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