AFOPA Letter to the Foreign Minister on UN Conference June 2025
Dear Foreign Minister,
The UN Conference in New York commencing on 17 June is a defining moment for the future of Palestinians and for the Australian Government.
Palestinian lives, indeed the very existence of the Palestinian people, depend on Australia and Australia’s international allies insisting on self determination for the Palestinian people. Our standing in the world is at stake more than ever before. We urge you to seize this critical opportunity to support Palestinian statehood.
We also beseech you to lead a political plan that addresses and acts on the root causes of this horrific genocide and the alarming escalation of death and destruction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem - 77 years of ethnic cleansing, occupation and apartheid.
Australia’s obligations under international law are clear.
On 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory. The following day your office released a statement that the Australian Government was “carefully considering the detail of the ICJ opinion to fully understand the conclusions reached”. The advisory opinion is unequivocal:
Israel’s continued presence in the occupied territories (East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which it has occupied since capturing them during the 1967 Six-Day War) is unlawful;
It is obliged to end its occupation “as rapidly as possible”;
It must cease all new settlement activities, and evacuate all settlers from the occupied areas, and make reparations to Palestinian people harmed by the occupation;
It has obligations to the people of Gaza commensurate with its degree of control over that area;
Its policies and practices — settlement activity and the effective impunity afforded settlers for their illegal acts, land confiscations and annexations, excessive use of force, discriminatory laws, and practical discrimination against Palestinian people violate international law;
The cumulative effect of Israel’s actions has denied the Palestinian people their right to self-determination.
The ICJ further declared that all states (including Australia) are at least obliged to take these measures:
Not recognise Israel’s occupation of the territories as legal, by any means, including diplomatic missions or trade relations that assist in maintaining the occupation;
Not render any aid or assistance to the continued occupation;
Ensure Israeli compliance with international humanitarian law.
Following this advisory opinion, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution by 124 votes in favour of adopting the advisory opinion and undertaking further measures to deliver concrete action in support of justice for the Palestinian people. We note that Australia abstained from declaring support for the resolution.
It is crystal clear that Israel has never and does not ever intend to abide by international law. If Australia is to have any credibility, both at home and on the international stage, the Australian government must hold Israel accountable for its arrogant refusal to comply with international law, for its war crimes and crimes against humanity. Furthermore, Australia must take every opportunity to lead collective international actions to enforce international court rulings in relation to Israel. This means imposing targeted sanctions on Israeli officials and entities responsible for ordering, carrying out or inciting war crimes, genocide or illegal occupation; suspending all military cooperation and trade with Israel including the export of weapons parts; and ending diplomatic ties.
We call upon you to give unequivocal support to the efforts being made at the United Nations to end almost 80 years of death, displacement and destruction; and to take action to secure a just peace and mutual security. We further call upon you to act in accordance with Australia’s obligations under international law, including in relation to the prevention of genocide and to take concrete action to bring the horrific situation in Gaza to a rapid end. The slaughter of Palestinian men, women and children must end, as must the cruel starvation of 2 million people.
The success of the Albanese Government at the 3 May election confirms that the Australian people reject politicians who pose a threat to Australian values of justice, freedom, fairness and respect for the human rights of all peoples. The events of the last 19 months have sickened ordinary Australians to the core. The Australian government must now act to bring those values to delivering justice for a people who have suffered unimaginable horrors for eight decades.
It is well beyond time for the ALP to implement its policy platform on Palestinian statehood, to condemn occupation, genocide and apartheid and to act to sanction Israel if it continues to blatantly defy international law and every tenet of human decency.
We implore you to do the right thing at the June UN conference and to also chart an urgent course for freedom and justice for the Palestinian people.
Yours sincerely
Christa Christaki
Chairperson
