Calling on Australian Leaders: Stand with women in the Middle East and Protect UNRWA

Write to your local reps and Defence Minister Marles asking for their support to end arms to Israel

For many months, nowhere has been safe in Palestine. But now, violence is escalating across the region. Official figures show that bombing and airstrikes by the Israeli government have killed over 40,000, and injured almost 100,000 people. A staggering number of civilian deaths are women and children. The Australian government needs to step up its response.

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cc Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles MP & representatives

I am calling on you to advocate for an end to the violence in Gaza, one of the deadliest places in the world to be a woman or a child right now. Worryingly, this violence is now rapidly extending across the region - with over a million people already fleeing Israel's bombing campaign in Lebanon.

Since the UN Security Council called for an immediate ceasefire in March, that demand has been ignored and unenforced. There seems to be no end in sight. Tens of thousands of innocent people have lost their lives, a shocking number of them women and children.

I welcome the actions the government has already taken, including the announcement to reinstate funding to UNRWA, pledging funding to support the people of Gaza, joint calls for a sustainable ceasefire and voting for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire at the UN General Assembly, as well as the joint statement on the Israeli government’s planned military operation in Rafah. I also welcome the recent statements from Minister Wong calling for a pathway to the formal recognition of Palestine.

But these actions alone are not enough. The harrowing situation in the Middle East underscores the urgent need for governments worldwide to stop the supply of arms, arms parts, and ammunition used in these atrocities. This ongoing bombardment is depriving people of the basics needed to survive, and making it challenging for aid organisations to reach them to help. In Gaza, a range of authoritative individuals and bodies, including scholars and UN experts have warned of the risk of genocide.

As an Australian, I'm worried about the role our country is playing in this conflict. While officials have said that Australia isn't supplying arms to Israel, Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-35 fighter jet, has said that "every F-35 built contains some Australian parts".

Airstrikes, made possible by planes like these, have left over two million people sheltering in Gaza in fear of their lives. It is not enough to say that we are not exporting weapons to Israel. We must ensure nothing manufactured in Australia contributes to death and destruction in the Middle East.

Australians want to see the Government do more.

I urge you to do the following:

1) Ensure Australia's immediate suspension of military aid, assistance, and cooperation with Israel. Nothing manufactured in Australia should contribute to death and destruction in the Middle East. The government should halt all transfers of weapons parts and ammunition where the Israeli government and the Israel Defense Force are the end users.

2) Take urgent action to ensure that Israel complies with the International Court of Justice rulings and acts in accordance with International Humanitarian Law, using all diplomatic means available.

3) Apply and implement targeted sanctions on Israeli officials who have called for the denial of aid, and military and civil servants denying essential food and materials to civilians.

4) Continue to call for an immediate, permanent, and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire, and also use all diplomatic means available to achieve this.

I am calling on you to help forge a path to real and lasting peace.

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