Albanese – ‘Right thing’: Australia acts against Israeli settlers
Israeli settlers linked to beatings, sexual assaults and the torture of Palestinians in the West Bank have been sanctioned by Australia.
Palestinians walk past burned cars in the town of Huwara, near the West Bank city of Nablus, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. Scores of Israeli settlers went on a violent rampage in the northern West Bank, setting cars and homes on fire after two settlers were killed by a Palestinian gunman. Palestinian officials say one man was killed and four others were badly wounded. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed) REA
Australia has sanctioned Israeli settlers linked to attacking and killing Palestinians as the prime minister branded their activities an “impediment” to a two-state solution.
Yinon Levi, Zvi Bar Yosef, Neria Ben Pazi, Elisha Yered, David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tanjil and Meir Ettinger have been hit with travel bans and financial sanctions for allegedly participating in settler violence in the West Bank.
Mr Ben Pazi allegedly detained and tortured several Palestinians for hours, while Mr Chasdai is said to have started a riot that left one dead and 98 wounded after Palestinians had their homes and vehicles set alight.
The federal government has seen evidence of settlers attacking villagers with stones and clubs, using drones to monitor people and threatening others at gunpoint.
Australia has also imposed sanctions on religious youth group Hilltop Youth, whose members were involved in beating and sexually assaulting Palestinians.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said settlements in the West Bank stood in the way of a two-state solution, which would allow Israel and Palestine to exist side by side.
“We’ve made this decision because it’s the right thing to do,” he told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.
“Settlements in the West Bank are an impediment to a two-state solution, they are illegal in international law and the fact that there has been an expansion of settlements over this current period is something that the government has opposed.”
All the settlers and Hilltop Youth had been sanctioned by at least one of Australia’s allies.
Israel first took the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem in a 1967 war and has continued growing settlements in the West Bank.
But the International Court of Justice on Friday found Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territories were illegal and urged all states to help bring an end to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Israel claims the territories are not occupied in legal terms because they are on disputed lands.
But many nations, including Australia, refer to the areas as “occupied territories”.
Australia has made its concerns known to Israeli politicians and Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged their government to consider any consequences to its international reputation.
The Australian Council for International Development says the government should go further and use all diplomatic tools to support a ceasefire and end Israel’s occupation.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said the government had a role in discouraging acts such as settler violence but urged it to act consistently on human rights.
“Settler violence is a crime, it’s morally wrong and it is not conducive to a two-state solution,” he told Sky News.
“If it is the case that the government is … following our like-minded partners, why hasn’t it done so in relation to very serious human rights abuses against the Uyghur ethnic minority in Xinjiang?”
“We consider that the situation in Gaza now is catastrophic and we are deeply, deeply worried and distressed by what we are seeing,” Senator Wong said.
Israel’s campaign was a response to Hamas’s October 7 attack, when the group, which is considered a terror organisation by the Australian government, killed 1200 people and took more than 200 hostages.
Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler said: “There is no excuse for violence that targets civilians, and we have and continue to consistently condemn any Israeli who supports or conducts such violence. The seven individuals sanctioned by the Australian Government appear to be engaged in human rights abuses. We have confidence in the Israeli justice system and expect these individuals to be prosecuted by Israeli authorities. The overwhelming majority of Israelis abhor these extremists, are law-abiding, and yearn for peace with their neighbours.”
He added: “Palestinian violence and extremism continue to be the major impediment to peace. At a time when the Palestinian Authority has declared unity with the terrorist organisation, Hamas, and a majority of Palestinians support Hamas, these seven Israeli extremists are not the impediment to a peaceful two-state solution. It’s imperative these types of sanctions are consistently applied by the Australian Government in a timely manner that doesn’t risk sending a partisan message.”
AJA CEO Robert Gregory said: “This is a government that can’t stop giving away taxpayers’ money to the Palestinian Arabs but attacks Israel at every opportunity.
Labor is behaving like the extremists of the Greens, and this is dangerous for Australian foreign policy.
Labor has had nothing to say on the many Jewish people who have been murdered and severely injured by Arabs in Judea/Samaria (West Bank) recently. Labor has not imposed sanctions on the thousands of individuals who took part in the October 7 massacre.
When there are isolated incidents of Jews retaliating or taking vigilante actions, Israel’s legal system promptly handles it. This is an ugly act of interference in our ally’s legal system. Australians would not welcome other countries interfering or imposing sanctions on our citizens.
The Iranian community has been begging Labor to take meaningful action against the brutal regime there which had a major role in the horrors of October 7, but the Government has proved weak and prefers to target Israel.
The Jewish community will not be intimidated. We will continue our strong connection with our Land”
AJA President Dr David Adler added: “This move seems designed to cater to the demands of local extremists for Labor’s grubby domestic political purposes, inflaming tensions and is a cynical move by Labor to secure votes.
It is also quite likely timed as a distraction as Labor faces strong criticism of its record. We have already called on Foreign Minister Penny Wong to apologise for spreading misinformation following the tragic death of Australian aid worker, Zomi Frankcom. Instead of apologising and being honest with Australians by releasing the report from General (ret) Mark Binskin, it appears Labor is trying to deflect attention.
We call on Josh Burns, Mark Dreyfus and anyone in Labor who claims to support Israel to speak out against this horrible action. Voters who care about Australia’s relationship with Israel will be watching closely. “
By: Kat Wong/AAP with J-Wire
This weak, pathetic decision by the Albanese government defies comprehension, or indeed even superficial examination when one considers all the murders and attacks by Palestinians on Israeli citizens.
It is so one-sided that there is no room for context of any kind. Somehow I don’t think sanctions by Australia against any Israeli will matter a hoot, but it is an indication of the very real problem existing in the Labor Party of false ideological stances. The sooner this government is out the better. And I say this as a non-Liberal voter.
Absolutely agree. It is also very telling that there is never a single word against anything Palestinians do, no condemnation, no sanctions against any one really only jews. Quite despicable!
and what makes albanese/Wong think that they have any say in management, crime and/or punishment in a country that isn’t theirs to start off with?