David Singer: Why The "Canberra Declaration On Gaza" Is A Dud

Signatory Sylvia Hale pickets the Israel Film Festival in Sydney yesterday

This, the latest article by Sydney lawyer and international affairs analyst David Singer, is entitled "Gaza – Australian Politicians Duped By Dud Declaration".

He writes:

The Canberra Declaration on Gaza signed by 77 current and former Federal and State parliamentarians [including former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Fraser] displays their total factual ignorance and political naiveté concerning the war raging between Hamas and Israel for the last six weeks.

The Declaration has been “Published courtesy of Kohram”.  Kohram is a 24/7 online Hindi and English News and Views website based in Delhi, India. It offers real information relating News Analysis, World Wide News, Politics, Entertainment, Technology, Sports, Industry and Feature Articles on Education.

Another picketer

Australian politicians acknowledging assistance from an Indian media website seems a strange circumstance indeed. The Declaration was created by Maiy Azize, a Canberra-based health and social policy analyst. She is a parliamentary advisor in health and community services and campaigner for @GreensMPs. Twenty-one of the Declaration’s signatories are parliamentarians representing the Greens Party. The header image is attributed to Nakshab Khan and was featured in an article written by him for Kohram on 13 July headlined “Will Israeli Offensive Achieve Anything In Gaza?”

Khan wrote:

“Israel always justifies its aggression on the Gaza strip by blaming Hamas militants for firing crude rockets on the Jewish nation’s southern territories.”

Khan was apparently unaware that in the five weeks preceding 8 July 234 rockets had been launched from Gaza into Israel reaching as far as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Hadera – sending hundreds of thousands of civilians scurrying into air raid shelters and disrupting normal life in Israel as well as threatening its tourist industry in the peak summer season. Long range rockets such as the M-302 were employed – the same missiles confiscated from the KLOS-C weapons seizure.

Israel’s inherent entitlement to self-defence under article 51 of the United Nations Charter to prevent the indiscriminate firing of these rockets into Israeli population centres – each rocket an internationally acknowledged war crime – was not worth a mention in Khan’s article.

Australian politicians need to be very careful about their names being identified with a document whose origins are so murky – a Declaration that itself is deceptive and misleading in the following respects:

1. It claims to bear the signatures of members of Australian federal and state Parliaments – yet five of the 77 signatories are former members of those parliaments.

2. Although titled “Canberra Declaration on Gaza” and updated to 4 August it supports

“an immediate cessation of hostilities and a ceasefire deal which includes an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and to the blockade of Gaza”

The Declaration ignores any reference to Hamas having rejected a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt on 16 July and accepted by Israel – and to a number of ceasefire agreements broken by Hamas since then. The Declaration ignored the findings of the 2011 United Nations Palmer Report which found that Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza complied with the requirements of international law and recommended that Israel should continue with its efforts to ease its restrictions on movement of goods and persons to and from Gaza in accordance with Security Council resolution 1860 –  all aspects of which should be implemented.

3. The Declaration omitted to include the following underlined words :

“We call on all Australian politicians to also support the United Nations Human Rights Council's decision to launch an independent inquiry into purported violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem particularly in the occupied Gaza Strip, in the context of the military operations conducted since 13 June 2014”

4. The Declaration alleged that the rockets fired into Israel were “imprecise” and “cannot be compared with the broad-scale bombing of Gaza by Israel”.

A grossly misleading allegation indeed – echoing Nakshab Khan’s spurious claim – considering Hamas rockets were landing all over Israel – whilst Israel’s response was limited to specific targeted areas within Gaza.

5. The Declaration asserted that:

“Collective punishment is not permitted under the Geneva conventions and is a war crime”.

Whilst not specifically accusing Israel of perpetrating this crime, it is clear that the entire civilian population of Israel was being targeted by the broad-scale Hamas barrage of rockets – whilst large parts of Gaza’s civilian population were not being affected by Israel’s actions.

6. The Declaration claimed that hospitals and places of worship were among the Israeli military's targets – but ignored mentioning that such places were used to conceal underground tunnels and weapons and their use as command centres by Hamas.

7. The Declaration concluded:

“The international community including Australia has a vital responsibility to put pressure on Israel to end its current military attack on Gaza and broker a solution of justice and peace.”

Why no pressure on Hamas – especially as Israel had agreed to end its military attack on Gaza three weeks previously and subsequently on a number of other occasions – only to see them broken by Hamas?

