Jews speak out against forced transfer of Palestinians

A full-page advertisement proclaiming “Jewish Australians say NO to ethnic cleansing” appeared in today’s Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

Signed by more than 500 Jewish Australians, the advertisement was designed to demonstrate Jewish opposition to the proposal by US President Donald Trump to forcibly transfer Gaza’s two million residents to Egypt and/or Jordan.

Among the signatories are the founder of health peacebuilding organisation Ron Finkel, barrister Robert Richter KC, academic Dennis Altman, prominent lawyers Josh Bornstein and David Heilpern, journalist Jenna Price, musician Ben Lee, doctor Alex Wodak, and writer Anna Fienberg.

One of the organisers Corinne Fagueret, from Australian Jewish Women 4 Peace Action Ready Group, said many Jews wanted to speak out and show their compassion for Palestinians, understanding that it is necessary to care about both the suffering of Palestinians and Israelis. She said more people had wanted to sign the advertisement than there was space to include.

“Jews have a very specific experience that’s in our genes and in our family history of racism and ethnic violence. For this reason, we have a moral obligation to speak out about what is happening in Gaza and Trump’s plan for the ethnic cleansing of the Gaza Strip.

“We must speak out wherever there is ethnic violence happening. At the moment, it’s about Palestinians and it’s about standing in solidarity with Palestinians. That doesn’t mean we don’t feel the suffering of Israelis and of the hostages and the hostage families. We can feel compassion for both sides and that doesn’t mean we are less Jewish.”

Fagueret said in addition to the moral compulsion on Jews to speak out, they should realise that a just solution for Palestinians was in the interests of Israelis. “Peace for Israelis is intertwined with a just peace for Palestinians. There can be no peace for Israel unless there is a just peace for Palestinians, and I think it’s really important to realise that, as Jews.”

Ron Finkel, founder and chair of Rozana International said Australians had an obligation to stand up against the US proposal.

“Australia must reject Trump’s plan because it flies in the face of the legitimate rights of Palestinians to self-determination. It is deeply unjust and will never lead to the peace and security to which Palestinians and Israelis aspire – quite the opposite.

“Australia needs to lend its full support to the emerging proposals promoted by Egypt and other countries in the region – a “Marshall Plan” for Gaza which has the full backing of the UN. This approach worked in Cambodia in 1991, where Australia played a vital role.”