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- The bare minimum
On Friday night, 120 countries voted in favour of a UN resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Australia was not one of those countries. We abstained (along with 44 others); the U.S. and Israel voted to block it (with 12 others). Australia’s U.N Representative James Larsen explained we refused to support the ceasefire because: “The resolution did not recognise terror group Hamas as the perpetrator of the 7 October attack.” A cowardly and shameful stance by this government on behalf of our country.
As this vote was taking place, Israel completely cut all power, water and communications lines in Gaza so they could increase the relentless bombing under the cover of darkness and silence. The Israeli government and IDF are knowingly and intentionally committing the mass murder of Palestinian civilians. The Australian government, by refusing to vote for the ceasefire, supports them in doing this.
There are two truths about that vote Australians should be sure to understand.
First: Ceasefire is not a solution. It is the bare minimum, the only point from which the real answer – Palestinian liberation – can begin. I’m a little wary of people who are posting for ‘peace’ instead of liberation, because I have a feeling they interpret peace as a lack of bombs and bullets. For argument’s sake, let’s say the UN resolution successfully ended the rockets, air raids & gun fights, but nothing else changed. Just the ‘war’ bit. That means Israel would still be:
Holding millions of Palestinians in an open-air prison, and prohibiting them from building infrastructure or developing an economy;
Holding thousands of Palestinians as political prisoners in Israeli prison;
Enforcing segregation laws, like designating roads that only Israeli’s can drive on;
Limiting how and where Palestinians can travel, with IDF-controlled ID checkpoints;
Systematically driving Palestinians from their homes by moving in Jewish settlers from other countries (isolating Palestinian communities from each other and/or directly taking their homes).
‘Peace’ is a call to end the ‘warring’, but does not offer much after that. Liberation and calls to “free Palestine” is about ending these specific apartheid conditions that Palestinians are being forced to live under. So just remember that ceasefire is the beginning not the end. Any real solution must involve liberation – equal rights and to live a full life free from oppression.
And the second thing: For the Australian government, this isn’t really about Israel or Palestine at all… It’s about the U.S. The bully ally we’re too scared to piss off. The U.S. has it’s own reasons for unconditionally supporting and financially backing Israel (which I won’t get into here, lest this become a 5000-word newsletter). And if Australia wasn’t so reliant on the U.S., I personally do think we would have supported the ceasefire motion. I do think that Anthony Albanese, Richard Marles & Penny Wong would have been more explicit in their support of Palestinian people, and not so soft on Israel. But that’s not what happened.
A researcher and commentator I respect, Dr. Emma Shortis, has been saying for a long time that Australia needs to re-evaluate it’s friendship with the U.S. Do we need their alliance? Yes. In the 21st Century, does that alliance need to be so close and uncritical? No. It is forcing the government to do things that go against the best interest of the Australian public.
Refusing to vote for a ceasefire – the bare minimum that would spare the lives of thousands of innocent Palestinians – is a clear, and tragic, example of exactly this.
Good stuff on Zee Feed rn:
I asked two psychologists who specialise in intergenerational trauma why so many Gen Zs and Millennials are “breaking the cycle” in their families. Their answers gave me a lot of hope. CLICK HERE TO READ.
Smart stuff on the Internet 💭
All the stuff I found on the web that made me think, smile, or have an ‘aha!’ moment. Spend your Sunday reading them – you'll be better off for it:
Gaza Diaries on the Guardian
Ziad, a 35-year-old Palestinian living in Gaza, has been writing diary-style updates for the Guardian since October 14. Of course, I think you should read them all, but this one is my pick: Part seven: ‘I am weak, I am vulnerable. But I want to live’.
Hey tech billionaires, if you want to talk about radical change, let’s abolish venture capitalism on Guardian Australia
"The future that tech elites imagine looks remarkably similar to the one we’re in: unchecked power, consolidated wealth, low regulation and minimal consequences when technology proves to be harmful… When elites misrepresent techno-scepticism as dangerous or backwards, they are trying to direct attention away from rational concerns about manifestations of power and profit.”
‘New nihilism’: How Gen Z is embracing a life of futility and meaninglessness on SMH
“Critics of nihilism will argue that this way of thinking can result in a selfish, individualistic outlook. But ironically, this new 2.0 take on nihilism hasn’t resulted in a breakdown of society; if anything, it’s led to a more empathetic way of approaching the world.”
This commentary on why ‘woke’ or light TV is often criticised as unrealistic, but violent TV stories never are. Her examples of Sex Education vs Breaking Bad really got me thinking.