Published: 25 March 2025
Last updated: 25 March 2025
Jewish groups concerned about the resumption of hostilities in Gaza have called for the Australian government to impose sanctions on the state of Israel.
Seven groups released a statement condemning “the Israeli government’s decision to break the hostage and ceasefire agreement negotiated in January 2025 and resume the horrific bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza”.
Signatories to the statement are Jewish Women 4 Peace Action Ready Group, Australian Jewish Democratic Society, Australian Jewish members of the leadership team of Sydney Friends of Standing Together, Jews for Palestine WA, Jews against the Occupation '48, Jewish Council of Australia, and Emet.
Using the hashtag #notinourname, the groups want to send the message that not all Jews support Israel’s actions.
The full statement reads:
“We, Jewish Australians, oppose the Israeli government’s decision to break the hostage and ceasefire agreement negotiated in January 2025 and resume the horrific bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza.
“On 2 March, when the second phase of the ceasefire should have started, the Israeli government prohibited all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.
“On 11 March Israel cut off Gaza’s electricity supply, preventing the only water desalination plant there from functioning.
“On 18 March, the Israeli military launched a wave of airstrikes in Gaza, massacring over 750 (and rising) Palestinians, including countless children. Survivors of Israel’s assault face excruciating conditions, including having to endure amputations without anaesthesia. Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from famine, the destruction of healthcare systems, relentless aerial attacks, and are now being subjected to a new wave of violence.
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that this latest attack on civilians in Gaza is “only the beginning”. On March 23, Haaretz reported that Israel's Security Cabinet had approved the establishment of a "Voluntary Emigration Bureau for Gaza residents interested in relocating to third countries". It is becoming clear that the Netanyahu government is serious about implementing Trump’s suggestion to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinian people.
“We reject any naive suggestion that the Netanyahu government has renewed fighting in order to bring back the Israeli hostages. The resumption of the bombardment of Gaza only endangers the lives of the hostages further, while ensuring death and destruction of Palestinians in Gaza.
We call on the Australian Government to immediately censure the Netanyahu government’s resumption of war in the strongest terms and move to imposing sanctions on the state of Israel.”
Comments16
Larry Stillman27 March at 02:16 am
If people are wondering about what sanctions from Australia could actually be, AJDS, which does not support blanket BDS made a submission to DFAT a number of years ago, based on human rights principles. It made the following points (also supporting sanctions against Palestinian organisations for human rights violations).
“Cease trade in military goods, including the purchase and sale of arm and security services unless there is a pressing humanitarian need (for example, disaster situations)
• Subject non-military goods and services (e.g. food products) from Israeli companies that are manufactured in the Occupied Territories to sanction unless they meet human rights standards and are labelled Product of the Occupied Territories.
• Cease commercial and other (e.g. charitable, academic) relations with Israeli companies and institutions that are headquartered in the Occupied Territories.
• Review existing relations with the State of Israel with an eye to imposing human rights criteria on existing joint-projects that might unduly exclude Palestinians from equal rights and opportunities.
Palestinian Authority (and Hamas in Gaza):
There are documented problems with human rights and the Palestinian Authority (and Hamas in Gaza). We also note that any relationship between Australian and Palestinian entities such as the Palestinian Authority should also be subject to a similar human rights assessment with respect to military, security, intelligence, and related services, and be subject to sanction if necessary.”
See https://ajds.org.au/dfat-inquiry-israel/ for a link to the full submission.
Disturbing27 March at 01:00 am
Giving the self appointed “Jewish Council” oxygen is careless and irresponsible – they have no credibility, they do not speak for the Jewish community & they are linked to APAN and other Jew hating organisations. These group members are all members of each others groups – it’s shameful to be providing a platform for them.
Deborah Stone26 March at 08:14 am
They are named in the article above.
stephen etkind26 March at 03:04 am
It is one thing to condemn Israel, quite another to delegitimize it, as some of our faith are purporting to do. They obviously have no knowledge of Jewish history and the attempts to wipe out the Jews entirely and what could well happen if there was no Israel. AS for the UN, come on, Iran was chair of the Human Rights Council.
Jacqui Parker26 March at 02:33 am
To live in Australia and compare Israel’s actions in Gaza to the fight against Nazism in World War II is a distortion of history that ultimately endangers Israel. The people of Gaza were living in Palestine in 1948 when Israel was established, and their historical grievances shape their ideology. As a result, Hamas seeks revenge. The inability of people in the diaspora to acknowledge both perspectives in this conflict is irresponsible and contributes to its characterisation as the Forever War.
Stephanie Cunio26 March at 02:05 am
It’s heartening to know that there are more and more Australian Jews willing to stand up for the human rights of everyone in the region. It is not anti semitic to criticise the actions of Netanyahu and his radical right colleagues. And it’s not Islamophobia to criticise the actions of Hamas.
