Spitting on Palestinians: a brief guide to Australia’s record during the Gaza genocide
Since October 7 2023, and before, the Australian government has made clear that it is a friend to all the groups that lobby for Israel. It has also made clear that it has zero regard for Palestinians. It would be tedious to record all of the statements made by Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announcing they support Israel’s right to defend itself, their virulent denunciation of Hamas, and the atrocities on 7 October.
In contrast, they have never supported Palestine’s right to defend itself, and they have never condemned an atrocity by Israel. Not the genocide, not the blockade, not the murder of over 25 000 Palestinians, the injuring of over 60 000 Palestinians, not the partial and complete destruction of hundreds of thousands of homes, not the murder of 153 UN staff, not the displacement of (currently) 1.7 million Gazans, not the murder of 117 journalists, the damage to 90 per cent of Gaza’s schools, the attacks on 122 ambulances, the destruction of 11 bakeries, the 20 hospitals that currently do not function at all in Gaza, and more. Not the imminent famine. Only the murder of Israeli civilians has warranted condemnation. Israeli deaths have been outrages. Palestinian deaths have been an endless series of accidents, and actually-the-fault-of-Hamas.
Penny Wong has not only legitimised Israel’s right to use force, but also affirmed its war aims as legitimate, effectively adopting them as her own. She wrote in the Guardian that a “durable peace… will require the dismantling of Hamas — which doesn’t represent the Palestinian people”. This war aim will not be achieved, as is conceded increasingly in Israeli media. Wong requiring the dismantling of Hamas in effect grants indefinite support for Israel’s military offensive. Likewise, Australia voted for a ceasefire at the UN General Assembly in December. It then qualified its international position with a joint statement with Canada and New Zealand, insisting that Hamas must ‘lay down its arms’, and not be involved in future governance in Gaza. If peace requires the surrender of Hamas, then it also requires the victory of the Israeli army. This incoherence was not addressed by the Australian government, which soon reverted to its primary position of not calling for a ceasefire.
Senator Wong proceeded to visit Israel, to meet with families of hostages, and repeat her condemnations of Hamas. And she met with President Isaac Herzog, and Yisrael Katz. Again condemning ‘terrorist acts’ by Hamas, her strongest criticism of Israel was that we ‘recognise Israel’s right to defend itself, but how it does so matters.’ That is, her implied criticism is not a criticism, and is couched in a defence of Israel. Wong did not visit Gaza. She did not visit Palestinians from Gaza, or their representatives, which she designates a terrorist organisation. Instead, she met with the Palestinian Authority — who loathe Hamas as much as Israel — and visited Jordan and the UAE, whose governments are almost as concerned about Gaza as Senator Wong herself.
an entire nation out there that is responsible. It’s not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware not involved.”
Limiting this blog to the rhetoric of Wong and Albanese itself understates Australia’s support of Israel. Let us also remember the Opera House being lit up in blue and white, in solidarity with Israel. It has yet to be lit up for the tens of thousands of killed and injured Palestinians, or the hundreds of thousands facing famine. Evidently, the people of Gaza do not inspire the same need for solidarity or empathy.
It may be recalled also that there was a time when the Premier of NSW “vowed to stop further pro-Palestinian marches in Sydney”. A few days ago, the NSW Government announced an inquiry into hate speech laws. Sky News reports this is ‘after the NSW government received criticism from Jewish groups over its failure to address hateful statements made by some pro-Palestinian protesters and Islamic preachers’. That is, aside from pro-Israel rhetoric in foreign policy, Australian governments at state and Federal level have also adopted various additional measures at the urging of pro-Israel groups.
Let us briefly review some of the other measures taken that have won plaudits from Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), the private think tank and lobbying group:
- January 23, 2024: “AIJAC welcomes new Australian sanctions targeting Hamas, Hezbollah, PIJ and the IRGC”
- 1 December 2023: “AIJAC welcomes the passage of improved NSW race hate laws”. It notes that AIJAC and other Jewish groups were at the ‘forefront’ of the campaign for these new laws.
