By Joe Montero

The slaughter in Gaza brought about by Israeli bombs and bullets has resulted in a horrific death toll of civilians, of which more than half are children and women. The attacks clearly target the civilian population rather than combatants.

Another major casualty has been the standing of western governments. They project themselves as the champions of democracy and humanitarianism. But they are revealed as the greatest enablers of denying basic rights to a besieged population. Their enabling and arms support for Israel’s bloodletting denies regarding Palestinians being treated as human beings, rather than vermin to be disposed of.

These governments that rial about the rule of law are seen to mean that the rule of law should apply to some and not to others. What Israel is doing obviously breeches international law, including the Geneva Conventions. The world is now seeing that this is no problem, so long as the perpetrator fits into the geopolitical ambitions of some powerful elites within certain nations.

It goes further. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is under attack because its judges ruled that Israel is committing a holocaust and is contemplating issuing warrants for the arrest of key Israeli pollical leaders. This attack is not new. Evidence shows that Israel has been working convectively to undermine this court for at least 9 years and done so with what seems like the connivance of the same western powers, despite being signatories to its creation and article 70 of its statute that classifies obstruction of its operation a crime.

Behind the misinformation about the ICC, it was established after World War Two to prevent the mass extermination and other major violations of human rights during this sad point in history.

Behaviour like this diminishes the governments responsible, and this is translating to increase their own difficulties at home. Their inexcusable stance not only stands at odds with world opinion. It now stands at odds with their own people. Enabling Israel’s slaughter promises a heavy cost at the ballot box. Even more important in the longer run, it is contributing to a growing loss of faith in the existing political institutions.

This is contributing to the awakening of millions, where the connection between what is happening in Gaza and other issues relating to the pursuit of the interests of a few at the expense of the majority is being made. The gulf between the perpetrators of these acts and humanity has never been so great. This has propelled university students around the world to set up protest camps and face the violence used against them.

Here in Australia, we’ve now seen huge marches in the streets for 34 straight weeks. This has never been seen before and is writing history, which will be remembered for a long time. These marches reflect public opinion.

Contrast this with the contrary performance of the Australian government. This includes a Prime Minister who used to defend Palestinian rights but when in office feels the need to defer to Washington’s will. This says a lot about the nature of alliance between our two countries and it puts a light as to what are considered the priorities.

Pretending more balanced response, doesn’t change the fact that the Australian government continues to be an apologist and enabler of Israel’s slaughter through its words, by contributing to the supply of weapons and using communications systems to help Israel target its victims.

By doing this, the Albanese government is contributing to its own undermining. It’s losing a large part of its traditional working class and middle class bases., including but not limited to those with a Middle East background.

Forgotten by some here is that history has taught that a population oppressed on the scale of the Palestinians can’t be destroyed. Their circumstances leave no other option but resistance until the oppressor is defeated. This is the history of the Jewish people. The Palestinian people are repeating it and proving that apartheid Israeli is not in the interests of Jews. Their interests of Jewish Israeli’s lie in living in harmony and as equals with their Palestinian neighbours.  This is becoming more widely recognised within the Israeli entity.

Those in control there and their appeasers are seriously afraid of the trend of a growing number of nations to recognise Palestine and doing whatever they can to stop it. They fear they are on the losing side.