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Time to get serious about proper sanctions on Israel

Time to get serious about proper sanctions on Israel

You hear there's food. A truck might be coming. Maybe. So you walk – miles sometimes. You bring your ID, your kids, anything you can carry. You wait in the sun, in the dust, surrounded by hundreds just like you, hoping this isn't one of the days the Israeli army decides to shoot. On Tuesday, they did, leaving 59 people dead and more than 200 wounded ('At least 59 Palestinians killed waiting for aid', June 19). They came for flour and left in body bags. This isn't the first time. Three hundred and ninety-seven people have been killed trying to reach aid trucks in the past month. And it won't be the last — unless world leaders, Anthony Albanese included, decide otherwise. That means cutting diplomatic ties. Imposing real sanctions. Halting arms sales. Anything less is complicity. Fernanda Trecenti, Fitzroy (Vic)
Thomas Friedman made a lot of good points in his article, but your correspondent Alexander Hilson (Letters, June 19) somewhat misrepresented what Friedman was saying about Palestinian self-determination. He didn't say that they would need the approval of the United States, only that any future government of theirs would need to fulfil the requirements of statehood. He went on to describe what this might entail. The real point is that thus far, all attempts at resolving the conflict have failed because the Palestinian leadership does not come close to meeting these requirements and is not fit to govern any future Palestinian state. Ridding them of Hamas has to be the first step before any recognition of Palestine. Steve Davidson, Turramurra
Israel attacks Iran and suddenly Israel striking starving Palestinians queueing for food doesn't make it onto the front page. Israel's genocide in Gaza should not be buried at the back of the newspaper. Genevieve Milton, Dulwich
Democracy no ruler
Correspondent Michael Berger says that, for the first time in 20 years, Iran was in breach of its non-proliferation obligations (Letters, June 18). Evidently, this is enough reason for Israel to assassinate whoever it wants and bomb Iran. Of course, Israel itself is not in breach of non-proliferation obligations – it does not have any because it refuses to be part of the process. It does what it wants on the nuclear field with no supervision. When we compare the two states, Iran and Israel, Israel is much less compliant on nuclear non-proliferation. But Israel is democratic, isn't it? One of the good guys. Ask the Arabs of the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights when they had a vote for the government of Israel. Israel is democratic in the same way as South Africa was democratic during apartheid – only some citizens get to vote. We are sometimes told that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is probably true that it is the closest to a democracy, as the free and fair election of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt was almost immediately overturned by the USA, supported by the local military. The Muslim Brotherhood is now declared a terrorist organisation. As far as many Arabs are concerned, the idea of democracy is meaningless as they will never be permitted to win by the USA and its local agents. Democracy cannot be used as a measure of legitimacy in the Middle East. Reg Lawler, Dagun (Qld)
Alan Russell presents, I fear, an overly optimistic view of the restraints on Donald Trump over the Israel-Iran conflict (Letters, June 19). It is true that only Congress has the power to declare war, as it did in December 1941 against Japan. However, America carried on a decade-long war in Vietnam with no declaration of war. President Johnson was able to conduct the conflict there on the basis of a congressional resolution, 'The Tonkin Resolution'. Don't forget Trump's action against Syria in April 2017, when he ordered Tomahawk missile strikes on the Assad regime. No congressional declaration of war there either. Ken Webb, Epping
With a foreboding sense of deja vu, I am reminded of President George W. Bush rushing into Iraq looking for 'weapons of mass destruction' (' Trump camp split over Iran ', June 19). Between the start of the war in 2003 and its end in 2011, the US had 4500 dead and 32,000 injured. They never did find the weapons. Gavin Williamson, Narrabeen
Albo dodged a bullet
