In contrast to cricketer Usman Khawaja’s principled stand for human rights, the Liberal’s Simon Birmingham and Labor’s Josh Burns broadcast their judgements that the time is not right for a ceasefire. Commentary from these Australian MPs in response to slaughter in Gaza, both of whom are in Israel to show support for that country, shows their warped view of history and scant regard for humanity.
Any appraisal of the industrial scale killing in Gaza should cause us to feel gratitude for Khawaja. But, instead, criticism of the cricketer reached depths of inhumanity from those saying that concern for human rights should not be expressed by public entertainers, cricketers, actors or others.
The opening batsman wrote on his shoes, ‘All lives are equal, Freedom is a human right’, so the International Cricket Council threatened him with dire consequences if he wore those shoes on the Perth cricket ground. Khawaja responded that in reaction to thousands of women and children being slaughtered, the world had turned its back, hence his judgement that one way to retain hope for a common humanity was to express respect for universal human rights.
Oh dear, what a dangerous thing to say.
Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham is then reported as ‘lashing out’ against Prime Minister Albanese’s vote for a ceasefire. Birmingham might have noted that after weeks of procrastination, and only when he became aware of electoral damage from his support for Israel, Prime Minister Albanese had to be dragged to seek a ceasefire, and did so by coupling his new found courage with routine condemnation of Hamas.
At that point, policy for a ceasefire is castigated as weak. Pontificating from Israel, and no doubt under orders from bully boy leader Peter Dutton, Birmingham gives the media the usual explanation that a ceasefire will only help Hamas. Does Birmingham think that nothing happened before October 7?
The same stupidity, a desperate need to ignore history, is repeated by another Israel supporting MP. Labor’s Josh Burns gives his limp explanation as to why he cannot support the Prime Minister’s vote for a ceasefire. Irrespective of the votes of 152 countries for peace to start, for slaughter to temporarily end, Burns explains that as much as he wants to pray and wish for a ceasefire, and a ‘return to the situation prior to October 7’, he will sing from the same hymn book as Birmingham.
These Federal politicians have been supported by the CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Mr. Alex Ryvchin who attacked what he calls the Prime Minister’s weakness in supporting a ceasefire, which will only support Hamas and prolong the war.
These public figures’ opposition to a cease fire is justified by repeated references to the Hamas slaughter and taking of hostages on October 7, a taken for granted judgement which raises no questions about the decades of Israeli terrorists who have murdered Palestinians, displaced thousands and destroyed homes. Such acts are justified by the amoral repetition, that Israel has a right to defend itself.
Preoccupation with Hamas attacks of October 7 has deflected attention from a history which could remind eager-for-Israel politicians as to what happened before October 7.
Over decades, Palestinian lands had been under military occupation. In defiance of UN Resolutions and with the connivance of Israeli police, 700,000 messianic Jewish settlers have stolen and occupied Palestinian and Bedouin lands and homes.
Body counts provide no rationale for moral judgements. Even one killing of a Palestinian or Israeli is too many, but in the name of security, Israeli repression, murder and other brutalities had been underway for 50 years. Human Rights Watch reports that in the last 20 years, armed Palestinian groups on the West Bank had killed over 1000 Israelis civilians but in military incursions into Gaza in 2008/9 and in 2014, over 3,000 Palestinians were killed including 400 children, and in the Gazan 2018 March of Return protests, hundreds were killed by Israeli sniper fire and over 20,000 badly injured.
Following those events, no Federal politicians rushed to Gaza or to Ramallah to express solidarity with the Palestinian people. No political leader asked that public buildings be draped with the Palestinian flag.
If the details of history are of no interest, at least the present end of time catastrophe in Gaza should prompt Federal politicians to consider whether they should be appearing at the Rafah crossing, not in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.
Those politicians might not want to delve into history but present information is surely enough. They must know that in this Israel ‘war’, an estimated 20,000 Gazans have been killed and 300 West Bank residents murdered by armed settlers or the IDF. Over 80% of Gazans are displaced, well over 50% of all buildings destroyed or damaged, food, water and medical supplies are unavailable in what has become a living hell.
How much more killing must occur before politicians who wish to show solidarity with Israel will cease describing calls for a ceasefire as weak? The killings, starving and destruction are an end of time catastrophe, so too the utterances of public figures who would not be seen in Usman Khawaja’s shoes.
At least that gutsy cricketer’s stand shines a human rights light. A light without which the darkness of violence and slaughter will continue to be promoted by supporters of Israel as the best way to solve problems. And even, hear this, that violence and slaughter will bring peace.
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