Pushing governments beyond words to real action to end Israel's crimes against Palestinians

Photo by Afitab:

Lisbeth Latham

On July 21 Senator Penny Wong, issued a joint statement with 27 other foreign ministers, which stated that “the suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity.” This release has been followed by a series of statements by ALP ministers condemning the current actions of the State of Israel in Gaza. Given the extent to which these states have defended and facilitated the crimes of the State of Israel 20 October 2023, these statements have been met with significant public cynicism and anger. While this response is understandable, it misses the political moment that the joint statement represents, a moment where it may be possible to force action to end the crimes currently being committed against Palestinians in Gaza. To understand this moment, we must know why it has occurred, which has to do with shifts in international politics combined with broad popular opinion, rather than the pressure from the Palestinian solidarity movement.

The July 21 Statement is a response to two developments. The most important is the shift in global popular opinion against the State of Israel. This shift has been demonstrated repeatedly in opinion polls around the world, and is a core driver, along with the indefensible character of the IDF's actions in Gaza, of the increasingly desperate efforts to equate any criticism, or honest reporting, of the State of Israel’s actions as antisemitism. 

Adding to this pressure is that the Hague Group of countries, which was formed in January 2025, is calling for more concrete international action in solidarity with Palestine. Most notably, the Emergency Conference of States in Columbia in mid-July. This meeting, which 30 governments attended, resulted in a July 16 statement calling for states to:

• Prevent the provision or transfer of arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel;
• Prevent the transit, docking, and servicing of vessels at any port in all cases where there is a clear risk of the vessel being used to carry arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel;
• Prevent the carriage of arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel on vessels bearing our flag and ensure full accountability, including de-flagging, for non-compliance with this prohibition;
• Commence an urgent review of all public contracts, to prevent public institutions and funds from supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territory and entrenching its unlawful presence;
• Comply with obligations to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law, through robust, impartial and independent investigations and prosecutions at national or international levels, to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes;
• Support universal jurisdiction mandates, as and where applicable in national legal frameworks and judiciaries, to ensure justice for victims of international crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

With 12 nations, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Malaysia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Oman, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and South Africa — committed to implementing the six measures immediately through their domestic legal and administrative systems to break the ties of complicity with Israel’s campaign of devastation in Palestine — and set a date of 20th September, to coincide with the 80th UN General Assembly, for additional states to join them.

These practical steps have created pressure for states such as Australia to follow suit, and so the purpose of the 21 July statement, which is devoid of commitments to concrete actions, should be seen primarily as a mechanism to distract from and reduce pressure to take concrete steps. As such, our response to the statement in general, or hand wringing statements by ministers that “the situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world’s worst fears.The position of the Australian Government is clear: every innocent life matters. Every Israeli. Every Palestinian”, should not be to complain that the statements weren’t made earlier, that they don’t go far enough, or that they empty words. Instead, we have to demand that those making the statements work to ensure that Israel is no longer able to starve, kill, or collectively punish Palestinians in any way. 

Adopting the actions called for July 16 would be an important start, however, while they bring pressure and will reduce the IDF’s ongoing capacity to terrorise the Palestinian population, they are not sufficient to address the pressing issue of concrete steps for the delivery and distribution of aid. Aid which is needed to halt the mass famine that has been created as a consequence of the Israel’s blocking and restricting of aid. This requires an ending of the limitations on the movement of aid, whether this interference is by the IDF, Israeli settlers, or other armed non-state actors. The last 22-months have definitely demonstrate that this cannot rely on the State of Israel to do the “right-thing”, but must be enforced by an UN-mandated protective force in Gaza. 

Such a force would require a mandate from the UN Security Council. As the US holds a veto on the Security Council that it has repeatedly used to stop or inhibit real action to support the Palestinians. Australia must pressure the US to not veto any action in support of Palestinians.

Action of this type will attract screams of outrage from numerous apologists for the crimes of the State of Israel - aimed at pressuring a return to normal acquiescence to these crimes. As such it is necessary at every step, while pointing out that more action is needed, for the movement to support each step in the right direction towards ending crimes against Palestinians.

This is an important opportunity to end the State of Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza. If the solidarity movement does not find ways to bring sufficient pressure to bear to achieve this, then we will have failed the Palestinian people in their most desperate hour of need.

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