Statement about current situation in Gaza

Liberty Victoria: Statement about current situation in Gaza

Liberty Victoria calls on the Australian Government to immediately do everything in its power to stop the unnecessary and inhumane deaths of civilians in Gaza.

The people of Australia – and the world – are watching on with horror as we see a brutal escalation of the Israeli government’s attack on civilians in Gaza. The United Nations’ aid chief has warned that 14,000 babies are at risk of imminent death due to malnutrition. The World Health Organisation has warned that Israel’s blockade of aid into Gaza has caused widespread malnutrition. The healthcare infrastructure has been destroyed.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has occurred amidst Israel’s announcement that it would undertake an ‘expanded offensive’ to seize and occupy the entire Gaza strip, which will result in the displacement of the approximately 2.3 million people who live in Gaza.

Israel’s plans to annexe Gaza and its blockade of civilian access to aid are blatantly unlawful. International law requires the Australian government to do all that is necessary and reasonable to stop Israel’s ongoing illegal occupation of Gaza and blocking of humanitarian aid.

This is a human rights disaster. The scale of human suffering that is occurring is an immense tragedy. In November 2023, Liberty Victoria and the NSW Council for Civil Liberties warned of the likely results of ongoing military actions that did not adhere to international humanitarian law including the rights of the child. Since that time, the Australian Government’s response has been entirely inadequate.

The Australian Government has a meaningful voice in the world. Thus far, the Australian Government has been, at worst, silent, and at best, selectively mute, about the necessity of the Government of Israel complying with its obligations in relation to civilian non-combatants within Gaza.

Liberty Victoria calls on the Australian Government to:

• Denounce any continuing limitations of aid to affected regions and people;
• Call for a full resumption of humanitarian aid into Gaza without restriction;
• Join with the UK, France and Canada in taking action, including possible sanctions, if there is any expansion of settlements in the West Bank; and
• Immediately cease providing direct and indirect military aid to the Government of Israel in circumstances where it is likely that such aid will facilitate Israel’s contravention of international humanitarian law and international law regarding the rules of legitimate warfare.

The Australian Government represents all Australians and our national interests. Australians have not, do not and will never support the indiscriminate loss of civilian life in zones of conflict. Inaction by the Australian Government is commensurate to turning our backs on this principle. We will forever be recognised as forsaking our basic values regarding the respect for human life if we do nothing. It will stain our reputation in the world for decades to come.