Foreign Minister misled Palestinian families trapped in Gaza

"This is a make-or-break moment for all of us & for our shared humanity"@UNLazzarini: What continues to shock me is the ever-increasing levels of de-humanization, lack of empathy & humanity

What's happening in #Gaza should outrage anyone, should make us all re-think our values pic.twitter.com/qaEDFQUTpa

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) December 16, 2023

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No exit from genocide?

Australian visas for Palestinian from Gaza

‘Every minute, every day we lose more humans’: Palestinian ambassador to Australia, Izzat Abdulhadi.

This is what SBS had to say about the temporary visas to be issued by DFAT: “Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has confirmed Australia has issued 860 temporary visas to Palestinians. Wong also announced 67 individuals including Australians, permanent residents and their families crossed out of Gaza through Egypt’s Rafah border crossing overnight. – 22 Nov 2023.”

However, in order to make this possible Israel required that DFAT clear the people to whom these visas are to be issued. DFAT in a message to Ambassador Izzat Abdulhadi says they do not have the resources to do that at the Raffah Crossing Gaza into Egypt bear in mind that there are seven other crossings could take the people from Gaza to Australia. Israel has closed down those exits from the genocide. Then you look at the fine print. DFAT says the visas only apply to males who have Australian citizenship or permanent residency and are here inside Australia and wish to have their wife or their children evacuated from the genocide.

Heartless ruse played on Palestinians by the Australian government
According to Izzat Abdulhadi: That means nobody. Usually these visas are given to get out the old people or the young ones. he told people from the Emergency Ride for Gaza yesterday.

According to DFAT: The Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) allows you to temporarily stay in Australia for tourist, visit or other business purposes for up to between 3, 6 and up to 12 months. Visitor Visa (Subclass 600).

ABC complicity?
The ABC should stop interviewing Australian and Israeli politicians because they are prodigious liars particularly in circumstances where they are complicit in the genocide of the Palestinian people. The government is issuing misinformation and peddling it through the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

“More than 800 people from the besieged territory have been granted temporary visas by the federal government.” – incorrect, DFAT refuses to administer exit from Rafah crossing claiming it does not have the resources. The statement is misleading because those visas were not issued to specific individuals. The arrival in Australia of temporary visa holders from Gaza has been a trickle due to the unpredictability of getting on the Rafah border crossing list that allows exit from Gaza into Egypt.

All are starting from scratch, after boarding flights to Australia with nothing but what they could carry.

Ukraine

“Since 24 February 2022, the department (DFAT) has granted over 11,500 visas to Ukrainian nationals in Ukraine and thousands more to Ukrainian nationals elsewhere. Nearly 11,400 Ukraine national visa holders have since arrived in Australia.” – Ukraine visa support, DFAT.

Palestinian ambassador, Izzat Abdulhadi said: “the wording of the text from a DFAT official says the department has restricted the visas to direct relations, none of the extended family.”

Australia is a close partner with Israel and has the authority to question their obfuscation. At the same time, over 1700 visas have been issued to Israelis. The ambassador told the small group of emergency riders for Gaza: “there are plenty of safe places. whereas no place is safe in Gaza.”

Is Foreign Minister Wong engaging in an administrative ruse that is really an admistrative cover-up for Israelis committing the genocide. The foreign minister has allowed over 11,000 Ukrainians to stay in Australian indefinitely during a war in that country. The defending country has been heavily fortified by billions of dollars in arms from United States. Yet senator Wong has been unable to provide any meaningful respite for Palestinians even though Australia’s ally, United States, has been giving the occupying country, Israel, billions upon billions of dollars in arms in order to bomb harass and murder Palestinians on a scale many times worse than Russia has done in the Ukraine.

Back on November 22nd, DFAT reported that a journalist asked this self-serving query of Foreign Minister Wong: More than 800 visas have been issued for Palestinians. That’s a lot of people to let in. (my emphasis).

Foreign Minister: Well, I’ll just make a few points about that. Over the same period, I think between the 7 October and a couple of days ago, we had 1,793 visas issued to Israeli citizens. So, obviously there is a lot of demand from those in the region for Australian visas for people who are eligible. I would again say this, people who obtain visas to Australia are subject to appropriate security checks. – Transcript (E&OE) Subjects: Hamas-Israel conflict; temporary ceasefire and release of hostages; visa provisions to Palestinians and Israelis.

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” No such undertaking was made when the Australian government gave visas to Ukrainian refugees.

Neither the United Nations nor the Australian government have been able to offer Palestinians any relief from genocide. It was Australia in the United Nations that had the casting vote in the setting up of the apartheid state of Israel in 1948. The unquestioning participation of Australia in the ‘Israel project’ has persisted for 75 years despite the longest occupation and the largest diaspora of refugees.

Despite all this from the river to the sea Palestine will be free.

Here is the response of Omar Ashour, the President of Falesteen association, to atrocities committed by Israel

Ian Curr
18 Dec 2023.

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