I write with disbelief at the silence surrounding young Australians who have travelled to Israel to join the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), taking part in a war many now call a genocide.
It is illegal for Australians to travel and fight for the Russian military in Ukraine – yet those enlisting with the IDF are given a free pass. Why the double standard?
The government frames Israel’s actions as ‘self-defence’, but Gaza is not a military power. It is a sealed, devastated territory home to two million civilians – most of them children. This is not a war between equals. It’s a humanitarian disaster.
We must think seriously about the consequences – not just for the people of Gaza, but for Australians who return carrying trauma and moral injury. The cost is real and long-lasting. Some Australians have even lost their lives.
If it’s criminal to fight for one foreign power, why is it tolerated with another? Our laws – and our morals – shouldn’t shift depending on political alliances.
We need consistency, not complicity. This isn’t just about foreign policy. It’s about political convenience – and the human cost it hides.
Fiona Sullivan, Mullumbimby Creek
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
