The convenor of the youth branch of Australian Friends of Palestine Association, (“Young AFOPA”) on 20 October 2023 wrote to Prime Minister Albanese expressing disappointment in his unequivocal support for Israel during its ongoing genocide in Gaza. The writer challenged the sincerity of the Prime Minister’s purported commitment to engaging in reconciliation in Australia, when at the same time supporting “an occupier actively committing acts of ethnic cleansing and genocide.”
The Prime Minister did not so much as attempt a response to his constituent. Rather his office handballed the criticism to his Foreign Minister. The writer calls out the response as “disgraceful” and asks Mr Albanese, “as our nation’s leader, to take personal responsibility for your public comments as well as responsibility for your government’s policy positions.”
Dear Mr Albanese
I am a member of an Australian solidarity group for Palestine. I am writing to you to express my serious disappointment in the response of the Australian Government to what is happening in Palestine right now.
While it comes as no surprise to me that you and your government have taken a decidedly pro-Israel approach, I am astonished by the extent to which you have failed to separate the actions of Hamas, from Palestinians’ right to resist under international law as people under military occupation. Even more so, I am astonished that Israel should be allowed to commit acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing with absolute impunity.
In addition, you have failed to properly place the actions of Hamas within the context of 75 years of illegal Israeli military occupation over Palestine, leading the Australian population to believe that Hamas (and therefore all Palestinians) are committing atrocities in a vacuum. You have turned the oppressor into the victim and the victim into the oppressor. This has fuelled the media’s ferocious campaign against Palestinians, the result of which is alienation of your Palestinian, friends of Palestine, Muslim and Arab communities in this country.
I am an advocate for Palestine, which also means being an advocate for all oppressed people. The Australian Government has no right to cherry pick which oppressed people to ‘stand with’ depending on what best suits its foreign policy. You have failed to appreciate that the Australian Government does not always have to pick one side. You can stand with Ukraine while also standing with Palestinians. You can denounce the atrocities committed by Hamas while also denouncing 75 years of Israeli military occupation. You can condemn terrorism while also recognising occupied peoples’ right to resist. All of these positions are not mutually exclusive. Rather, they demonstrate insight and appreciation for nuance. Most importantly, those positions stand on the side of the oppressed. Your decision to unequivocally ‘stand with’ Israel is politically short-sighted and naïve.
You have failed to appreciate that a smart, long-sighted political decision would have been to condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas and Israel. That would have seen Australia on the right side of history. You do not have to pick one side.
Instead, you chose to light up Australia’s landmarks in blue and white. A political decision that may attract votes in the short term, but having alienated a large portion of the Australian population, will cost you politically in the long term. There are thousands of young people like me who will remember your serious failures over the past week and who will never again trust you to properly represent the values of the Australian community.
Moreover, many of us in our solidarity group voted ‘Yes’ at your referendum. Palestinians and friends of Palestine feel a deep connection to the suffering of Aboriginal people, with both Palestinians and our First Nations people having a shared history of violent settler colonialism. Those who voted yes feel betrayed. You campaigned to give First Nations people a Voice while at the very same time shouted support for Israel, an occupier actively committing acts of ethnic cleansing and genocide. That hypocrisy throws much doubt on the sincerity of your claims of wanting to engage in truth telling and reconciliation in this country.
This year the Labor Party returned to the neutral position of labelling the Palestinian Territories as “occupied”. You therefore accept that under international law, Palestine is under military occupation. It follows that you must accept that Palestinians have all the rights afforded to them under international law as people living under occupation. I implore you to be an advocate for the consistent application of international law to all people and to lead a government that always stands on the side of the oppressed, regardless of their race, ethnicity or religion.
The Australian Government will one day be embarrassed that it had an opportunity to fall on the right side of history, but instead, sided with the oppressor. However, you still have an opportunity to make things right and to call for an end to Israel’s genocide of Palestinian people. Call it out for what it is under international law and make it known to the world that Israel’s actions to do not align with the values of Australian people.
The Prime Minister’s response:
PM_Palestine_Acknowledgement Letter redacted
Jeanie Lucas
Jeanie Lucas is a retired Adelaide Social Worker, a long time peace activist and the Secretary of the Australian Friends of Palestine Association (AFOPA).