ACTU’s ‘shockingly misguided’ statement on Israel and Gaza
‘It is hard to accept’ it was not intentional that statement was released on eve of Pesach, ECAJ says
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) has labelled a statement issued by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) on the eve of Pesach as “shockingly misguided”.
In the statement issued on Monday, the ACTU condemned “the deaths of over 34,000 civilians since 7 October” and “the use of starvation as a weapon of war”.
It expresses deep concern “that Australia companies supply parts used as part of global supply chains, including to F-35 fighter jets”.
“Israel utilises F-35 fighter jets to drop bombs on Gaza. Under international law, Australia has obligations to deny exports that could or would be used to violate humanitarian law and must employ all means to prevent genocide by another state,” the statement said.
The ACTU called on the government to press for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, to end military trade with Israel, and to sanction certain Israeli officials.
“The ACTU calls for an end to the occupation of Palestine and a just and sustainable peace … Including the removal of illegal settlements, the withdrawal of Israel from all Palestinian lands along with the dismantling of the separation wall,” the statement continued.
“We call on all countries to recognise, without delay, Palestine as a sovereign state with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
The ACTU also welcomed the Australian Government reinstating funding to UNRWA.
ECAJ co-CEO Peter Wertheim said, “The ACTU has dropped this shockingly misguided statement on us right on the eve of Passover when most Jewish families are preparing for the festival.
“It is hard to accept that this was not intentional,” he continued.
“It is also hard to accept that the ACTU is not aware that Hamas is a designated terrorist organisation that demonstrated its genocidal agenda against Israel and its Jewish population in the most graphic way imaginable last October.
“For the ACTU to include Hamas terrorists in their reference to ‘civilians’ and to draw a false moral equivalence between Hamas and Israel is simply perverse.”
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