Jewish Council of Australia calls on Albanese to stop Gaza genocide

The Jewish Council of Australia called on Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to take advantage of all “possible diplomatic pressure” to condemn and stop “Israel” from continuing to commit genocide in Palestine. 

In a statement, the Council cites the Rafah massacre committed by “Israel”, which left over 45 Palestinians dead when it bombed the tents they were in, and the deteriorating conditions imposed on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank as reasons why the government should “immediately cut all military ties and place sanctions on Israel.”

It urged Albanese’s government to impose travel bans on “extremist settlers and those suspected of war crimes,” since it would conform with Australia’s obligations as a signatory to the Genocide Convention.

“After last week’s announcement of the potential issue of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for Israeli and Hamas leaders, the International Court of Justice’s further additional provisional orders are yet another clear sign that the situation in Gaza has drastically deteriorated,” the executive officer of the organization, Sarah Schwartz, added in the statement. 

She noted, “Palestinians face death by Israeli assassinations, bombardment, forced famine, and deadly rampages by settlers in the West Bank. The images emerging today of Israel’s latest massacre in Rafah ought to force governments like ours to take concrete action.”

Schwartz asserted that Australia has a responsibility to comply with “these arrest warrants and the additional provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice and ensure that we are not complicit in war crimes and the crime of genocide.”

She stressed that the role of Australia being a weapon supplier to the occupation must also end. 

‘Just political will’

Dr. Max Kaiser, the second executive officer, relayed, “With each passing day, it becomes clearer that Israel is a rogue state. We say this as part of a large and growing number of Jews – in Australia and around the world – who have been calling for a ceasefire for many months, and saying that Israel’s actions are completely incompatible with our Jewish values.”

“Opposing this genocide is an expression of our Jewishness and an honouring of our ancestors who were themselves the victims of genocide and racist violence,” Kaiser added. 

He stressed that “Israel” will continue to disregard “the international community until there are consequences for its actions,” reminding that Australia is capable of imposing “sanctions and travel bans on suspected war criminals which it has deployed against Russia,” but all it needs “is the political will.”

Back in March, Albanese became the first Western leader to be referred to the International Criminal Court for being an “accessory to genocide” in Gaza.

According to attorney Sheryn Omeri in an interview for ABC‘s News Breakfast, he has been referred as a result of having supplied financial and political support for “Israel”, which has now killed over 36,000 Palestinians. 

The referral, which has been based on Article 15 of the Rome Statute, signed by over 100 lawyers and requested by Australian law firm Birchgrove Legal, states that Albanese and members of his Cabinet and Parliament provided “Israel” with “rhetorical support in their public statements, their press conferences, their speeches,” in addition to material assistance.