- The Guardian
- Issue #2074
Gaza is again the centre of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 75 years since the partition of Palestine in 1948, known as the Catastrophe or Nakba in Arabic.
Palestinian resistance marked the 50th anniversary of the October 1973 war this weekend. This was commemorated across Gaza and cities in the West Bank.
The response from the West, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, was to immediately take the position that Israel had the right to defend itself. This position dismisses the right of the Palestinian people to defend themselves and to fight against Israel’s brutal occupation.
It seems PM Albanese, on Sunday morning during his interview on Insiders, ignored the ALP position of using the term “occupied Palestinian territories” in its official communications. Foreign Minister Penny Wong has told parliament. “This is a term which has been used, including on past occasions by past foreign ministers and past governments, that is consistent with much of the nomenclature that is used within the UN context and is used, as I said, by key partners.” Wong also said at the time. “In adopting the term, we are clarifying that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza, were occupied by Israel following the 1967 war, and that the occupation continues.”
She also told the ruling Labour Party’s caucus that the government is “looking to strengthen its objection to settlements by affirming that they are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace.”
The Palestinian people have long endured a criminal occupation and live in a state of war. The military might of the Zionist Israeli forces has kept the Palestinian people under siege, particularly in Gaza.
The Communist Party of Australia calls for a diplomatic solution to the conflict and to the end of the occupation. It stands for the internationally supported two-state solution based on the UN Security Council Resolutions and the 1967 borders with the right to return and access to water.
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has stressed that “… security is only achievable by realising equal rights of all to live in dignity and freedom.” “Peace can only be achieved through international legality. Law, not war can prevent cyclical reproduction of injustice.”
The CPA calls on the Australian government to call for a ceasefire, and recognise the state of Palestine to support a diplomatic solution to the current situation.
Long live Palestine!
End the Occupation!
In solidarity,
Vinnie Molina
Communist Party of Australia
International Department
8th October 2023