I fail to see why our prime minister is so desperate to gain a brief audience with the world's most unreliable and egotistical leader – a laughing stock among other world leaders – even to trying to catch up with him on the sidelines of the Nato summit (' Albanese races to lock in new date with Trump ', June 19). Five minutes after the encounter, Donald Trump would have forgotten Albanese's name, let alone the contents of the conversation (Remember Joe Biden's reference to 'that fellow from Down Under'?) That brief but intense meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in St Peter's Basilica in Rome failed to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. Indeed, Putin plays Trump like a trout. The tragic reality is that the US is no longer our great and powerful friend and is an entirely different nation from the one I once loved and lived in. Paul Keating is right to say that America's AUKUS review could save Australia from itself, so let's get on with it. Bernard Moylan, Bronte
Shaun Carney, Australians don't understand why Australian leaders continue to chase after their American counterparts like lost puppies (' PM can keep playing that dead bat ', June 19). Scott Morrison's sycophantic behaviour to Trump was sickening and as an aside can be blamed, in no small part, on the Coalition's downfall. If Australia stops its wanton fealty to the US, at some point the US will eventually come running for favours. At that time, Australia should have developed alternate alliances and therefore either have bigger bargaining chips, or ultimately ask the US to speak to the hand. Ted Bush, North Epping
Shaun Carney's column strikes a chord, as does Nick Bonyhady's concurrent article (' Paul Keating accuses Marles of 'careless betrayal ' over China', June 19). Gambling as a national trait is normally confined to enjoyable recreational activities, like the next race, footy match, etc. Gambling on igniting a potential world war is the 'ultimate crapshoot', one we'll happily leave to our American mates. Being pragmatic as well as maintaining our sovereignty are both part of our national DNA. Equally, kowtowing to or being bullied by any other nation doesn't sit well. Being dragged into wars, most recently by our previous US 'cousins', has concentrated our collective memory. Sitting this one out and ensuring we don't burn the bridges, economically and diplomatically, that Labor has worked hard to rebuild, is a wise move. Cleveland Rose, Dee Why
Any politician or commentator perturbed by the snubbing of Anthony Albanese by Donald Trump should instead be thankful he was. Trump is highly unpredictable and with all the noise around the Israel, Gaza and the Iran conflicts, it was hardly surprising. Although we have always imagined ourselves as a special friend of the US, that has all changed with the America First mentality of the Trump administration. What Albanese doesn't need is the public humiliation of a Trump sit-down, highly likely when seeking tariff relief. Thus, I contend that the non-meeting was a good result at this juncture, with the PM able to maintain his dignity and self-respect. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne
Trump claims to be the greatest dealmaker and has many times declared himself 'very smart'. Yet the world watches as a real master manipulator outwits and outplays him like a pro and wedges the US into a dreadful corner. They're damned if they help Benjamin Netanyahu with a war he can't finish on his own, and damned if they don't. Trump, concerned only with the optics as he struts self-importantly out of a G7 meeting that would not have been focused enough on him, is clueless about the disaster that he has been sucked into by people infinitely smarter than him. He is everyone's fool. Graeme Smith, Daceyville
In less than six months the Trump regime is beginning to turn on itself. The defence secretary is out of his depth. The trade war has been lost. America's allies want a new partnership without the US. Putin and Xi are smiling. Even our own prime minister is distancing himself from the Orange One. Now the commentators who enabled Trump's rise are enraged. When the burgers and sleepless nights finally kill him, what are the chances JD Vance will be any better? It's been just six months – there are still 42 to go. David Neilson, Araluen (NT)
Conroy is too late
Defence Minister Pat Conroy claims Mick Ryan doesn't understand Australia's 'defence initiatives' (Letters, June 19). Mick is not on his Pat Malone there. With Albo chasing Trump across the globe, begging for a meeting to grovel at his feet, what on earth are these defence initiatives? Just the one. Continuing to go all in with America. With the now reckless US no longer honouring agreements or sharing our values and goals, we are at best undefended and at worst strapped to a suicide bomb. Without a hint of irony, Conroy's response is weeks late. Those subs will be terminally late. AUKUS is nothing more than a $368 billion donation to the US military industrial complex. Those Israeli missiles don't pay for themselves. Paul Davies, Crows Nest
Is $100m enough?
