… or resign
Media Release
Head of the Australian Delegation of the Global Sumud Flotilla calls on the Prime Minister to Join International Condemnation of the Abuse of Flotilla Participants Taken Hostage by Israel.
Simon Jones said that Albanese’s silence is extraordinary in the light of reaction by the governments of European allies, the UK and countries around the world.
“The Israeli ambassador to Canberra should be summoned or sent home,” said Jones.
The depraved glee displayed by Ben Gvir in his vast black shirt during his self recorded festival of malice is shocking. That his minions (also in black) comply with this psychologically warped exercise is damning of Israel.
We are deeply concerned for all 318 participants, the 11 courageous Australian friends and their families.
Ben Gvir has called for prolonged imprisonment of flotilla members.
“Our reaction to watching healthy, bright, brave, peaceful humanitarians being harmed in real time pales beside our concern for what occurs off camera,” Jones said.
During the last Global Sumud Flotilla mission, humanitarian volunteers reported severe mistreatment, including the deprivation of medicine and medical care, routine humiliation and degradation, physical violence, torture techniques, sexual assault, and cruel and unusual punishment.
The hostages are likely to be taken to Ktzi’ot, one of Israel’s most notorious torture prisons, located approximately 140km south of Ashdod.
Subhi Awad, Palestinian-Australian and Global Sumud Flotilla Australian spokesperson:
“Ktzi’ot prison is where it has been repeatedly reported that Palestinians are routinely tortured and raped to death. We demand our Australian government not only step in and show some responsibility for our citizens but also enact their moral and legal obligation to stand up for human rights for the Palestinians being killed in the prison cells next to them.”
DFAT and lawyers have yet to connect with Australian flotilla participants.
This Israeli own goal underscores global grief for Palestinians experiencing the full extent of Israeli cruelty across the decades since 1946. Nakba has never ceased.
Lawyers agree that Israeli interception and kidnapping practices in international waters violate the Law of the Sea. Abandoning boats mid-ocean is an act of environmental vandalism, endangering other shipping.
Israel’s denial and destruction of many tonnes of crowd-funded essential medical aid and food also affects every individual Sumud supporter. The needless Israel-curated suffering from supply shortages during their blockade of Palestine has drawn the comment of international aid agencies and the UN.
The Flotilla did obtain, load and carry aid. We recorded ourselves doing so. Israel denies concrete fact.
“The Australian Government must disconnect from Israel”, said the Australia Head of Delegation. “We cannot remain enmeshed with systematic human rights abusers of any stripe”.
A vigil was held at Kirribili House yesterday.
A key member of our team, Palestinian Subhi Awad, was arrested yesterday for peacefully blocking the gates of a Brisbane factory where weapons bound for Israel are manufactured.
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Australia’s response to this latest Israeli outrage is a disgrace. Where is the criticism, no outright condemnation of Israel’s act of piracy in International waters? Once again the government’s capture by the Zionist lobby is reinforced. How long is the Israeli ambassador to be allowed to remain and tell his lies at the National Press Club?
Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has condemned the actions of Itamar Ben-Gvir who posted a video of himself abusing bound activists captured while trying to sail an aid flotilla to Gaza. Penny Wong joined international condemnation of the footage, which shows Israel’s national security minister, waving an Israeli flag and mocking and taunting the detainees who were forced to kneel with heads to the ground with hands restrained by cable-ties.
Penny Wong said “the images we have seen are shocking and unacceptable”.
“We condemn the actions of Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir – who Australia has sanctioned – and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained.”
“I have asked Australia’s Ambassador to Israel to make representations to Israel, reiterating our call for the release of the detained Australians and for Israel to ensure no ill treatment of any detainees and to act in line with international obligations. I have also directed DFAT to call in Israel’s Ambassador to Australia to reinforce this message.”
To be fair, I think our Minister for Foreign Affairs has acted within diplomatic conventions and constraints and done so promptly. Any further statements by Albanese could be considered a pile-on and we want to avoid that, certainly until the hostages have been released.
Already, Israel is being designated internationally as a rogue state and the International Criminal Court has arrest warrants out for Netanyahu and others; it’s a question of give them enough rope and they will hang themselves!
Perhaps our government might expel the Israeli ambassador, until the Israelis remove and severely punish such offenders, but fears, “diplomacy”, superstitious righteousness and crippling stupidity do cloud this issue, which will not be resolved satisfactorily, as ever. Could jehovah, god, allah, ganesh, zarathustra and all the gang chat?
America isn’t the only country controlled by the Zionists.
