The two-state solution?
Australia’s joint statement with 14 other countries of 29 July claims to support Palestinian recognition and a two-state solution, but in reality, props up Israel’s genocidal regime and undermines Palestinian self-determination. While the statement is a much-belated step for Australia, it frames Palestinian governance in terms of what Israel will accept, not what
Palestinians need, want or are entitled to under international law.
This statement trades justice for vague ‘peace’, refuses to condemn or challenge Israel’s apartheid regime, and continues to offer Israel impunity even as it continues its genocidal assault on Gaza, claims sovereignty over the West Bank and expands its illegal settlements in historic Palestine.
Recognition means little as long as Israel is committing genocide, starving the population of Gaza, bombing refugee camps and continuing to expand its illegal settlements.
Australia must not normalise or encourage the normalisation of relations with a state that is under investigation for genocide and apartheid.
Palestinian self-determination and rights must not be conditioned upon the ‘security’ or approval of its apartheid oppressor.
Australia must take real action: country-level sanctions akin to those we’ve applied to Russia, a two-way arms embargo, severing of trade ties, and support for international legal accountability for Israel.
Martin Munz
Murwillumbah
Opportunity awaits Sussan
Sussan Ley has impressed in her ability to distance herself from the Liberal party’s strident negativity of recent times. Early days of course, but she has been heralded as pragmatic, moderate and a negotiator.
As a member of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine group she said in 2008, ‘the Palestinian cause is one that I support’. And in 2016 she supported the Palestinian bid for statehood while visiting the West Bank. She has since backed away from that support because of the events of Oct 7, 2023.
The Liberal Party machine is one that looms large on Palestine. Almost across the board they still conflate the October 7 attack with a right to take deadly military action against Palestinians (not just Hamas) even as those attacks have assumed genocidal intensity.
It is the indiscriminate bombing of hospitals, like that at Khan Younis, that is the most egregious.
I’m reminded of times past when Israelis were concerned about the way the world viewed their behaviour on the international stage. They kidnapped one of the architects of the Holocaust, Eichman, not to ‘disappear’ him, but to bring him before an international court where he received an appropriate hearing and sentence. At the time Israelis were justifiably proud of the actions of their security services.
There is an opportunity here for Australian cross-party support on a plan (for separate Palestinian Authority and Israeli territories) presently being developed by a number of western countries, including Australia.
Frank Lynch
Mullumbimby
A typical response
M McCormack is typical of the Zionist zealots that beset the Echo with their hasbara talking points, vilifying Palestinians and attacking any who dare criticise Israel. In his recent salvo (Echo, July 30) he falsely accused Rod Murray of that which he is guilty himself, namely ‘factual inaccuracies and misleading assertions’.
He tried to misdirect from the fact that Israel deliberately and systematically targets civilians and civilian infrastructure, including medics, journalists, teachers, children, schools, hospitals, homes, bakeries and market gardens, by claiming that Hamas launches attacks from such places, unsubstantiated claims refuted by local media, medical staff and aid workers on the ground in Gaza.
He thinks it’s ‘inflammatory’ to call Israel’s campaign in Gaza a genocide, when it’s obvious to me that it’s Israel’s behaviour that’s inflammatory and deserving condemnation. He falsely claimed that ‘no evidence of intent to commit genocide’ was found by the International Court of Justice, when in fact that court, in its January 2024 provisional order, found genocide is plausible, and has yet to make a final ruling on the matter.
Unfortunately for M McCormack, his hypocritical accusations and blind support for Israel do little more than reflect poorly on his moral judgement.
John Scrivener
Main Arm
So many dead
The first atomic bomb dropped on Japan instantly wiped out 80,000. The Jews are on par. By killings and starvation they have wiped out 61,000 so far. Is Hamas bad?
If the UK had given the Jews all the land from Coffs to Surfers Paradise for a homeland and kicked the locals out of their houses for the Jews to occupy would we not seek the return of our lands? Would we be terrorists? Google: Balfour Declaration.
The UK gave the Jews Palestinian land (which the Jews renamed Israel) on the stipulation Jews were not to outnumber the locals, and the area was still to be governed by the UK. The Jews once they took possession wanted absolute control, and to get it they sabotaged British assets and murdered British soldiers. At the same time the then President of the USA wanted Jews out of the USA. The UK was broke after WW11 so had to cave in. The UK backed away from the conditions it imposed.
A good read on the mess is A Line in the Sand.
Ian Pratt
Bilinga
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. 