Now that Optus will submit to a $100 million fine for unconscionable conduct, I have been reflecting on how our consumer protections have evolved (' Optus to pay $100 million fine over sales to vulnerable customers ', June 19). The laws are nowhere near perfect but are so much better now then in the 1970s, when freedom of contract reigned supreme and corporations ran riot over their consumer victims. Yes, it is hard to believe, but in those dark times, corporations were able to hide behind the notion that the parties had agreed to a contract, regardless of whether the consumer understood the terms. The only question now: is a $100 million fine enough? Michael Blissenden, Dural
Pay to see results
At a family get-together last weekend, I casually asked my granddaughter how she fared in recent uni exams (' Wake-up call as Australian universities slip in world rankings ', June 19). She said she didn't know. I assumed the results hadn't been released, but I was gobsmacked when I asked when she would know. Students have to pay a fee to receive their results. Once again, silly me assumed the fee was for some type of formal certificate, but no, they won't release your raw results until you pay the fee. This is a recognised top-level university. I get user-pays, lack of funding etc, but this is an absolute disgrace. Jason Clare, Federal Minister for Education, are you reading this? Albo, this is your country, slipping in the rankings. Brian Jones, Leura
Wasted years
It is not an apocryphal 'obsession with renewables' which will prove 'the greatest economic folly in the history of our nation' (Letters, June 19), but the decades Australia has wasted pandering to the wilful ignorance of right-wing ideologues, fossil fuel-funded fabulists and Murdoch minions ignoring the immutable laws of physics that rising CO2 emissions drive increasingly extreme weather events – then pretending that the observable reality isn't happening. New data from NASA has confirmed that these events will get more intense and costly until humanity accepts that the transition to renewables isn't optional (we either do it voluntarily or have it forced upon us by nature), so your correspondent Ian Morison's address is apt, as you can't see the trees from the Forrest unless you're prepared to ACT on observable reality outside it. Chris Roylance, Paddington (Qld)
Profit from misery
It is no surprise that the politicisation of refugees and the willingness of successive governments to outsource our responsibilities to countries willing to take our money has resulted in this level of corruption (' AFP probes firm's insured luxury ', June 19). While the alleged corrupt activities of Canstruct individuals is appalling, it is just one of many allegations of misappropriation of taxpayer dollars by various companies since the Rudd government announcement that no refugees coming to Australia by boat would ever settle in Australia. The only answer to this ongoing issue is to reinstitute onshore processing. It is more humane, more economical, and would go some way to restoring our international reputation on human rights. Judith Reynolds, Leura
An entire article on the 'corruption-prone, dysfunctional and wasteful management of offshore processing' and not one mention of the name of the responsible government minister at the time of the contracts, and a suggestion that it was a political problem for the Albanese government, despite them being in opposition during that period. Very strange. Graeme Finn, Campsie
In the interests of clarity, it was Peter Dutton, not the current government, who presided over the billions of dollars in government contracts to companies like LNP donor Canstruct and Paladin, ignoring warnings about them for years. Dutton was home affairs minister from 2017 to 2021. It was his department under former secretary Mike Pezzullo (whom Albanese sacked) that initiated the contentious Nauru offshore processing contracts. Alison Stewart, Riverview
How perverse that the CEO of the company responsible for running the detention centre in Nauru, full of the most desperate individuals, was able to buy himself a $600,000 car. That our tax monies were used and are still being used to run this cruel and questionable policy that allowed the company concerned to make super profits is abhorrent. Alan Morris, Eastlakes
Goldie-clocks
The specialists driving expensive cars mentioned by your correspondent obviously didn't get the memo (Letters, June 19). A specialist with whom I once worked on the days he had a clinic would remove his Rolex watch before the first patient arrived and substitute it for a $20 Kmart variety. Elizabeth Maher, Gordon
Dead last
I have lost access to the crosswords without a premium subscription. Because I can't keep my mind active, I'm likely to be in the obituaries, if they are ever published again (Letters, June 19). Jenny Greenwood, Hunters Hill
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Australia will recognise a Palestinian state. But what does that actually mean?
Australia will recognise a Palestinian state. But what does that actually mean?

