The language of the Australian government about the war in Gaza has hardened since the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom, along with six other people working for the World Central Kitchen charity, when their vehicles were hit by three Israeli missiles.
So which lives are worth lamenting? When does the right of a country to defend itself become the justification to commit genocide, and when does such a war become unacceptable to the international community? It appears to depend upon who dies, and when.
Peter Dutton’s language on the war has not changed since the deaths of the aid workers, offering only thoughts and prayers, and continuing to say the whole situation is the fault of Hamas, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are both now demanding ‘accountability’ from Israel, after earlier commenting on the difficulty of making judgements from so far away.
Speaking in Ipswich last week (at a company which exports military equipment, incidentally), Mr Albanese said the deaths of aid workers such as Ms Frankcom was ‘completely unacceptable’ and that Australia supported a ‘sustainable ceasefire’ in Gaza.
Resolutions
In October, the Australian government refused to support a UN vote for an immediate humanitarian truce, which would have allowed aid access to the Gaza Strip and the protection of civilians. The reason given at the time was that the resolution did not explicitly name Hamas in relation to the ‘immediate and unconditional release of all civilians’ being illegally held captive.
Since then, similar resolutions have been blocked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s international supporters and opponents, with UN representatives quibbling about wording while the death toll of civilians continues to rise; now beyond 30,000, mostly women and children.
After Zomi Frankcom and her colleagues were murdered, Anthony Albanese lamented the ‘extraordinary loss of life in Gaza’, and demanded answers about the latest tragedy from his Israeli counterpart, who blamed the fog of war, despite the World Central Kitchen workers taking all appropriate safety precautions, clearly marking their vehicles, and negotiating the route of the aid convoy in advance with the Israel Defense Forces.
Two IDF officers have since been dismissed, and others ‘reprimanded’ over the deaths, but there is no sign of an independent inquiry into the deaths of the aid workers, despite international requests.
World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres says bad luck could not be blamed on the air attack, in which his workers had been targeted ‘systematically, car by car.’
Sadly, this incident is not an isolated example, with 196 humanitarian workers having been killed in Gaza since October. On the ground, the effect of these killings has been to slow the flow of food and other aid into Gaza, where it looks increasingly as through starvation is being used as a weapon of war against innocent civilians, a war crime by any definition.
136 journalists have also been killed in the conflict, making this story harder to tell.
Is Australia implicated?
Unlike Israel’s ally the United States of America (which also lost a citizen in the World Central Kitchen attack and has the power to stop the war at any time by cutting off the flow of armaments, if it could find the political will), Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said that ‘Australia has not supplied weapons to Israel since the start of the Hamas-Israeli conflict.’
Greens Senator David Shoebridge pointed out in parliament that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s own website says Australia exported $13 million worth of arms and ammunition to Israel in the five years to 2022, along with hundreds of weapons export permits, but Senator Wong dismissed this as ‘disinformation and misinformation’.
Recent investigations from Michael West have shown that Australia’s Future Fund (established by Peter Costello, and representing $273 billion plus in public monies) has been used to invest in Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, whose missiles appear to have struck the WCK convoy and killed Australian citizen Zomi Frankcom and her co-workers. There has been no official response from the Future Fund to this claim as yet.
Further complicating matters, former US National Security Agency employee David Rosenberg says satellite information gathered by the Pine Gap facility near Alice Springs is also playing a crucial role in Israel’s ongoing bombing campaign in Gaza, which after recent air attacks on senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders at a consulate in Syria (seven died) has the potential to expand into a global war.
All of this is happening at the behest of a deeply unpopular Israeli leader in Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the focus of ongoing large protests in his own country and would probably be out of power or in prison by now, if not for the October 7 attacks precipitating the war, which some say he did not do enough to prevent.
PLO leader Yasser Arafat once described Hamas as a ‘creature of Israel’, and it seems clear that the current extremist political leadership of both sides are antithetical to the needs of their own people, and will need to be replaced by new voices before there is any hope of a solution.
Back in Australia, the quest for answers about the World Central Kitchen attack continues. On Monday, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin was appointed by the federal government to scrutinise Israel’s investigation into the air strike.
