Pressure is mounting inside the Labor Party as grassroots members and key figures push Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to take tougher action against Israel over its blockade of food and aid into Gaza.
Calls for sanctions are growing louder, with Labor’s own pro-Palestine group reporting “a surge in anger and frustration” among members who feel Australia hasn’t done enough to condemn Israel’s actions.
Local ALP branches are set to debate a motion — drafted by the Labor Friends of Palestine group — calling on the government to impose targeted sanctions on individuals and groups involved in the forced displacement of Palestinians, attacks on hospitals and schools, and the killing of aid workers and journalists.
Peter Moss from Labor Friends of Palestine summed up the mood, saying, “There is a deep frustration that Australia has failed to move beyond words and take effective action under international law to protect the Palestinian people and hold Israel accountable,” per The Guardian.
Moss added, “We are seeing a surge in anger and frustration among Labor members and the broader community. Labor Friends of Palestine is signing up a stream of new members horrified by the genocide. There are many Labor voters and supporters who cannot accept Australia’s failure to act effectively under international law to stop the starvation.”
On Monday, Albanese used his strongest language so far to criticise Israel’s actions in Gaza, calling the weeks-long blockade of humanitarian aid “an outrage” and describing Israel’s “excuses and explanations” for stopping food and medical supplies as “completely untenable and without credibility”.
He said he made Australia’s concerns clear to Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, in person last week.
Labor MP and former cabinet minister Ed Husic has been one of the loudest voices calling for action. He told ABC radio that Australia must “progress from talk to action”, including ramping up aid to Gaza and calling in Israel’s ambassador.
Husic also said “it was hard to avoid making a conclusion in your own mind that [the war in Gaza] will probably end up being called [a genocide]”, per SBS.
“The notion that there’d be a condition applied that people won’t get aid in the form of food or medicine until these hostages’ release, I mean, that is not just wrong, it breaches humanitarian law,” Husic said.
Australia recently joined 22 other countries in publicly condemning Israel’s decision to limit aid into Gaza, but unlike the UK, France, and Canada, the government hasn’t signalled it’s ready to impose sanctions if things don’t change soon.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also criticised “abhorrent and outrageous” comments from Israeli officials and said the suffering in Gaza “cannot continue”, per Yahoo News.
Still, some Labor members say Australia should be doing more. The motion being debated in branches points out that the government didn’t join the UK, France, and Canada in threatening “concrete actions” like sanctions. It also calls for renewed efforts to push for a ceasefire.
Not everyone agrees with the push for sanctions. Alex Ryvchin, CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said more focus should be on the hostages taken by Hamas.
“It is easy to talk about sanctioning Israel and hauling in the ambassador, even though Prime Minister Albanese confirmed he already raised the issue with Israel’s President Herzog … Mr Husic should join us in calling for the immediate and unconditional surrender of Hamas to bring permanent relief to the people of Gaza,” Ryvchin told The Guardian.
Australia is set to attend a UN conference in June about recognising Palestinian statehood, but it’s not clear yet who will represent the government. For now, the government hasn’t committed to any new sanctions, but with Labor members and the wider community ramping up the pressure, it’s a debate that’s only getting louder.
Lead image: Getty Images
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