Pearls and Irritations

Since the onset of the Gaza War, many Australians have urged the Albanese Government to speak up in condemning the Netanyahu regime’s constant breaches of international law and to act urgently to protect innocent civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.

While the government has been strident in attacking those Green and Independent parliamentarians who dared to voice their concerns about the devastating death toll of Palestinian civilians , the Australian prime minister has continually refused to condemn the indiscriminate retaliatory behaviour of the Israel Defence Force.

Instead, Australian Government ministers responsible for the Genocide Convention have continually avoided confronting their own failures with the Deputy prime minister proudly announcing, “I wouldn’t use that term”. Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, has refused to publicly comment on rulings by the International Court of Justice and Australia’s obligations as a signatory to the convention, even as Israel continues its illegal campaigns.

In responding to the death of Zomi Frankcom and her World Kitchen colleagues, the prime minister and his foreign minister could only manage to tell the prime minister of Israel it was “unacceptable”, when we all know this courageous Australian died because “our trusted friend” Israel, now a rogue state, acts unilaterally outside international law.

In attempting to distract Australians from continuing war crimes in Gaza, the Albanese Government has carefully chosen to deflect with its own brand of messaging, so we are told that this overseas conflict has divided Australia and risked our social cohesion. Indeed, protest marches, university encampments and graffiti attacks were presented as a national emergency, demanding immediate government action. The tragedy of Gaza was set aside by a government prioritising the appointment of an envoy for anti Semitism. How can apparently responsible leaders preside over this charade which attempts to prevent Australians from engaging in real debate about an international humanitarian crisis?

When governments fail to deal with the original cause of criticism, they desperately try to find a fresh crisis to mask their original failure. The devastating loss of life and destruction of Gaza does not rate highly on the Albanese Government’s political agenda. True, there are obligatory calls for a ceasefire. However, it would be hard for Australians to name one standout action or statement that demonstrated this government is proactive in trying to influence our powerful allies to follow international negotiation and law to stop their reliance on militarism.

The Australian Government has failed to make any statement in the parliament recording its regret about the death of 40,000 Palestinians with women and children disproportionately affected. There has been no debate about the deliberate destruction of an entire community – its homes, schools, places of worship and culture. Where is the voice of the Australian Government challenging the failure of its allies to protect United Nations aid workers and journalists with so many killed on duty? The only parliamentary statement the Albanese Government has supported was the one made immediately after the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas when speaker after speaker sanctioned “Israels right to defend itself”.

Since October 2023, the extent and degree to which that right may be used has been widely questioned and criticised by those nations upholding international law and protecting the rights of civilians. But there has been silence from the Australian leadership on these vital questions, so it is reasonable to ask just how regularly professional public servants briefed Federal Cabinet.

Thanks to a recent Freedom of Information request from former Senator Rex Patrick, we now know the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has indeed been advising the Albanese Government of the “catastrophic” crisis in Gaza. Briefings have included reference to the killing of Zomi Frankcom as “outrageous”. As of 13 May, DFAT reported 35,000 civilians killed, 78,000 civilians injured and 1.7 million Palestinians displaced. Regular reports have reminded our leaders of mass graves around hospitals and rising starvation and disease.

We can only presume that Dreyfus and Defence departmental officials have provided similar advice, but the Australian community’s right to know this information has been carefully protected by a government intimidated by both Israel and the United States. It would seem that Federal Cabinet supporters of lucrative trade deals with major international arms manufacturing companies are more protective of these shadowy deals than of the victims, who suffer the consequences of this ruthless war mongering.

Is it possible for the Albanese Government to recant and recognise its many failures to follow its alleged commitment to international law and, of course, that much lauded, but unclear, “rules-based order”? How could we now be persuaded that the prime minister and his ministerial colleagues are sincere in their efforts to demand Israel reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire allowing 100+ Israeli and 9000 Palestinian hostages to return to their families? Can we anticipate a parliamentary statement in October that details the Australian Government’s deep regret that it has been unable to convince its “forever friends” to negotiate and use constructive diplomacy to prevent the carnage of continued warfare? Will this deadly 12-month anniversary be used to promote rehabilitation and rebuilding, or will we yet again be confronted by irresponsible political brinkmanship?

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