Originally from Canberra, David Lowe is an award-winning film-maker, writer and photographer with particular interests in the environment and politics. He’s known for his campaigning work with Cloudcatcher Media.
Long ago, he did work experience in Parliament House with Mungo MacCallum.
SO ASHAMED OF THIS COUNTRY !
30-40 thousand dead that will teach them to mess with “God’s chosen people”. Israel must ,now be recognised as the terrorist country it, so plainly, is.
NO more excuses for their genocide of the Palestinians.
We are also guilty by arming and condoning this butchery. G”)
I’m still deeply ashamed of this country from an event in Oct ‘23 and, unlike the Israeli/Hamas conflict, that was all very much in our court. Shame wasn’t just about the result but about:
The realisation that so many can be so easily swayed by such 🐮 💩
The total lack of knowledge of the country’s history in some sections
The nasty, mean spirited racism – from some – that crawled out of the woodwork from the start.
I see Lizardbreath so ashamed !
How did the turnout go in South Australia
For the State Voice proposal for Aboriginal people’s ? 10 % turned up Lizardbreath
60 % of the Nation voted against not for
and these states led by out of touch activists
Who think they have Aboriginal people’s best interests.. well know this ..most true Aboriginal people’s just want to be left alone
and some in remote areas had no idea about the voice proposal initially !
And some are still falling for it.
Just a coupla things: –
It wasn’t a vote for a “proposal” in SA
These “state activists” had variously commenced introducing measures for greater First Nations input BEFORE the federal voice proposal
According to our sacred constitution, the states can legislate these things
“Most true Aboriginal people’s just want to be left alone” ? Too late!! I’m sure that was the case in 1788 and when they were being driven from their lands. And during the years of having a ‘Chief Protector’
As for the federal voice proposal – it was the result of a request from First Nations representatives after a process that started in 2015. “Roughly, 60 percent of places were to be reserved for First Nations/Traditional Owner groups; 20 percent of places for Aboriginal community organisations; and 20 percent of places for individuals such as activists, Elders, youth, members from the Stolen Generations, and significant figures.” SBS
Try getting your info from broader sources.
And only 10% of people ‘identifying’ as Aboriginal, bothered to vote. Very popular. 1/3rd of the members selected, did not have the popular vote, and instead were instated due to their sex. Very democratic
Good to see barrow you are relevant to the topic!
Ken. If the West didn’t support Israel militarily , every Jew in the Middle East would have been killed due to Islamist ideology long ago.
Well David,
I think that is a risk a lot of good people would be willing to take, right now.
Cheers G”)
And a lot of ignorant Jew haters would welcome, sadly.
Ignorant of what? What magical esoteric knowledge justifies the perpetual behaviour?
cvs. Ignorant that their are two sides to this tragedy. No esoteric knowledge needed. Facts and history will suffice.
Australia the labor Party and by association our MP Justine Elliott are complicit in the Genocide currently occurring in Gaza. If the labor Party and its international allies were as quick to put sanctions and boycott on Israel as fast as they did with Russia there would have been an end to this very quickly. But it’s not too late. Step up Justine or you will follow the same path as Larry Anthony in the coming election. Gaza: Put Justine Last.
Is this an orchestrated campaign by those who would never have voted for Elliott anyway?
What would one expect when they wonder into a war zone?, it is a dangerous and deadly exercise which the intelligent would admit could be a one way trip. A very sad occurrance, however not unexpected.
Main stream news reports that the current Israeli government is the most right wing in Israel’s history and there are also from trusted media, reportedly, right wing settlers who believe all of Israel was given to them by God and that Gaza could be settled and the Palestinians forced out to live in the dozens of Arab countries.
Zero chance of peace or Israeli’s and Palestinians living side by side in a two state solution, and the pain multiplies in both populations but particularly the Palestinians with the increased likelihood of more October 7th scenarios in the future and driven by the pain of what’s happening now carried forward by the young of today many of whom are orphans and homeless. There are still displaced Palestinians in refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan from the 1967 war when Palestinian Territories were seized and that’s not including the Palestinians displaced since 1945. Both populations have merit in their claims to the land and the only solution is sharing fairly with kindness. Any other course is a spiraling of pain and destruction which could easily culminate in ethnic cleansing or genocide, or a combination of both as appears to be the case now.