8. The Declaration – like Khan’s article - makes no mention of Israel’s inherent right of selfdefence.

Those parliamentarians who signed this Declaration have some explaining to do to their constituents.

I wrote to Senator Lee Rhiannon – one of two named parliamentarians to contact about signing this Declaration – requesting she comment on my criticisms of the Declaration.

Regrettably at the time of writing this article no response has been received.

Seventy-seven out of a possible 598 Federal and State politicians have signed – which attests to the savvy political acumen of those 521 who have refused to be duped by this dud Declaration.

The Parramatta 200: Sylvia Hale & others protesting Israel's right to defend itself against terror (videos)

Here's the first footage of the "Israel, USA, how many kids have you killed today?" mob of far leftists and friends in the New South Wales city (or outer suburb of Sydney, as some people describe it.)

The organisers have claimed 200.  I'm told that if they'd claimed 100 they'd most likely be exaggerating.

And another, showing Greens politician and flotilla/flytilla alumna Sylvia Hale yelling hysterically in blood libelling manner:

Hat tip: reader Shirlee

"A State That There Is No Moral Justification For": An Audience With BDS Fanatics in Australia (video)

Roll Up! Roll Up!  It's the Viv & Sylv Show! Here are the two dubbed "Grannies for Gaza" (one from the so-called Jews Against the Occupation, the other a Green-Left ex-politician) talking to Students for Palestine about their experiences on flotilla and flytilla. Not a word about the suffering of the people of Israel through rockets from Hamastan, of course. And as well as that unwitting comedy duo, there's a rather more youthful BDSer, Vashti Kenway, a Socialist Alternative stalwart in Melbourne, drawing delighted cackles from the Israel-demonising faithful as she talks about the Max Brenner boycott, and alleging the "collusion" between "the far right" and the "Zionists" in supporting a "state there is no moral justification for". It's a very long video, and I reckon ten minutes' worth is as much as anyone who's not an absolute anti-Israel fanatic could muster.  Meanwhile, it's great to learn that the new mayor of Marrickville, Morris Hanna, won't have a bar of the BDS nonsense this trio, and outgoing mayor Fiona Byrne along with fellow-Greens, espouse. See (hat tip: Shirl in Oz) the reports here and  here.

Aussie Flotilla/Flytilla BDS Fanatic Sylvia Hale Talks About Her Thwarted Trip To "Palestine" (video)

Popcorn ready?  Kleenex tissues out?  Right, now you're all set to watch former Greens New South Wales politician Sylvia Hale with an account of her thwarted flytilla/flotilla frolic.  She's speaking to fellow far lefty Israel-bashers associated with Green Left Weekly in Sydney.

And here's fellow-traveller Vivienne Porzsolt doing her stuff:

Aussie Flotilla/Flytilla Woman Speaks To The Press (video)

The second (middle) speaker in this video, showing "Welcome To Palestine" Flytilla participants at a press conference in Jerusalem on 18 July, is Vivienne Porzsolt, from Sydney's so-called Jews Against The Occupation.

Meanwhile, chum Sylvia Hale, using the self-same analogy "Keystone Cops," gave an interview that's reproduced on a "Welcome to Palestine" website.

Concluded the former Greens NSW parliamentarian:

"I'm delighted that we took on this challenge. From the larger perspective, we've established a precedent, so that anyone may now go to Israel and then request entry to the West Bank. I anticipate possibly thousands of people availing themselves of the opportunity and wonder just how the Israeli authorities will deal with that! I'm delighted, Vivienne and I could not have asked for a more successful outcome. We now see how unjust Israel is and it's not just a blockade on Gaza but a blockade of all Palestine." http://welcometopalestinenews.blogspot.com/2011/07/interview-with-ms-sylvia-hale.html

Thanks, Mates, That's Bonzer!

Photograph by Sylvie Le Clezio: Source "The Australian"

I've just had my faith in the sound commonsense of at least a swathe of the great Aussie public restored by a number of comments on an online newspaper report about the "flytilla" visit of Greens ex-MP Sylvia Hale (pictured here, on the right of the photo, during their mutual odyssey along with fellow pro-Palestinian activist Vivienne Porzsolt, who was also detained at Ben-Gurion Airport but was released on bail following a successful appeal by two Israeli "human rights lawyers".).

