Letter to Sentor Wong: The massacre of some 270 Palestinians

 

Dear Senator Wong,

The world rejoiced at the weekend following news of the release of four Israeli hostages. It was clearly, and rightly, a moment of joy for both the hostages and their families following the trauma of their captivity.

There was, predictably, much less coverage in the mainstream media about the massacre of some 270 Palestinians, the wounding of hundreds more and the widespread destruction of the Nuseirat refugee camp, an action described as a “diversionary tactic” by the IDF. Hamas, of course, is to blame for it all.

In the TV footage of the freed hostages, it seems clear that, in spite of their ordeal at the hands of the “terrorists”, they looked remarkably well. It’s not unreasonable to conclude that they had been well cared for by their captors, at a time when the people of Gaza are starving and subject to daily bombings and displacement.

If the TV footage is a reliable indication of the experience of these four hostages, then this stands in stark contrast with the treatment of Palestinian captives at the hands of “the most moral army in the world”.

Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, the head of orthopedics at the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, died in Ofer prison on 19^th April after being tortured by the IDF.

Released Palestinian prisoners have been reported to bear visible signs of physical torture.

Sixteen Palestinians are confirmed to have died as a result of their mistreatment in Israeli prisons in recent months, though the actual number is considered to be much higher.

Many bodies have been exhumed from shallow graves in hospital grounds. The dead were blindfolded and handcuffed, and had clearly been executed by the IDF.

Many Palestinians are being held in harsh conditions in the Negev, and there are credible reports of regular torture at the hands of the IDF.

So, who are the terrorists here?

The answer of course, has been hiding in plain sight since 1948.

For how much longer will the Australian government sit on the fence and defend its “ally”?

The actions of the Israeli government are indefensible, and it’s time to hold them to account for the dispossession, displacement and erasure of the Palestinian people.

What will it take for the Australian government to finally demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the brutal and unlawful occupation of the West Bank?

Mike G., Valla Beach

Dear Minister Wong, Re: Gaza

Friday, June 7
To: 'senator.wong@aph.gov.au' <senator.wong@aph.gov.au>
Subject: Gaza

Both Labor and the Coalition have spent a great deal of time this week condemning the words and the actions of the Greens in relation to the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Labor seems to believe that it’s more important to condemn pro-Palestinian actions across our communities than it is to scrutinize and respond to the events in Gaza. Let’s just think about that for a moment:

• Israel has damaged or destroyed more than 70% of Gaza’s housing.
• Israel has damaged or destroyed more than 80% of Gaza’s schools.
• Israel has damaged or destroyed every university in Gaza.
• Israel has levelled vast areas of agricultural land and orchards.
• Israel has destroyed all but four of Gaza’s 36 hospitals.
• Israel has destroyed more than 500 mosques.
• Israel has cut off food, water electricity and fuel supplies to Gaza.
• Israel is deliberately starving the people of Gaza.
• Israel has killed more than 260 aid workers and more than 700 healthcare workers.
• Israel has denied access to Egypt for more than 700 very sick and injured Gazans by closing the Rafah crossing.
• Israel has so far killed and wounded at least 120,000 people, most of them women and children, with the numbers growing each day.

The people of Gaza, and the Australian community, including the Jewish community, would be much better served if the government were to focus on the terrible suffering and death being inflicted on the people of Gaza rather than the shameful political distraction of this week’s events in parliament. If the government were serious about Israel’s genocidal actions over many months, if the government had but a shred of humanity and compassion, then it would have imposed sanctions on the Israeli government months ago.

Whilst politicians posture in parliament, the people of Gaza are being massacred.

It's beyond time for serious action, not political point-scoring.

Mike Griffin

39, Rogers Drive, Valla Beach NSW 2448

Dear Minister Giles Re: Palestinian refugees

 

Dear Minister Giles,

Watching Senates Estimates this week, I was dismayed to learn that more that 3,000  Palestinians who were seeking to flee the Israeli onslaught in Gaza have had their visa applications rejected. Technically, of course, this is hardly surprising, given that they had only been offered the option of applying for six-month tourist visas.

Why is our humanity so selective?  Many more Palestinians have been killed or wounded in the past eight months than in Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

Is it perhaps that the Palestinians are brown-skinned and mostly Muslim? Are there influential lobby groups who are intent on keeping Palestinians out of Australia?

This clear discrimination against the Palestinians, who are experiencing a genocide at the hands of the Israelis, and who urgently need our compassion and genuine support, is truly shameful.

I call on you to urgently review your policy in relation to visas for Palestinians. Nowhere is safe in Gaza, and the population is facing starvation. You know all this.

Please do the right thing and act urgently to issue 3-year visas to Palestinians, as you did to Ukrainians.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Griffin

39, Rogers Drive, Valla Beach, NSW 2448