Oxfam Australia Media Release
In reaction to the Knesset passing bills banning UNRWA from operating in areas under Israel’s control, Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam Regional Director in the Middle East and North Africa said:
“Israel has bombed Palestinians to death, maimed them, starved them, and is now ridding them of their biggest lifeline of aid. Piece by piece, Israel is systemically dismantling Gaza as a land that is autonomous and liveable for Palestinians. Its banning of UNRWA today is condemnable and another step in this crime.
“The decision will further undermine the ability of the international community to provide sufficient humanitarian aid and to save lives in any safe, independent and impartial way.
“UNRWA was not only the biggest and most established agency that has been delivering aid and sustenance to the people of Gaza for years, it was also a thread that connected them in some hope of solidarity and security to the United Nations.
“We are in no doubt that Israel and its allies are fully aware of the terrible consequences that this decision will have on Palestinians living in Gaza, many of whom are already starving. We join others in warning again that this will result in more death, more suffering, and more forced displacement of people from their besieged homeland. It is impossible not to believe that this is their aim.”
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And infuriatingly, Albanese is sticking to the Zionist line, “Israel has a right to defend itself.” I’m sickened by the Zionist support in our Australian Parliament. Let us vote out every Zionist supporter in Parliament (all sides) next year. We must save ourselves from this filth. While we still can.
There were seven crossings into Gaza (excluding sea and air) most of which have been closed by Israel. As I understand it the remaining two crossings from Israel to Gaza , Beit Hanoun (also known to Israelis as Erez) and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom), will effectively be closed with this move by the Knesset against UNRWA (declaring UNRWA a terrorist organisation and banning them from Israel AND making them legitimate targets for the IDF).
With the failure of the attempt to bring aid into Gaza by a sea causeway this only leaves the Rafah land crossing controlled by Egypt, again heavily monitored by Israel. This means that any relief getting into Gaza is now even more severely impeded , leaving Gazan Palestinians stranded.
If it is not abundantly clear to the UN and the USA that this is a pattern of genocide then we have to wonder what will force the international community to take action.
I agree with BJ that we have moved well beyond Israel’s right to self-defence and labelling every criticism as ‘antisemitism’ and we must demand that world leaders take action now !
I have always thought since the beginning of the so called “War” that the Israeli govt had an undeclared agenda to establish greater israel in the Zionist interpretation. I found it incredible that Mossad was unaware of the possibility of the incursion by Hamas, especially since there were forewarnings of training activity by Hamas. It is my belief that they allowed it to occur (at the expense of their own people) to establish a casus belli in order to annex Gaza and by stealth the West bank. The expulsion of the UNRWA on a pretext is just another step towards that goal. Next will be the creation of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon and complete annexation of the West Bank by pushing Palestinians into Jordan (or killing them). So many Israelis speak with an american accent and a forked tongue.
Genocidal Israel’s ultimate aim is crystal clear -steal all of the land of Palestine and completely wipe out ALL non-jews, all happening with the blessing and backing of the Divided States of Armaggedon. No wonder the rest of the world is so disgusted with the status quo. Except Australia of course where the gov and opposition both back the jews to the hilt as well.
Baby Jewels, agree with the Islamophobia. It has been as dishonest as the Mc Carthyism of sixty years ago.
Agree, John Hanna and Terence Mills make substantial contributions here.
John C, I also think this has been cooked up for a long time. Funny how much of it follows the course of things in the 1930’s and 40’s, it is almost as there has been an operating manual to work off. The culprits have been arrogant in the following the play book, to the letter. This has all been an ugly overtisation of tendencies that has been festering, now we have “the normalisation of genocide”, which is the end of the justice system
I expect back in the day when genocidal pathocrats ran riot across other peoples’ lands and the only way of knowing about these incidents was by word of mouth, and otherwise not at all, it thus follows that one’s sense of the cruelties inflicted man on man was confined to one’s local experience.
Today, of course, everything has changed; communication is instantaneous and if one is wired in, whether the internet, TV, radio or even the increasingly redundant medium of actual newspapers, it’s impossible to avoid the never-ending bombardment of information attesting to the brutalities that constitute our cruelties against our fellow kind.
While Israel’s determination to exterminate the Palestinians seems utter and America’s support for the executive slaughter of thousands of innocents unwavering, the question might be asked as to why it is that this particular episode of abomination and bestiality so grips the global attention when there are so many similar instances in places and countries that don’t have the spotlight of attention as brightly shone as is currently the case in the Middle East.
The Rohingyas, Darfuris, Rwandans, East Timorese along with other blighted communities all suffered concerted efforts to wipe them from the face of the earth during relatively recent history and often without a degree of expressed outrage at the international level.
It seems that where you live on the planet, who supports you or not, what language you speak and what colour your skin is are all in play in the multifactorial risk assessment in respect of how your life gets to be lived. I suspect it was ever thus. Nothing’s guaranteed, and fairness in life is an improbable prize in the lucky dip box.