Andy Alcock

Mr Stephen Smith

Minister for Foreign Affairs

&

Mr R Mc Clelland

Attorney General

Australian Government

Dear Sirs

RE:    ATTACK ON AID SHIP BY THE ISRAELI MILITARY

As an Australian citizen, who has spent much of his life working for human rights, I am writing to express my concern at the very inadequate response that Australia has made to Israel’s outrageous attack on an aid ship travelling to Gaza on 31 May 2010.

It seems that up to 20 people have been killed by the Israeli army on a civilian ship that was carrying sorely needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The vessel was in international waters and had 700 civilians supporting Palestinian human rights. This surely has to be viewed as a crime against humanity and should be identified as such.

Even if some militants on board attacked Israeli personnel first, as Israel claims, the reaction was totally over the top. Witnesses on board, however, claim that the Israeli soldiers fired first.

To put this event in perspective, I think we should compare this aid mission to Gaza with another peace mission that occurred in 1992 and compare the results. What resulted from that  is in stark contrast to the behaviour of the Israeli military.

In March 1992, I participated in an international protest against Indonesia following the 1991 massacre of 270 East Timorese civilians at the Santa Cruz Cemetry, DIli by the Indonesian military.  The name of the protest was  ”Missao paz em Timor” (Timor Peace Mission) and it was organised by Portuguese students and academics. An international group of 120 people from 21 countries boarded the Lusitania Expresso in Darwin with the intention of laying a wreath at the Santa Cruz cemetery in memory of those who died during the massacre.

The aim of the trip was to alert the world to the genocide and the human rights abuses that were being committed against the people of East Timor by the brutal Indonesian military. 

Indonesian military spokespersons announced beforehand that we would be stopped from entering Indonesian waters, be stopped from landing in Dili, be refused permission to go to the Santa Cruz Cemetry and be  blown out of the water.  However, although the Lusitania Expresso was followed by a flotilla of Indonesian naval ships for two days, and at one stage, the Indonesian admiral threatened to take aggressive action, this did not happen.

Most people would consider that the record of the Indonesian military is far worse than that of the Israeli military. It has committed genocide in Indonesia, West Papua, East Timor and Acheh.

However, the Israeli military has also had a very tarnished record – forcing Palestinians off their lands, non judicial killings, the establishment of settlements on Palestinian lands, illegal invasions of Lebanon,  bulldozing of Palestinian houses   etc . Mainly due to the actiobns of the Israeli

army, Israel now occupies about 80% of the territory that rightly belongs to Palestine.

Surely, given this latest outrage, it is now time that countries claiming to be democratic take much firmer action against Israel.

Australia should be moving in the UN that international sanctions should be taken against Israel until it:

* allows there to be a full and independent UN investigation of the attack on the aid flotilla  and that those responsible for the murders of civilians

  are punished

* ceases allowing Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands

* ceases the construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier wall and to demolish the parts already constructed as it is being used to annexe

  Palestinian  land

* stops its inhumane blockade of Gaza

* removes its checkpoints and blockades located on Palestinian lands which constrain the human rights of Palestinians to free movement for work, 

  to meet friends and relatives, attend medical and other necessary appointments

The sanctions should include:

* removal of Israeli ambassadors

* cessation of all military cooperation with Israel

* cessation of trade

It should be noted that similar sanctions were taken against the apartheid regime in South Africa, which ironically, was supported by Israel despite the fact that its early leaders were pro Nazi.

Just as Australian leaders eventually stopped their apologetic policy to the former Indonesian dictatorship on the issue of East Timor, now is the time to take such action against the state of Israel.

Yours sincerely

Andrew (Andy) Alcock

51 Leah St

Forestville

SA 5035

AUSTRALIA

PHONE:    61 8 83710480

                0457 827 014

Mr Stephen Smith

Minister for Foreign Affairs

&

Mr R Mc Clelland

Attorney General

Australian Government

Dear Sirs

RE:    ATTACK ON AID SHIP BY THE ISRAELI MILITARY

As an Australian citizen, who has spent much of his life working for human rights, I am writing to express my concern at the very inadequate response that Australia has made to Israel’s outrageous attack on an aid ship travelling to Gaza on 31 May 2010.

It seems that up to 20 people have been killed by the Israeli army on a civilian ship that was carrying sorely needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The vessel was in international waters and had 700 civilians supporting Palestinian human rights. This surely has to be viewed as a crime against humanity and should be identified as such. 

Even if some militants on board attacked Israeli personnel first, as Israel claims, the reaction was totally over the top. Witnesses on board, however, claim that the Israeli soldiers fired first.

 To put this event in perspective, I think we should compare this aid mission to Gaza with another peace mission that occurred in 1992 and compare the results. What resulted from that  is in stark contrast to the behaviour of the Israeli military.

 In March 1992, I participated in an international protest against Indonesia following the 1991 massacre of 270 East Timorese civilians at the Santa Cruz Cemetry, DIli by the Indonesian military.  The name of the protest was  ”Missao paz em Timor” (Timor Peace Mission) and it was organised by Portuguese students and academics. An international group of 120 people from 21 countries boarded the Lusitania Expresso in Darwin with the intention of laying a wreath at the Santa Cruz cemetery in memory of those who died during the massacre.

 The aim of the trip was to alert the world to the genocide and the human rights abuses that were being committed against the people of East Timor by the brutal Indonesian military. 

Indonesian military spokespersons announced beforehand that we would be stopped from entering Indonesian waters, be stopped from landing in Dili, be refused permission to go to the Santa Cruz Cemetry and be  blown out of the water.  However, although the Lusitania Expresso was followed by a flotilla of Indonesian naval ships for two days, and at one stage, the Indonesian admiral threatened to take aggressive action, this did not happen.

Most people would consider that the record of the Indonesian military is far worse than that of the Israeli military. It has committed genocide in Indonesia, West Papua, East Timor and Acheh.

However, the Israeli military has also had a very tarnished record – forcing Palestinians off their lands, non judicial killings, the establishment of settlements on Palestinian lands, illegal invasions of Lebanon,  bulldozing of Palestinian houses   etc . Mainly due to the actiobns of the Israeli

army, Israel now occupies about 80% of the territory that rightly belongs to Palestine.

Surely, given this latest outrage, it is now time that countries claiming to be democratic take much firmer action against Israel.

Australia should be moving in the UN that international sanctions should be taken against Israel until it:

* allows there to be a full and independent UN investigation of the attack on the aid flotilla  and that those responsible for the murders of civilians

  are punished

* ceases allowing Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands

* ceases the construction of the Israeli West Bank barrier wall and to demolish the parts already constructed as it is being used to annexe

  Palestinian  land

* stops its inhumane blockade of Gaza

* removes its checkpoints and blockades located on Palestinian lands which constrain the human rights of Palestinians to free movement for work, 

  to meet friends and relatives, attend medical and other necessary appointments

The sanctions should include:

* removal of Israeli ambassadors

* cessation of all military cooperation with Israel

* cessation of trade

It should be noted that similar sanctions were taken against the apartheid regime in South Africa, which ironically, was supported by Israel despite the fact that its early leaders were pro Nazi.

Just as Australian leaders eventually stopped their apologetic policy to the former Indonesian dictatorship on the issue of East Timor, now is the time to take such action against the state of Israel.

Yours sincerely

Andrew (Andy) Alcock

51 Leah St

Forestville

SA 5035

AUSTRALIA

PHONE:    61 8 83710480

                0457 827 014