones, Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide
Dr. Evan Jones, Political Economy, University of Sydney
Dr. Mairwen Jones, Psychology, Faculty of Medicine Univ. of Sydney
Professor John Keane, Politics & Government, University of Sydney
Dr. Michael Keem, Neuropsychiatry, Monash University
Dr. David Kelly, Global, Urban, Social Studies, RMIT University
Emeritus Professor Jane Kenway, Monash University
Associate Professor Catherine Kevin, History, Flinders University
Zoe Keys, Women’s & Gender Studies, College of Humanities, Flinders Univ.
Dr. Mary Lane, former Social Work Social Policy, University of Sydney
Professor John Langmore, Hon. Prof. Fellow, Social & Political Sciences, Univ. of Melbourne
Dr. Susie Latham, School of Social Sciences, Western Sydney University
Associate Professor Jake Lynch, Peace Studies, University of Sydney
Dr. Belinda MacGill, Education Futures, University of South Australia
Dr. Kenneth Macnab, former Historian, CPACS, University of Sydney
Dr. Hannah McCann, Culture & Communication, University of Melbourne
Dr. Katie Maher, Education, University of South Australia
Dr. Peta Malins, Criminology & Justice Studies, RMIT
Dr. Peter Manning, Professor of Journalism, University of Technology, Sydney
Dr. Jamie Manolev, Education Futures, University of South Australia
Professor Fethi Mansouri, Institute for Citizenship & Globalization, Deakin Univ
Dr. Jessica Marian, English & Theatre Studies, University of Melbourne
Danila Marini, Health & Medicine, University of Adelaide
Prof. Emeritus Brian Martin, Social Sciences, University of Wollongong
Dr. Eve Mayes, Faculty of Education, Deakin University
Associate Professor Nadeem Memon, Education & Social Inclusion, Univ., SA
Associate Professor Crystal McKinnon, History, Law, Justice, Univ. of Melbourne
Dr. Hannah Middleton, anthropologist, Peace Studies, University of Sydney
Dr. Benjamin Miller, English and Writing, University of Sydney
Dr. Erica Miller, Social Inquiry, La Trobe University
Dr. Emily Miller, Justice and Society, University of South Australia
Jemma Moody-Pugh, Health & Social Development, Deakin University
Dr. Angela Molloy Murphy, Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne
Jane Morphett, School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide
Dr. Monique Mulholland, College of Humanities, Flinders University
Dr. Connie Marguerite Musolino, Stretton Health Equity, University of Adelaide
Dr. Sunam Mustafa, School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide
Professor Chris Nash, founding Professor of Journalism, Monash University
Associate Professor Sharlene Nipperess, Global, Urban Social Studies, RMIT
Dr. Christopher O’Neill, Science and Technology Deakin University
Rebekah Ormond, Health & Social Development, Deakin University
Professor Diane Otto, Human Rights Law, University of Melbourne
Dr. Allan Patience, Social & Political Sciences, University of Melbourne
Dr. Erik Paul, Hon Research Fellow CPACS University of Sydney
Cambrey Payne, Sociology, Criminology, Gender Studies, Univ. of Adelaide
Dr. Joshua Pocius, Sociology Gender Studies, University of Melbourne
Dr. Gideon Polya, Biochemistry, Humanitarianism, La Trobe University
Associate Professor Amanda Porter, Criminal Law, University of Melbourne
Dr. Fereshteh Pourkazemi, Discipline of Physiotherapy, University of Sydney
Dr. Scott Poynting, Adjunct Professor QUT and at Charles Sturt University
Dr. Lisa Radford, Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne
Professor Emeritus Stuart Rees, University of Sydney
Professor Patrice Rey, School of Geosciences, University of Sydney
Professor Henry Reynolds, University of Tasmania
Dr. Nick Riemer, Dept. of English, University of Sydney
Dr. Kim Robinson, Health & Social Development Deakin University
Dr. Peter Ross, Humanities and Languages, UNSW
Dr. Sophie Rudolph, Faculty of Education, Univ. of Melbourne
Associate Professor Tilman Ruff, Population & Global Health, Univ. of Melbourne
Paula Sanchez, Faculty of Nursing, Western Sydney University
Dr. Tatjana Seizova-Cajic, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney
Dr. Kate Seymour, Education, Psychology, Social Work, Flinders University
Professor Emeritus Ahmad Shboul, Arabic Studies, University of Sydney
Dr. Russell Shuttleworth, Health & Social Development, Deakin University
Dr. Jordana Silverstein, Aust. Jewish History, Refugee Policy, Law, Univ. of Melbourne
Associate Professor Emeritus Peter Slezak, Philosophy, UNSW
Professor David Shearman, E/Professor of Medicine, University of Adelaide
Tom Short, Critical Mental Health, RMIT University
Dr. Charlie Sofo, Design & Architecture, Monash University
Dr. Amy Spiers, School of Art, RMIT University
Professor Emeritus Frank Stilwell, Political Economy, University of Sydney
Dr. Laura Sumrall, Medical Microbiome Research, University of Wollongong
Dr. Marcelo Svirsky, School of Humanities & Social Inquiry, Univ. of Wollongong
Dr. Anna Szorenyi, Sociology, Criminology, Gender Studies, Univ. of Adelaide
Dr. Mathew Taft, English, Creative Writing, La Trobe University
Dr. Richard Tanter, Honorary Professor, University of Melbourne
Natalie Jane Thomas, School of Social Sciences, University of Adelaide
Dr. Nikki Wedgwood, Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Univ. of Sydney
Dr. Greta Weston Werner, School of Architecture, University of Sydney
Professor Robert White, Literature, University of Western Australia
Dr. Nichlas Wickham, Haematology, Pathology, MAPW, South Australia
Dr. Sarah Williams, Global, Urban, Social Studies, RMIT University
Rosie Yasmin, Youth Research Collective, University of Melbourne
Professor Lobna Yassine, Social Work, University of Sydney
Associate Professor Muhammed Yakin, Medical Sciences, Univ. of Adelaide
Dr. Lew Zipin, Sociology, Education, Univ. of South Australia
Dr.Reihana Mohideen, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne
Interested readers may wish to view:
Petition EN6173 – Australia to declare recognition of the State of Palestine