Says one of the comments:

'These individuals are an absolute disgrace with their grandstanding tactics and wasteful expenditure. They would be well advised to spend their time and money on the people suffering from the horrendous effects of drought in Africa rather than on jousting at windmills in relation to the Palestinian issue - although members of the Palestinian fraternity in Gaza may not exactly be on easy street, they are in a much better space than the folks suffering from starvation as a result of the effects of the terrible drought conditions in Africa....'

 Says another:

'Maybe they should try their luck flying into Syria to protest the thousands of deaths going on there instead of Gaza and the West Bank which are busy building new shopping malls and luxury hotels. I doubt whether their reception will be as "friendly" as $410 bail.'

Others are less polite, but no less valid for that:

'Ratbags, sticking their noses into another country's business.Typical of a wacky Green. Absolutely no idea about how the world works outside LA LA Land.'

 'Deport her by all means... but please, not back to Australia.'  http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/former-mp-sylvia-hale-delays-deportation-from-israel/story-e6freuzi-1226094213562

But expect more fun and games (and maximum publicity) ahead.  In Green Left Weekly Pip Hinman, another anti-Israel stalwart, quotes Vivienne Porzsolt as saying:

"We are concerned that the Minister of the Interior is trying to subvert the decision of the court by making it practically impossible for us to go to the West Bank. It would mean that the Occupied Palestinian Territories really don't have a separate status from Israel under Israeli law. But if it means we have 48 hours to get into the West Bank and then apply for another Israeli visa when we come back, that would be great.

But, if it means we do have 48 hours to get into the West Bank and then apply for another Israeli visa when we come back, that would be great.

Anyone may now go to Israel and then request entry to the West Bank. We anticipate possibly thousands of people availing themselves of the opportunity, and wonder just how the Israeli authorities will deal with that!"  http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/48171

Aussie "Peace Activist" Appeals Deportation From Israel (video)

Yes, it's Sylvia Hale, folks!  She should be no stranger to regular readers of my blog by now. Update: appeal won http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/hale-caught-on-bethlehem-trek-20110713-1he1q.html

Stranded in Greece, An Aussie Flotilla "Heroine" Greets The Folks Back Home (videos)

Who is Sylvia? What is she, that all these folk commend her?

Well, if you've followed this blog over the last ten days or so, you'll know that Sylvia Hale is a former Greens politician in New South Wales, and an incorrigible leftwing critic of Israel.

Last year Ms Hale went to Gaza, and blogged about it.  The blog contains these gems of the Israel-demoniser's art:

"Yesterday, at Hebron, it was somewhat unnerving to pass through a turnstile while a young soldier lounged a metre or so away pointing a rifle directly at you. It's not entirely fanciful to see boredom getting the better of them.

 Hebron was very interesting. The mosque contains Abraham's tomb and is very important to Muslims ....

The mosque is in the centre of the old city, surrounded by alley ways and shops.... They [the Israelis] used to hurl rocks down on to people below, but, since overhead netting was put in place, rocks and larger objects have been replaced with sand, urine and faeces. The objective is once again to dispossess Palestinians not only of their land and houses, but of their religious heritage." http://sylviahale.org.au/sylvias-blog

Last week, she and other Aussies off to join the flotilla were informed by their country's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that they would have limited Australian consular access in the event of Israel detaining them.

She was quoted on the website of the ABC (the Aussie equivalent of the BBC) as saying:

"I gather the Israelis more or less said what they were proposing to do, namely to intercept the flotilla, to force it to divert to the port of Ashdod, which would be declared a closed military zone, at which there would be no possibility of consular access.

Then participants would either be deported immediately or they would be taken to one of three prisons, at which there might be the possibility of consular access." http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/30/3258024.htm

The Tahrir, aboard which Ms Hale and her fellow-Aussies want to sail to Gaza to embarrass Israel, has met a spot of trouble, as described in this report on Ahmadinejad's propaganda news channel, Press TV:

In this video Ms Hale greets the Israel-bashers back in Sydney, including Greens senator-elect Lee Rhiannon, another old trouper amid the Israel-bashing BDS brigade.

As always, I'm amazed at the alacrity with which women - especially women of a certain age, the generation which fought the women's liberation struggles of the 1970s - embrace the cause of those who would return the status of women to the Dark Ages.

(Which reminds me - Elder of Ziyon has an excellent piece on the little old ladies of the flotilla, complete with poster: http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/06/so-why-is-israel-afraid-of-little-old.html )