At an Australia-wide webinar on 31 October, David Spratt paid tribute to the late Ali Kazak, Palestine’s first ambassador to Australia.

Ali had “transformed the politics of Palestine in Australia” and had a profound impact “across the labour movement, the media, churches and on campus both at student level and with Middle East academics”.

Ali would have been grateful for this webinar staged in his honour. He would not have been surprised at the outrage promoted by the sessions: Palestinians’ Perspectives on their Future, Legal and Media Responses to Genocide, Humanitarian aid & Australians’ responsibility to act.

Palestinians’ perspectives

Chaired by Tamara Browne, panellists described their incredulity, disappointment and despair that the citizens of Palestine had not been given lead roles in relieving hunger, restoring health care and rebuilding homes. “It is outrageous we are not even consulted about key decisions regarding a future government.”

Outrage greeted this commentary. Palestinians have been treated as though they do not exist, or are incapable of governing themselves, an arrogance which remains part of a centuries old colonial mind set. As a consequence, Israeli perpetrators of a genocide have been chosen to rebuild what they have destroyed.

It is equally outrageous that a human rights-oriented Australian Government has remained silent on a peace plan which follows the cruel tradition of denying agency to the indigenous citizens of Palestine.

Legal and media responses to genocide

Lawyers and journalists gave compelling responses to the Israeli genocide in Gaza and to slaughter on the West Bank.

They asked how could it be that the rulings of the International Court of Justice, that Israel’s occupation of Palestinians’ lands must end immediately, are ignored? An Australian Government, party to the ICJ rulings, has ducked for cover when confronted by US/Israel intimidation and has ignored their obligations to the ICJ.

Outrage expressed in that session was provoked by accounts of the corporate media’s compliance with the bias of an Israeli narrative. Israel is the victim, all Palestinians are Hamas, hence the justification of famine, carpet bombing and murder. The Lancet puts the Gaza death toll at more than 500,000, disproportionately women and children.

Contributors to this session, including the barrister, chair Paul Heywood-Smith, identified media cowardice in complying with management instructions not to use words such as “apartheid”, “racism”, “genocide” and even “Palestine”.

The corporate-influenced mainstream media has legitimised Israel and, despite barbarity experienced by the people of Gaza, journalists have imitated politicians’ cowardice. Each group, politicians and journalists, have been scared to highlight the Palestinian narrative let alone condemn the perpetrators of genocide.

Humanitarian aid, recovery, rebuilding

This session proved almost too disturbing to watch. Ably chaired by Kate Lee of Union Aid Abroad (Apheda), panellists included the Palestinian surgeon Dr Bushra Othman and Michele Higelin, president of the Australian Council for International Development.

Dr Othman has completed three medical tours in Gaza and began her comments by recalling that the Israeli military had confiscated basic medical equipment “such as sutures” when she last entered Gaza.

Israeli cruelty appears unending. The West’s cowardly reluctance to confront Israel added to the audience’s sense of despair that barbarity can be allowed as a form of government as long as it is practised by Israel with US backing.

A brave young Palestinian surgeon knew that pictures can speak a thousand words and presented a video commentary on the spartan conditions in what is left of Gazan hospitals and the horrendous suffering of patients.

Pictures of a Palestinian woman lying on a stretcher after being disembowelled by an Israeli missile, were followed by scenes of twin boys horribly injured by Israeli fire, one youngster with his arm severed by shrapnel, his brother with similar injuries to his leg and abdomen. Although doing whatever she could in a depleted operating theatre, even under Dr Othman’s care, both boys died.

To remain human in response to Dr Othman’s account required tears mixed with outrage.

Higelin’s report was no less outrageous. She explained that even in the Trump peace plan arrangements, the Israeli Government is allowed to do what it likes and must never be held accountable. They now require every NGO working with Palestinians to “re-register and to name all their employees. Consistent with the constant demonising of UNRWA, outside agencies belong to Israel. They know best. No one should question their claims, let alone what they consider to be their entitlements.

This latest Israeli thirst for control, as in the demand for NGO re-registration, is an infringement of organisations’ autonomy and trust, yet the Australian Government says nothing. They could muster the courage to defend their own, in this case the invaluable work of ACFID.

Turning outrage into action: Chris Sidoti says what we must do

I (Margaret Reynolds) first met Chris Sidoti when he was president of the Australian Human Rights Commission in the 1990s, a time focused on the High Court Mabo decision that native title had survived colonisation and the claim of terra nullius was false.

Australians share a special understanding of Israel’s colonisation of Palestine, hence the appropriateness of Sidoti investigating atrocities in Israel and Gaza over the last two years.

At this fourth session of the webinar, Sidoti combined the parameters of international law with his unassailable commitment to his own humanitarian values and those we should all aspire to.

He detailed the legal obligations of nations like Australia to prevent genocide and to constantly advocate for maintenance of international law as the only way to avoid human catastrophe. We spoke of complicity and the outrageous double standards and hypocrisy which too many leaders use to justify inaction.

Many Australians have been shocked by the failure of the Australian Government to take decisive action when it was most needed to stop the unrelenting killing and maiming of civilians and the destruction of Gaza.

Outrage can be turned into action, so here are are 10 essential questions to be asked in Parliament and in all communication with our elected representatives:

When will the Australian Government impose sanctions on Israel for its failure to comply with international humanitarian law?

When will the Australian foreign minister withdraw Australia’s ambassador from Tel Aviv, indicating diplomatic relations will not resume until progress is made by Israel to act within international law to assist rebuilding Gaza and the rehabilitation of its people?

When will the attorney-general detail how the Australian Government plans to comply with its obligations as a signatory to the Genocide Convention?

When will the defence minister detail the extent of the Australian arms industry’s complicity in continuing to trade with Israel knowing that its products are used in the murder of civilian populations?

When will the prime minister provide details of Australia’s commitment to the Trump peace plan, including humanitarian peacekeeping and reconstruction initiatives?

Have discussions yet been held with the ACTU in order to engage their assistance in establishing an Australian Rebuild Gaza Taskforce?

Have the health and defence ministers yet considered a Gaza Medical Evacuation and Treatment plan?

Has the education minister initiated discussions with Australian universities to develop a Scholarships for Palestine Plan?

What progress has the immigration minister made to expedite special humanitarian visas for Palestinians requiring family support and/or medical treatment?

Can the prime minister announce how many joint Australia/Israeli citizens have served in the Israeli Defence Force since November 2023?

Australian were unable to stop the genocide in Gaza but we must insist that our government support the Palestine people and work overtime to protect international humanitarian law. We cannot allow our leaders to ignore their responsibilities and their humanity.

In response to this genocide in Gaza and continuing slaughter in the West Bank, Australians have expressed their outrage but that is not enough. As a matter of urgency, answers to the questions listed above are desperately needed.

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.