Washing ones hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful not to be neutral. – Paulo Freire
Izzat Abdel-Hadi came from Palestine over 20 years ago to set up a diplomatic mission in Canberra. I met Izaat on 29 September 2006 in the early days when he was establishing an information and research centre. The objective of the centre was to produce polices and policy analysis papers necessary for advocacy. He had no money to lobby the Australian government. His country was not recognised. He told the meeting in Trades Hall it would cost about $1 million to set up an agency in Canberra.
A subsequent meeting with Izzat on 15 November 2008 was organised by Ray Bergman from the Qld Palestine Solidarity Campaign at the Queensland Council of Unions. Izaat was up and running in Canberra. His official title was ambassador from the general delegation of Palestine to Australia New Zealand and the Pacific. There was no QCU representative present at the meeting. The QCU demanded payment of $93.80 for the hire of the room even though there were union members present.
Izaat was not the first to attempt this.
Ali Kazak: Fifty-five years of diplomacy for Palestine in Australia
“Ali Kazak came to Australia in 1970, his sole objective being to create awareness about Israel’s colonisation of Palestine in an environment already flooded with hubristic Zionist propaganda.” – Sonja Karka.
Ali Kazak was born in Haifa in 1947. He grew up in Syria as a Palestinian refugee. He and his mother were separated from his father when Israel was created in 1948 and were prevented from returning home. He did not see his father, who was living back in Haifa, for 48 years. In 1968, while at Damascus University, Kazak was invited to join the Palestine National Liberation Movement (Fateh) and joined its political wing. At the time, the movement was underground; it is now the largest party within the PLO.
Both former ALP senator Magaret Reynolds and Stuart Rees recently gave tribute to Ali Kazak who passed away this year. Ali Kazak was born in 1947 and joined Fatah in Damascus when it was both underground and proscribed. During Ali Kazac’s activism, Hawke Labor was a strong supporter of Israel.
Ali’s tenacious efforts saw the establishment of the Palestine Information Office, which was subsequently recognised as the office of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, then an outlawed organisation in many parts of the world. Ali encouraged the creation of Parliamentary Friends of Palestine groups both federally and in the states of NSW, Victoria, and South Australia.
After 55 years of Palestinian diplomacy in Australia, the Commonwealth Government will finally recognise the state of Palestine in the UN General Assembly in New York. Izzat Abdel-Hadi responded tactfully:
“I am very glad to see Australia has recognized the state of Palestine.
Although I have concluded my duties as Ambassador of Palestine to Australia this year, I would like, greatly, to thank very much my team at the Palestine Embassy, the Islamic, Arab and Palestinian community, Advocacy Groups, Civil society organizations and the Australian people who worked hard to reach this historical Day in bi-lateral relations between Australia and Palestine.
I am very grateful to the Australian Government for its support to self-determination for the Palestinian rights and Palestinian people, including the right of Palestinians to self-determination and statehood.
Recognition of Palestine is a right by International Law and a major step towards comprehensive, just and durable peace in the Middle East.
كان من دواعي سروري إعتراف أستراليا بدولة فلسطين اليوم، 21/09/2025,
على الرغم من انتهاء مهامي كسفير لدولة فلسطين في أستراليا هذا العام، إلا انتي أود ان اتقدم بالشكر الجزيل لزملائي وزميلاتي في السفارة الفلسطينية في كانبرا وكذلك للجاليات الإسلامية والعربية والفلسطينية ولمجموعات التضامن مع الشعب الفلسطيني ومنظمات المجتمع المدني والمجتمع الأسترالي الأوسع على جهودهم الحثيثة للوصول إلى هذا اليوم العظيم في تاريخ العلاقات الأسترالية الفلسطينية.
الشكر موصول للحكومة الأسترالية على قرارها الشجاع والمبدئي بالإعتراف بدولة فلسطين ودعم وتأييد الحقوق الوطنية للشعب الفلسطيني في تقرير المصير وإقامة دولته المستقلة ذات السيادة على الأرض الفلسطينية.
ان الاعتراف بدولة فلسطين ينسجم مع مبادئ القانون الدولي والشرعية الدولية ويعد خطوة هامة على طريق إحلال السلام العادل والدائم في الشرق الأوسط.
The Israeli massacre of Palestinians in Gaza is the reason for Australia’s Yes vote to recognise Palestine in the UN. Israel is a military dictatorship and therefore no longer viable, if it ever was. What boundaries is the UN voting for? How does it propose to end the military dictatorship of Israel? How do the 145 Yes states propose to put an end to the death camps of Gaza?
No exit from Genocide
Foreign minister Wong claims to have made over 800 visas available to Palestinians fleeing Gaza.
However, in order to make this possible, Israel required that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade DFAT clear the people to whom these visas are to be issued. DFAT in a message to Ambassador Izzat Abdel-Hadi said they do not have the resources to do that at the Raffah Crossing from Gaza into Egypt. Israel has laid waste to Raffah.
Bear in mind that there are seven other crossings that could take 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.
According to Izzat Abdel-Hadi, “that means nobody”:
“Usually, these visas are given to get out the old people or the young ones.” Izaat told people from the Emergency Ride for Gaza late last year.
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.
This is a heartless ruse played on Palestinians by the Australian government.
One democratic state of Palestine from the river to the sea!
Ian Curr
22 September 2025
