鈥淲hen we think of Ukraine, so too should our thoughts be with the people of Palestine,鈥澛爏aid Renee Lees, a Senate candidate for Socialist Alliance (SA) in Queensland on April 2.
鈥淏oth show amazing feats of courage and resistance under illegal and brutal military occupation. But while Ukraine rightly receives support, in the case of Palestinians the government sides firmly with the illegal military occupier.鈥
Pat O鈥橲hane, SA candidate for Leichhardt and Australia鈥檚 first Indigenous magistrate told the protest: 鈥淭he Australian state was founded on racist conquest and occupation. If elected, we鈥檒l fight to end military ties with the state of Israel and to uphold international law and human rights at home and abroad.鈥
Vigils were called around Australia by the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network and Amnesty International to mark the birthday of imprisoned Palestinian aid worker Mohammed El Halabi, a former World Vision head in Gaza, who has been detained for more than six years by Israeli authorities.
Hala Hijleh, the Cairns organiser, said El Halabi was detained in 2016 on charges of diverting aid money to Hamas. The federal government and investigations by World Vision found聽no evidence of this.聽His trial, which has been neither fair nor transparent, has been in its concluding phase since last September. This is a common tactic by Israeli courts where Palestinian prisoners have been聽imprisoned on trumped up charges.
El Halabi's聽interrogation has聽included torture and beatings so severe he鈥檚 lost hearing. His聽legal team has been unable to access聽evidence. United Nations human rights experts said that his treatment and trial do not meet basic standards of a fair trial.
Jim McIlroy聽reported that Palestinian activist Shamikh Badra, Greens MP Jenny Leong聽and a representative of Amnesty International聽extended their solidarity to El Halabi聽at the Sydney rally. The action was supported聽by Australia Palestine Advocacy Network聽and the Coalition for Justice and Peace in Palestine.
[Supporters can聽 to release Mohammed El Halabi. Copies聽will be sent to Australian MPs.]聽