Australia, along with the rest of the Anglo-Western World is experiencing the adverse influence of aggressive Zionism. As Terry Mills rightly states above: “..Israel is being designated internationally as a rogue state…” . Already, he and I can be classified as being “anti-semitic” for writing and endorsing such a simple statement. Other nations have their own mechanisms to address this issue but I believe the core of the problem here is simply the adoption of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, (adopted in 2016 by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance), into the law of our land. This definition is entirely asymmetric in its intent and application such that accusations of anti-semitism are as indefensible as being charged as a heretic during the Inquisition in Spain in 1478. Australia already has State and Federal laws relating to religious and ethnic persecution and injury and such matters are dealt with without fear or favour. The Zionist tactic is to tie religion (Judaism) to ethnicity – which is a false claim for nationhood. Israel is not the Jewish nation – it is a nation where the majority (?) of citizens are of Jewish faith, both orthodox and secular. Scholars point to a variety of ethnic origins of people who practice Judaism: Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Khazars, etc. Today, “Sabras” are the Israeli citizens born in modern Israel from parents who migrated from many post-war European nations and other places. To be Jewish coincides with being Israeli only if that is where you are primarily registered as an Israeli citizen. At the same time there are many non-Jewish Israeli citizens born in modern Israel (or its precursor – the Palestine Mandate) or born elsewhere outside modern Israel. The term “semitic” simply refers to those communities that speak Semitic languages, such as Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic, Amharic and several ancient Near Eastern languages. So the Zionist claim that criticism of the Israeli government is anti-semitic is a non-sequitur and should not be included in any definition that is embedded in Australian Civil or Criminal Law. Thus our Prime Minister, politicians, public commentators and citizens are constrained and censored under threat of legal action, (and covert Zionist intimidation), if they speak the truth about the criminal and inhuman behaviour that the current Government of Israel constantly perpetrates towards any person who criticises that state.
Thankfully in this instance Foreign Minister Penny Wong is able to see and speak beyond that constraint whereas Prime Minister Albanese seems to consider his office to be above such behaviour. Really?
I can’t wait to hear the submissions presented during the second block of the Royal Commission into Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion commencing Monday May 25. Will we hear any condemnation of Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir’s repulsive treatment toward a peaceful protest trying to provide aid to Gaza? I doubt it.
This facade has gone on long enough.
Becoming tiresome when many genuine, but also RWNJs masquerading as anti-imperialist left, demand the heads of Albanese and Wong for the actions of Netanyahu and Trump? While barely critical of the latter two, imperialists?
Like a flotilla in the past (then with Hamas & Turkey), one needs to careful or have eyes wide open when participating in such actions if things go pear shaped, then demanding that the government must do something?
Whiff of grandstanding, stunts, narcissism and provocation for attention, but how will it genuinely help victims and punish the perps, when a centrist Australain government is blamed, but not local allies of Netanyahu and Trump (or their chum Putin, and Kushner)?
The Israeli Ambassador to Australia should immediately be expelled. On Thursday ABC7.30 the Ambassador stated that the sea blockade of Gaza was legal under international law for the security of Israel: He Lied!
“The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued historic decisions declaring Israel’s complete blockade of the Gaza Strip—which encompasses land, air, and sea operations—to be illegal under international law. The Court ruled that because Israel maintains an “occupation” over the Palestinian territories, it cannot legally impose a blockade, and must ensure unhindered humanitarian access.”
So, I agree that we should now do more, in particular expelling this grub of an ambassador for telling blatant lies.
Israel appears to blunder on into historical distortions on endless repeat, as it lives out a fantasy master chosen, blessed, anointed career as a nation stolen from a perfectly legal Palestine in 1948. Endless murder, theft, criminality follows, just to crush sense and civilised behaviour. The long time sufferings and marginalisations failed to instruct. There can be no good end whether sooner or later.
The only thing that Albo will be remembered for is his inability to lead and his lack of spine, courage and ethics.
Extract from Wikipedia for courage “Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation” not the weasel words and actions that we see and hear daily.
I’ve read in other places about the technological hold the Lobby and Yanks might have on government here…A Vichy situation.
Of course. possibly a fait accompli to “enable” the government to do what it’s told when justifying its lying to the public.
It must be a iron grip if the current government remains so gutless on Gaza!
Terry Mills, Ferguson had no problems deconstructing his nonsenses. I must admit I turned off after a while, the little worm so disgusted me..
I wonder just HOW much money has been wasted in the ME with the only result a horrific slaughter of defenceless people. Let alone a PROPER aid package, for a start with global support to stop Isreali interference derived of insanity.
The ME forced into further suffering for a n idological mania and outside greed.
More aid for places like Sudan? More social infrastructure across the board. What about a bit of money for science and tech (including fixing a creaky internet) If the last decade has not witnessed a real disintegration in the geriatric West, I’d be a Dutchman!