Andy. How can you share with fairness and kindness when the only outcome humas, [with support of 80% of Palestinians] want is the death of every Jew. . Huma’s doesn’t want peace. Humas will sacrifice every Palestinian to kill Jews. They openly state this.
A few things to observe here:
The Greens appear to have adopted a steadfast and unquestioning pro Palestinian position, the Coalition a steadfast and undeviating pro Israeli position.
Those who see this complex situation in such goodies/baddies, cowboys/Indians dichotomies show a wilful self serving naïvety. In this historical disaster, the boundaries of culpability more likely fall between the bellicose and fanatical and the innocent.
This Government has, from the outset, adopted a temperate and balanced stance which because of the above, is highly appropriate. It is supposed to be a government for all, not playing politics. The Australian population includes large numbers who have distinctly divergent loyalties – who have family, identity and sympathies on both sides of the conflict. They need to feel supported by their government and community and have both legitimate perspectives acknowledged.
Whipping up hatred and division in Australia might make some feel self righteous, but will do nothing to bring satisfactory outcomes in Gaza or to create peaceful coexistence and tolerance within our diverse population.
It is a misrepresentation to write that “ The language of the Australian government about the war in Gaza has hardened since the death of Australian aid worker”, suggesting that this is the first statement of concern for civilian suffering. Australia’s language has been hardening proportionately with Israel’s actions since Oct 7th.
Australia, along with a range of western countries, blocked initial unconditional ceasefire resolutions that made no references to the Oct 7 hostages. In Dec ‘23 Australia voted in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages in an emergency session of the United Nations general assembly.
I don’t pretend to know everything that goes down but there is no inconsistency
in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s website says Australia exported $13 million worth of arms and ammunition to Israel in the five years to 2022, and Penny Wong’s statement that ‘Australia has not supplied weapons to Israel since the start of the Hamas-Israeli conflict.’
Remember when the last federal election was? Why the constant spin David, in how information is presented?
I’m sure that maintaining a nuanced, middle ground position on the conflict is good politics; it’s also highly appropriate. I have no desire to live in a society where zealotry and extremism is pervasive. So I’d say to those who want to cover themselves in tomato sauce and lie on pavements, to use human suffering and an intractable and historical horror story to score political points – try a bit of self reflection. If Advance Australia and the Coaltion were peddling this line, you’d call them despicable.
Everyone should be extremely concerned about what is going on in the middle east. For 80 years of unrestrained terrorist attacks from zionists on Palestinians and all neighbouring country’s have been unchecked resulting in absolute catastrophe the world over.
Remember the 2001 Islamic fundamentalist attacks on the World Trade centre and Penatagon, were the direct result of Israel refusal to be held accountable and under UN orders remove themselves from illegal occupied territory.
Then Bush attacked Afghanistan because the Saudi organiser was rumoured to be hiding there, but was in Pakistan. Then Bush illegally attacked Iraq for absolutely no reason at all, “other than oil”, with support of idiots like Howard and Blaire both, cases resulting in retribution from Islamic extremists, The London Bombing, attacks in France and elsewhere and of course closer to home the Kuta, Bali Bombing, detonated while the USA Bush administration Senate and Congress voted on the illegal Iraq invasion, Kuta bombing that killed 88 Australians.
Basically what Netanyahu is again doing is similar to the wanton destruction that Bush caused, that has again destabilised the entire Middle East.
We can only imagine the retribution from another generation of middle eastern people against the west support of Israel again.
Basically all the deplorable Netanyahu is doing is stealing the rest of Palestine, while most of Israel protests against him in the streets like they have been for years.
George C Marshall, Army chief of staff WW2 and Trumans chief of staff was right, he said, when resigned from office when they allowed Israel to be founded, “It will never work, in 60 years they will still be fighting and killing each other”. Well its 80 years now and the horror is just getting worse each year and they are killing everyone.
Don’t forget the “Dancing Israelis”. They got interviewed on Israeli television afterwards and treated as heros.