Like most Jews, I want every last hostage returned and an end to the war. The current political leaders in Israel and Gaza do not seem capable of or interested in delivering this outcome. So we need to apply pressure to anyone with influence.
Ramon Capel25 March at 12:09 pm
Thank you for this courageous action. When I read that Hamdan Ballal the co-director of the film “No other land” has been beaten up by settlers and then arrested by the army in the West Bank I wonder where is the moral compass in Israel. Yuval Avraham, the co-director of the film, has posted on the social network X. ‘He was beaten and has wounds on his head and stomach, bleeding,’ he says. ‘Soldiers broke into the ambulance he had called and took him away. There has been no trace of him since then’.
Zak Dee25 March at 11:09 am
I can just imagine these antisemitic so called “Jews” condeming the British and American bombing of Germany, thereby stopping the SS and Gestapo from killing more Jews…these idiots stupidly believe that if Israel does not once and for all decimate Hamas, that more hostages and innocent real Jewish lives won’t be taken in the most horrific barbaric way, as we saw on October 7.
Ryan25 March at 09:55 am
Thankyou to all Jewish people who stand up for humanity.
This Israeli Genocide on the Palestinians in Gaza requires the government of Australia to be brave to sanction and isolate Israel completely – irrespective of the monatory implications.
Ian Grinblat25 March at 09:17 am
What constitutes a group?
Is there a threshhold numberr of members?
Is any of these groups willing to provide an independently audited number of members?
Rachel Sussman25 March at 08:18 am
Bravo! Well done!
Well I guess since they live in Australia they can condemn the return to war… We all wish it was possible to continue with phase 2 of the ceasefire deal, except that phase 2 was clearly subject to coming to agreement about the condition of phase 2 and the ‘next step’ for Gaza…
Allowing that Hamas insisted to stay in power and rule Gaza, allowing it refused to demilitarise, allowing it said shamelessly it will commit 7/10 again, I guess it is ok for these ‘peace loving’ groups to demand that Israel continues with the deal, release more thousands of terrorists, retreats from Gaza, allow boundless supply of aid to flow in and hopefully get its 24 living hostages and 35 bodies….
We all want them home, but it took Hamas only two months of ceasefire to strengthen itself with already thousands of released terrorists and with bountiful of stored supplies so it can renew its campaign… It seems to me that any Government agreeing to go ahead and continue phase 2 without a promise for a real change is an irresponsible Government that yes, will save the hostages ( and I pray they are all still going to be saved and come home) but sacrifices the future of Israel and its people and with it the future of the Jewish people… We all want peace, war is hell, but sometimes to have peace, real peace, one must be willing to fight…
No one wants the people of Gaza to suffer, but maybe the People of Gaza can take responsibility for their situation ( they did not seem to shy away prasing Hamas or shouting slogans during the hostage release ceremonies, did they?)… It serms that some within us feel that it is ok for the future of Israel and Israelis be sacrificed so to save the people of Gaza…
Sadly it serms that it is the ‘well meaning’ among us that may finally pull us into abyss…
Susanne Chandler25 March at 08:00 am
Today I watched a Palestinian Mother close to exhaustion telling how she got through the israeli checkpoint ..at gunpoint and having to see them shooting men and boys and pushing their bodies into a hole dug there, the bodies piling up. The utter hoplessness , resignation and fatigue on her face and in her posture are unmistakeable. Israeli soldiers have gone mad…this is madness. Netanyahu is mad. His plan to rid Palestine of all Natives is abominable. Make the United Nations DO SOMETHING NOW to STOP ISRAEL. It was their idea in the first place and was NEVER AGREED TO BY THE PALESTINIANS except maybe by coercion and other bullying. It is time to REPLACE THE ISRAELI ARMY AND GOVERNMENT WITH THE UN. NOTHING else will stop netanyahu from his insane criminal eraducation of the Native Population
Ian Bowie25 March at 06:38 am
for a man married to a Jewish Australian it’s some comfort to know that there can be moderate Jewish views on Israel’s continued incursions into Palestine. May those views be heard
rosie hersch25 March at 06:33 am
I am astounded that there are so many Jewish groups that have asked the Australian Government to apply sanctions to Israel. My
G-D, that things have got this bad. All these groups have lost the plot. If we don’t support our Israel, a country that is the only safe haven for all of us Jews including all you lot then we are all lost. As for Sharon Schwartz, shame on you!!!
eric25 March at 06:30 am
7 Jewsih groups…..etc…could you please name them
Robert H Birch25 March at 04:24 am
Congratulations to the group for your compassion and humanity.