300+ Australian public servants urge halt to arms sales to 'Israel'
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Over 300 government employees from federal, state, and local levels have signed a letter cautioning against Australia's involvement in Israeli war crimes in Gaza.
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Australians with placards and flags attend a pro-Palestinian rally at Hyde Park in Sydney on October 15, 2023. (AFP)
Hundreds of public servants from various Australian federal, state, and local agencies have signed an open letter, urging the federal government to halt all arms sales to "Israel" immediately.
The letter, endorsed by over 300 individuals, highlighted a cautionary statement from UN experts in February regarding the potential breach of international humanitarian law through the transportation of weapons or ammunition to "Israel" for use in its ongoing aggression on Gaza.
This warning implicated Australia as a weapons exporter to "Israel", which the government refutes. Defense Minister Richard Marles claimed in February that Australia did not export any weapons to "Israel" for many years. Similarly, Foreign Minister Penny Wong alleged in November that Australia has not provided weapons to "Israel" since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza.
It is worth noting that most signatories of the letter are employed by federal and state government agencies, while others work in local government.
“As public servants whose work is to serve our communities, it is our obligation to voice our deep concern that you are leading Australia to be complicit in an additional genocide, an additional colonial project, staining this nation with more war crimes – even more than it lays claim to already – and, in negligence of the public we serve, these war crimes are again in the service of foreign powers,” the letter read.
“We call on the Australian government to take swift and decisive action to end its support of the genocide, ethnic cleansing and illegal occupation of Palestine by immediately ceasing all military exports to Israel,” it added.
The letter outlines four key demands of the Australian government:
- Halt all military parts and weapons supplies to "Israel";
- End reconnaissance support from the Pine Gap facility;
- Terminate all contracts and collaboration with Israeli weapons suppliers;
- Provide full disclosure of information regarding the sale of military export licenses to Australian companies supplying weapons and components to "Israel", whether directly or indirectly.
Additionally, the letter mentioned reports of UK civil servants expressing concerns about potential complicity in Gaza war crimes and requesting to cease work accordingly
Australia's arms export to 'Israel' sparks controversy
Additionally, the letter references a November report disclosing that Australian arms and ammunition exports to "Israel" amounted to $13 million over the past five years. Furthermore, data from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade indicates that Australia directly exported more than $1.5 million worth of "arms and ammunition" to "Israel" in February 2024 alone.
The Defense Industry Minister, Pat Conroy, said, as quoted by ABC at the time, that Australia was not supplying military weapons such as bombs to "Israel".
Various organizations, including the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, Unionists for Palestine, and the Palestine Justice Movement Sydney, have endorsed the letter.
Meanwhile, "Israel" is facing renewed global criticism for launching airstrikes on Rafah, hitting tents housing forcibly displaced individuals and resulting in the killing of at least 75 people in two separate massacres. The Israeli genocide in Gaza has led to the killing of over 36,000 Palestinians since October 7, including an estimated 15,000 children.
'Harrowing to watch'
Merah Hashmi, a signatory who works in the environmental sector of the Australian public service, said, as quoted by The Guardian, that it was the increasing Israeli atrocities that drove her to endorse the letter.
“It’s harrowing to watch, and harrowing to go into work everyday and act like nothing is happening,” she stressed.
“Our major concern is that as public servants we have a responsibility to the Australian people to reflect and serve their interests, and an overwhelming majority of them do not want this to be happening; I don’t think anyone becomes a public servant to want to be involved in something like this,” she added.
On her part, public sector worker and fellow signee Sousan Ghecham said, as quoted by The Guardian, that inking the open letter is the “right and moral thing to do."
“Like most people we’re horrified at what we’re seeing, not just the last week but with everything that’s unfolded over the last eight months,” she said.
“It just became really hard to ignore and really difficult to justify not taking this stance publicly, not trying to use our position or our voices in a way that we might be able to effect some sort of change or put some sort of pressure on our governments to take steps that they need to take,” she stressed.