The Age

time31 minutes ago

  • The Age

Australia will recognise a Palestinian state. But what does that actually mean?

Statehood would be unlikely to have an immediate effect for people in Gaza or on Israel's war with Hamas, but it could help influence conversations about the future of the Middle East. Albanese said on Monday that a two-state solution was 'humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East, and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza'. What is Palestine's current status? Gaza and the West Bank form modern-day Palestine, officially referred to by the Australian government as the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It has no unified government, standing army or settled borders. Professor Ben Saul, chair of international law at the University of Sydney, said Palestine met most of the requirements to be legally considered a state, including having a permanent population and the ability to enter into international relations, but it did not have an effective, independent government. He said that because of its disputed status, other countries' recognition carried more power in supporting Palestinians' right to self-determination. Almost 150 of the 193 UN member states recognise Palestine as a state, including many developing countries. Militant group Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation by countries including Australia, has run the Gaza Strip for almost 20 years. The Palestinian Authority, through which Australia officially engages with Palestine, has limited autonomy in the West Bank. The Oslo Accords in the 1990s gave the authority direct control of about 20 per cent of the territory. There are numerous Israeli settlements across the West Bank, and these have been expanding. Israel retains control of security in much of the West Bank. According to the CIA, about 468,300 Israeli settlers lived in the West Bank in 2022. The agency estimated that as of 2021, 236,600 Israelis lived in East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed in 1980. Australia and most countries officially oppose the settlements on the basis they are illegal under international law. Israel disputes the illegality of the settlements. The Palestinian Authority, which was formed in the 1990s as a result of the Oslo Accords, is the territory's representative at the UN, where it is a non-member observer state and has no vote in the 193-member General Assembly. What will happen at the United Nations General Assembly session in September? Australia has joined France, the UK, and Canada in saying it will separately recognise a Palestinian state and use the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, which opens September 9, as the stage for that move. Professor Saul said the announcement at the UN was a political move rather than a legal one, but the choice of location was important. Loading 'Recognition is just the political act. You could do it by press release … it's just that doing it in a high-level, multilateral forum like [the UN] is absolutely designed to have a much greater impact politically,' he said. Saul said the declaration could come as a joint statement, but it was likely each leader would want to speak for their country. 'Some of these states have been issuing joint statements lately … so it could be done as a joint statement,' he said. 'I think it would more likely be that each leader, assuming they attend, would want to state their own government's position on it.' Does that mean Palestine will become a member of the United Nations? Probably not. Membership of the UN is separate from statehood and 'is open to all peace-loving states that accept the obligations contained in the United Nations charter.' The charter contains rules, including a prohibition on the use of force against other nations. To join, a prospective member must submit a letter to the secretary-general of the UN, currently António Guterres, stating it will abide by the charter. Then it requires the votes of at least nine of the 15 members of the UN Security Council. Any of the five permanent members – the US, China, Russia, France and the UK – is allowed to veto membership. Of the five permanent Security Council member countries, Russia and China recognise Palestine. If France and the UK do as they have indicated, the US will be the sole member not to recognise Palestine. The US has historically vetoed Palestinian applications. Loading If no state vetoed the application, the secretary-general would then present it to the full General Assembly of the UN, where it would require a two-thirds majority vote. The United States vetoed a push in April for Palestinian statehood. What conditions have been put on potential statehood? Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Monday, Albanese said recognition was happening in part because of commitments the government had received from the Palestinian Authority. Loading 'Our government has made it clear that there can be no role for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state,' he said. 'This is one of the commitments Australia has sought and received from President [Mahmoud] Abbas and the Palestinian Authority.' Albanese said the PA had committed to demilitarise and hold general elections, and reaffirmed its recognition of Israel's right to exist – commitments he said were bolstered by the Arab League's previous 'unprecedented demand' that Hamas disband and surrender its weapons to the authority. 'This is an opportunity to deliver self-determination for the people of Palestine in a way that isolates Hamas, disarms it and drives it out of the region once and for all,' Albanese said. He and Foreign Minister Penny Wong did not say what Australia would do if the authority does not fulfil its promises. Loading The UK and Canada's recognition in September is also conditional. The UK will recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza, stops building settlements in the West Bank and commits to a two-state solution. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long rejected such terms and almost certainly won't agree by the deadline. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country's decision to recognise Palestine was predicated on the PA committing to 'much needed reform', the demilitarisation of the Palestinian state, and the release of the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Do Palestinians support a two-state solution? Support for a two-state solution sat at about 30 per cent for both Palestinians and Israelis in 2022, down from about 50 per cent in 2016, according to the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research. Support has dropped even further in Israel since the October 7 attacks. The Palestinian Liberation Organisation, a nationalist coalition then led by Yasser Arafat, recognised Israel's right to exist in peace at the start of the US-backed peace process in 1993 that set up the Palestinian Authority. It was hoped that it would be a step towards statehood. Hamas' establishing charter called for the destruction of Israel, but in 2007, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said the group accepted the fact of an Israeli state but would not recognise it, according to the Wilson Centre. In 2017, the group presented a new charter accepting a Palestine with borders as they were immediately before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, signalling tacit acceptance of two states. Loading The Wilson Centre also records another Hamas leader, the late Ismail Haniyeh, saying after the October 7, 2023, massacres by the group that: 'All the normalisation and recognition processes, all the agreements that have been signed [with Israel] can never put an end to this battle.' With Reuters, AP

