Publisher’s Note: Australia should have a discriminatory immigration policy. The government should not invite war criminals to visit Australia. Back in the 1990s a Liberal government permitted members of the Southern Lebanese Army to migrate to Australia. These were war criminals allied with the Israeli military committing atrocities in Lebanon. Here is a call to kick another war criminal out.
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URGENT Write to Minister for Immigration, Peter Dutton, peter.dutton.mp@aph.gov.au
Cc Greens Senator Scott Ludlum and Lee Rhiannon senator.ludlam@aph.gov.au senator.rhiannon@aph.gov.au
FM Julie Bishop Julie.Bishop.MP@aph.gov.au
Please demand that Peter Dutton, Minister for Immigration, immediately deports Israeli war criminal, former Israeli Defense Force Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz.
Today the government has today refused a formal Senate vote on the war record of the former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Force ( see Greens motion and press release below)
In 2015 The Australian government via Peter Dutton, Minister for Immigration, blocked US R&B singer Chris Brown from touring the country, because of his domestic violence history.
In 2016 Minister Dutton approved the visa for an Australian speaking tour by Israeli war criminal, former Israeli Defense Force Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz who commanded Operation Pillar of Cloud in 2011 in Gaza and the 51 day monstrous Operation Protective Edge.
Under Gantz command in 2014, the high tech Israeli military slaughtered 2,310 Palestinian casualities including 504 children , wounded 10,626, pulverised gazan suburbs to ground s zero leaving 90,000 civilians homeless.
UN Commission Finds Evidence of War Crimes by Israel …
The UN report on war crimes in ‘Operation Protective Edge’
Operation Protective Edge | Middle East Research and …
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Senators Ludlam and Rhiannon: To move—That the Senate—
(a) notes that:
(i) Mr Benjamin Gantz, former Israel Defence Force (IDF) Chief of General Staff, is currently in Australia as a keynote speaker for United Israel Appeal events,
(ii) during his tenure as Chief of General Staff from 2011 to 2015, Mr Gantz led the IDF through numerous military campaigns, including Operation Protective Edge in Gaza from July to August 2014,
(iii) according to the United Nations, Operation Protective Edge resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 Palestinians, most of whom were civilians, and destroyed over 19,000 homes, and
(iv) both the United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2014 Gaza conflict, and Amnesty International, have released reports pointing to the possible commission of war crimes by both Israeli and Palestinian armed groups; and
(b) calls on the Australian Government to:
(i) work for an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, and end the 8 year blockade of Gaza,
(ii) halt military cooperation and military trade with Israel, and
(iii) communicate this position to Mr Gantz whilst he is in Australia, should he be issued a visa.
Media Release Wednesday 2nd March 2016
Gantz discussion silenced in Senate
The government has today refused a formal Senate vote on the war record of the former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Force, the Australian Greens said today.
“The Minister for Immigration has set a precedent for intervening in specific cases in recent times, but this one apparently can’t even be discussed,” Australian Greens Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said today.
“Benjamin Gantz, the former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Force, is currently in Australia as a keynote speaker. In carrying out the orders of the Netanyahu Government, military units engaged in ‘Operation Protective Edge’ in Gaza killed more than 2000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them civilians, according to the United Nations.
“Both the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry, and Amnesty International have released reports pointing to the possible commission of war crimes by both Israeli and Palestinian armed groups,” Senator Ludlam said.
“Rather than blocking a vote on the war record of this individual, the Government should use this as an opportunity to review Australia’s reflexive and counterproductive support for Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
“The Greens have renewed our calls for the Australian Government to halt military cooperation and military trade with Israel while working for an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories and the eight year blockade of Gaza,” Senator Ludlam said.
“The government’s decision to block this vote and stifle discussion about Gantz’s sponsored visit to Australia is disappointing, although not surprising,” said Australian Greens Senator for NSW Lee Rhiannon.
“What gives me hope is the number of people outside of this parliament who are committed to speaking out about Gantz and about Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
“Although the details of Gantz’s Sydney visits are being kept secret there were several protestors at an event on Sunday in Sydney that Gantz spoke at. I commend those protestors.
“The Greens for Palestine will continue their commitment to help stop the ongoing oppression of Palestinians, and will continue their campaign for Australia to end military ties with Israel,” Senator Rhiannon said.
The motion the government refused to allow can be viewed here: http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/content/motions/benjamin-gantz-former-israel-defence-force-chief-general-staff
Regards,
Mark
Mark Parnell MLC
________________________________________________________________
Parliamentary Leader, SA Greens
Parliament House, Adelaide SA 5000
Ph. 08 8237 9111 │ parnell@parliament.sa.gov.au
http://www.markparnell.org.au │Follow Mark on Facebook & Twitter
Pacifism
Scott Ludlum and Lee Rhiannon are both anti-war … julie bishop supported US regime change wars in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq and Syria and argued for nuclear deterrence at the Mexico conference of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
Immigration
Job prospects are not related to immigration. Rising unemployment is down to the failure of the contract between capitalist and worker. The rich are pulling their money out of productive industries and investing it offshore. They have moved industry to developing countries (often with dictatorial regimes) where wages are low and unions illegal.
Baby Asha
Nothing will save peter dutton.
Peter Dutton, Scott Ludlum. Lee Rhiannon and Julie Bishop are all full of shit. All of these clowns support yankee warmongers who make fortunes flogging death and destruction, but which expect every other country in the world to pick up the pieces.
I have a problem with ANY immigration, particularly when there is a massive financial crash due, when we really have no idea about the history of most immigrants, when the job market is shrinking daily, and when Australian / yankee / pommy warmongers are the primary cause of umpty-zillion refugees fleeing their homeland. An infinitely better use of money than buying leaky ‘past their use-by’ date submarines and planes that have yet to fly, would be providing humanitarian infrastructure in the countries from which the refugees come. When its all said and done, we have more than sufficient abuse of the human rights of Australian citizens already, without adding to it by blowing things up in half the countries on planet earth.