Demand the Australian Government reinstates its UNRWA funds for Gaza | Demand the Australian Government reinstates its UNRWA funds for Palestinians

Demand the Australian Government reinstates its UNRWA funds for Gaza

Adapt and personalise this template to write to your federal MP and senators to demand that Australia reverse its decision to pause funding to UNRWA, and to instead support measures to prevent genocide in Gaza, including cutting our military ties with Israel.

Your email will be automatically CC’ed to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.

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I call on the Australian Government to reverse its decision to pause funding to the UNRWA, and to reinstate its financial support for the agency so it can continue its life-saving work in Gaza.

Australia’s decision to freeze life-saving UNRWA funding based on Israeli allegations of UNRWA staff wrongdoing, particularly while remaining silent and unwilling to take concrete actions to support the orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for Israel to prevent genocide, reflects a new level of alarming and dangerous hypocrisy by the Australian Government.

At the end of February, the UN said the likelihood of famine in Gaza was "almost inevitable," with malnutrition among pregnant women, children and the elderly now "almost the norm". At least 16 children have already died of starvation in Gazan hospitals. With more than two million Palestinians dependent upon UNRWA aid for their very survival, it is clear that donor countries' freezing of funding to this agency will have catastrophic consequences for Gaza's already vulnerable and traumatised population.

Australia must not delay in changing course. It must support the ICJ’s ruling for Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza, and use all tools at its disposal to push for an immediate ceasefire and unfettered access to humanitarian aid, and to end its military ties, exports support and cooperation with Israel.

Australia’s decision to freeze its UNRWA funding flies in the face of the ICJ’s ruling that Israel and parties to the Genocide Convention “take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to address the adverse conditions of life faced by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” Indeed, this decision likely spells the collapse of the UNRWA and its life-saving work at this critical time, imperilling the very existence of those who depend on it, according to UNRWA’s Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini.

Now is the time for Australia to correct course, or risk being further implicated in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

I hereby call upon the Australian Government to:
- Reinstate its funding of the UNRWA and support the agency as undertakes its investigation into the allegations levelled at it by the Israeli Government;
- Issue a public statement of support for the ICJ’s authority, its ruling and the obligations set out for Australia as party to the Genocide Code, while reminding Israel that it must also comply with this legally binding order to prevent genocide;
- Demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire to allow unfettered access to humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza;
- Immediately suspend any and all military exports, aid, assistance and cooperation with Israel;
- Identify and advise all Australian citizens fighting in the Israel Defence Force that their actions may contribute to genocidal acts and other international crimes; and
- Support urgent International Criminal Court investigations of the backlog of cases against Israel for its litany of international law violations.

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