Recognition not enough: calls for more action on Gaza
Recognition not enough: calls for more action on Gaza

Perth Now

timean hour ago

  • Perth Now

Recognition not enough: calls for more action on Gaza

Australia has been urged to go further than recognising a Palestinian state by following up with sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel. The calls from pro-Palestine groups follow Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's confirmation of Australia's intention to recognise the state at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. The move, which has been criticised by the Israeli ambassador as counterproductive to peace and the release of hostages, puts Australia in alignment with allies such as France, the UK and Canada. But statehood recognition could be serving as a "political fig leaf" for western states, warned Australian Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni. "Recognition is completely meaningless while Australia continues to arms-trade with, diplomatically protect and encourage other states to normalise relations with the very state perpetrating these atrocities," he said. "Palestinian rights are not a gift to be granted by Western states." Labor Friends of Palestine welcomed the move but also urged the federal government to go further on sanctions and an arms embargo, citing "a groundswell" of member support. The federal government has maintained Australia is not exporting weapons to Israel but there has been scrutiny over the contribution of Australian companies to the supply chain for fighter jets used by the Israeli military. More than two million Palestinians face severe food insecurity, based on United Nations projections. At least 90,000 protesters marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier in August to call on the government to sanction Israel. Israeli Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said Palestinian recognition would "not change the reality on the ground". "Peace is not achieved through declarations; it is achieved when those who have chosen terror abandon it and when violence and incitement end," he said in a statement. Mr Albanese said formal recognition was part of a co-ordinated global effort. "A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza," he said. Mr Albanese said recognition would need to guarantee designated terror group Hamas, which de facto governs Gaza, would play no role in its future government. Coalition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said Labor's decision risked "delivering Hamas one of its strategic objectives of the horrific terrorism of October 7" and put Australia at odds with its most important ally in the US. The crisis in Gaza began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking about 250 more hostage. Israel's military response has since killed more than 61,000 people, according to Gaza's health authorities. Israel has denied that the population is suffering or dying from starvation, even though it has throttled the flow of aid to Gaza for months, international human rights groups have said.

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