PUBLIC STATEMENT

 AAM and ANIC Condemn the Unlawful Raid on the West Bank by the Israeli Occupation Forces

The Alliance of Australian Muslims (AAM) and Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) strongly condemn the barbaric and senseless attacks being carried out in the occupied West Bank at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces. Within a few hours, 11 Palestinians were murdered in what is the largest terror attack on the West Bank since 2002.

The Israeli occupation forces barraged across the West Bank, targeting populated cities such as Tulkarm, Nablus, and Jenin. The continuation of the genocidal tactics already being carried out in the name of self-defence in Gaza has begun in the West. Destruction of sewage and water systems, roads, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities are heinous war crimes that the occupation forces are executing with no remorse or hesitation. These crimes make abhorrently clear the cynical motive behind the raid and the occupying Israeli government’s desire being the destruction of Palestinian livelihood.

The occupied West Bank has seen a substantial increase in violence and destruction of property by Israeli settler and occupation forces. Just in the last few months, there have been an estimated 650 Palestinians killed, including 148 children. Over 1,400 homes have been destroyed, and a staggering 3,200 innocent civilians have been displaced from their homes.

The Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank, and those displaced overseas have been suffering under Israel’s wrath of forced displacements, senseless bombings, and apartheid-like living conditions for over 75 years. Over 40,000 innocent Palestinians have already been killed at the hands of the Israeli occupation in under a year. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire; amongst the starvation, cases of polio are appearing for the first time in 25 years.

Despite international condemnation, including multiple resolutions by the United Nations, the Australian government must place immediate, effective, and long-lasting sanctions on the state of Israel to uphold its obligation to abide by international law and recognise Netanyahu and his accomplices as war criminals as well as recalling the Australian Ambassador to Israel and place a two-way arms embargo on Israel.