The Australian Government should:

• Pause all approvals for the export of defence-related materiel, including items which arrive in Israel via third-parties. The Australian Government maintains it does not export “weapons” to Israel. That appears to be an exercise in semantics. A 2023 media release from the Victorian Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions advised that more than 700 “highly technical parts” for the F-35 fighter jet, used in Gaza by the Israeli Airforce, are manufactured in Victoria. The department said “the critical assembly role” undertaken in Australia ensured the F-35 was “mission-ready, anytime, anywhere”.
• Provide visas for Palestinians seeking either permanent refugee status or temporary stay in Australia, for as long as the conflict continues (a similar approach was used for Ukrainians after the Russian invasion of Ukraine).
• Sanction individual Israelis. Israel’s current Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, a self-described “fascist homophobe,” has derided Palestinians as an invention. Israel’s current National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, claimed in 2023 that his rights in the occupied West Bank were more important than those of Palestinians, earning him a rebuke from the US State Department. The US has also condemned suggestions by both Smotrich and Ben-Gvir that the Gaza war offered an opportunity to “encourage” Palestinians to leave the territory.
• Make clear Australia’s readiness to comply with the rulings of the ICJ and the ICC. We note that Australia’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has included sanctions on more than 1200 individuals and entities. Despite Israel ignoring persistent calls for restraint, including from the UN, the ICJ, and Israel’s own friends, Australia does not appear to have sanctioned a single Israeli.
• Recall Australia’s Ambassador to Israel for consultations. This would signal the Australian Government’s frustration with Israel’s constant ignoring of appeals for restraint and also provide an opportunity to consider the “day after” for Gaza. Issues to explore include to what extent Australia might be involved in any future “peace process”; the level of Australia’s humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians (currently well below the amount of humanitarian aid provided to Ukraine); who will take on the task of peace-keeping and reconstruction in Gaza? (Here, we note recent comments by Indonesian President-elect Prabowo that Indonesia is prepared to contribute a substantial peace-keeping contingent in a post-war situation).

We call for urgent Government action on these matters.

Source: Australia and the Israeli-Hamas War – Pearls and Irritations