- 28 November 2023: “AIJAC applauds Federal Government’s announcement of Nazi salute ban”
- 21 November 2023: “AIJAC welcomes Prosecution of threats and incitement to violence bill in NSW”
- 18 November 2023: “AIJAC welcomes sanctions move on Hamas supporters — described as a “step in the right direction””
- 19 October 2023: “AIJAC welcomes new Iran sanctions”
It may be granted they haven’t gotten everything they wanted. But certainly, they have a lot of announced wins in the space of a few months, beyond the general tilt towards Israel by the Australian government. These wins don’t come by chance and coincidence. They come from representatives of the Federal Government regularly meeting with groups that lobby for the Israeli government, and offering them one concession after another. Their doors are clearly open for lobbyists for the Israeli government, and even the most belligerent supporters of Israel have a lot to celebrate in Australian policy, reviewed above.
Update (25/1): In this video, shared by Jews Against Fascism, ECAJ co-CEO Alex Ryvchin states that they engage “almost daily” since 7 October with the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and the Home Affairs Minister.
This is also aside from Australia’s military exports to Israel. On this issue, we are in the dark, due to the government’s rejection of transparency. At this stage, we know the exports amount to some $13m over the last 5 years. Whether they have been used in the last few months in Gaza, we do not know.
Now let us turn from Australia’s endless devotion to Israel’s lobbyists, to how they treat Palestinians. A woman from Mums for Palestine saw the Prime Minister in a restaurant, and tried to talk to him about Gaza. The Prime Minister literally told her to “fuck off”.
Or take another example. Palestinians from Senator Wong’s electorate tried to meet with her to discuss Palestine. After they showed up at the agreed time, they were informed that Senator Wong would not attend the meeting.
In November, Australia let in 20 refugees from Gaza. At the time, there were 65 Australians still in Gaza. Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), one of the peak bodies lobbying for the Israeli government, responded with concern: “I think there’s a greater concern about the worldview, the values that these people hold, and are they compatible with Australian values and living alongside a Jewish community that they’ve been raised to hate?” AIJAC similarly expressed concern, as “detailed scrutiny would seem to be required to ensure Hamas activists and supporters — or even worse, Hamas terrorists — are not inadvertently admitted into Australia.”
In December, Australia sent out a standard email, refusing to help Palestinians trying to medically evacuate their families from Gaza, explaining that ‘meeting requirements for an Australian visa does not mean an entitlement to consular assistance; nor does it mean other authorities will automatically allow people to leave where they are.’ Without Australian support, they will not be able to leave Gaza.
In early December, a petition was launched, urging the Australian government to support medical evacuations from Gaza. After the announcement of Australia’s new policy of not helping Gazans, a new petition was launched, to “immediately re-establish direct support to Palestinians evacuating from Gaza, resume negotiations with forces that control Gaza’s borders in order to ensure a safe and urgent evacuation for visa holders, and to expand Gazan’s access to visas”. This remains ignored.
This can be contrasted to the extraordinary measures Australia took to immediately evacuate Australians from Israel. This includes sending military transport aircraft to evacuate 236 Australians — who would have been free to use Israel’s fully functioning airports.
At this time, the Home Affairs Minister also announced it was legal for Australians to fight with foreign countries (like Israel), but not with Hamas.
Palestinian author Samah Sabawi wrote
Palestinian Australian don’t feel safe. They don’t feel heard. They don’t feel included. They are attacked, bullied in schools, spat at by Israeli flag holders, told their grief upsets others in public spaces. Told their voice needs to be hushed. Labelled pro fucking hamas. Their families are literally rotting under rubble. And you don’t even care to hear us.
There will come a time when memory of this becomes less fresh. When Labor will point to this or that MP whose rhetoric was stronger than Albanese’s, or the confected outrage of some pro-Israel group. So let it be remembered. Three and a half months into the genocide on Gaza, the Australian government has consistently and overwhelmingly supported Israel’s right to defend itself. It has not supported a ceasefire, with one exception at the UN. It visited Israel and not Gaza. It has amended hate speech laws and imposed sanctions in deference to groups like AIJAC. And it has treated Palestinians like dirt. As Palestinians experience genocide in Gaza, when a Palestinian mother tried to plead for Albanese’s sympathy, he looked her in the face and said “fuck off”. That is what Australia’s government thinks of Palestinians, and do not forget it.
