By Georgie Dobbs, QUT Guild Environment Officer
Mass starvation has engulfed the Gaza strip. Whilst millions of Palestinians suffer under Israel’s deliberate blockade, warehouses filled with food, medicine, and baby formula, just kilometers away, are left to rot. At least 60,000 Palestinians have been murdered in this genocide, but we know the number is probably much higher. There are no schools, no functioning hospitals, no infrastructure left standing. The Netanyahu government is now building a concentration camp on the smouldering remains of Rafah.
Meanwhile, the Western Governments of the world feign total helplessness. The Albanese Government has criticised the mass starvation and made countless press releases over the need for a ceasefire. But Albanese’s ‘strongly worded’ statements shouldn’t fool anyone. They have done nothing to sanction Israel and continue to sell them weapons components. Last week Penny Wong made the absurd claim that Australia only sells “non-lethal” parts of the F35 fighter jets (the most lethal warplane ever created) to Israel.
Instead of sanctioning Israel and ending their weapons trade, our government has spent the last 21 months vilifying and silencing pro-Palestine activists, and giving political cover for Israel’s crimes. The Labor Party’s criticisms of Israel are a lousy attempt to wipe their hands clean of their complicity in this genocide, nothing more.
Now is the time for action. Across Australia, university students are taking a stand — and QUT should join them. We want to launch a student general meeting at QUT, and pass a vote of no confidence of the Albanese Government for their role in the genocide in Palestine. For this we need hundreds of students to sign this petition!
But more than that we need students to build this campaign — leafleting, postering, sharing on social media. This Thursday the 7th August, there will be a student forum at 1pm on the Kidney Lawn, where we want to launch an official campaign. If you are just as disgusted as I am by this genocide, come along and find out how you can get involved.
The Special General Meeting for Palestine is planned for afternoon of the 26th of August
Student petition link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdAbbtyBT3BGZggkIDfIV0j7cFRRzvlLZmWT zyh27b1Y9ev8w/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawL7nrJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF5SEFJb mVlTXU4UE1Za0JEAR5JTNTtwqeaXvSdIRbWWFUzkp0Mw_IpvEROR1zKhzovhdcTUA yXEaRHlw2QZA_aem_8E-Q5Ki4tk6yRE1Mr6KhkQ
See you there
