Protesters were defiant at the April 14 protests in Gadigal/Sydney and Naarm/Melbourne against Israel's genocide. They marked the 27th consecutive week of protests for Palestine.
The same day, Iran's retaliation against Israel's lethal attack on Iran's Damascus Embassy reminded the world of the high stakes in Israel's unrestrained, genocidal warmongering.
A few days before, on April 9, Foreign Minister听Penny Wong听superficially criticised听Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Needing to look tough after听the killing of Australian aid worker Lalzawmi Frankcom, she : 鈥淎ustralia [has] called on the Netanyahu Government to change course including in respect of a major ground offensive in Rafah,鈥 she said. 鈥淎gain we say, do not go down this path.鈥
She also appeared to promise Australia would recognise听a Palestinian state. However, the next day she 听that听this was only in 鈥渢he long term鈥.
Wong's speech 鈥斕齠ramed around security for Israel rather than justice for Palestinian victims of genocide 鈥斕齭hows that Labor听is feeling the听pressure from the protest movement.
However, until the government moves concretely to sanction Israel, including ending arms exports,听the protests must continue.
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Chloe DS reports from Naarm/Melbourne that听Nasser Mashni, President of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network听led the rally there.
鈥淲e've been doing this for 198 days, marching together every week with Palestine and with the struggle for everyone to be free.鈥
听鈥淵ou don't accidentally kill 20,000 children;听you don't accidentally target refugee camps;听you don't accidentally kill over 100 journalists and 200 medical aid workers;听you don't accidentally target 35 hospitals;听you don't accidentally wipe out schools and& universities ... you don't accidentally misplace 2 million people, 鈥滿ashni said.
鈥淭his is a planned, methodical genocide.鈥
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Gumbainggir activist and academic Gary Foley spoke about the 100th anniversary of the formation of the first, modern, organised Aboriginal political organisation 鈥斕齮he Australian Aboriginal Progressive Association.
Set up in 1924, he said it听鈥渢reated and fed much of the Aboriginal resistance over the next 100 years鈥. Foley's great grandfather was the secretary of one of the branches.
By 鈥渟tanding here today鈥, Foley said he was 鈥渒eeping up with his spirit鈥 and belief in justice. He acknowledged the young Palestinians and all young people in the crowd, saying that 鈥済ives him hope for the future鈥.
Mashni highlighted the April 17 鈥淧alestinian prisoners' day鈥 as a 鈥渃onnection that we continue to make between Indigenous sovereignty and the struggle for Palestinian sovereignty鈥.
鈥淭he struggle for Palestine is a struggle for all indigenous people and all oppressed peoples.鈥
War crimes investigator Julie Webb-Pullaman, Victorian Secretary of the Amalgamated Metal Workers Union Tony Mavromatis, Palestinian scholar-activist Tasnim Sammak, Victorian Greens' Senator-elect Stephanie Hodgins-May, and Free Palestine Melbourne member Mai Saif also addressed the crowd.
Webb-Pullaman related her work in听the Gaza strip, in the basement of the special surgical building of Al-Shifa Hospital, which is now in ruins after a two-week seige.
A global call for a coordinated economic blockade to disrupt the war machine was promoted听for听April 15.
Pip Hinman reported from Gadigal/Sydney听thousands turned out on April 14. While the mood was defiant, it was also sombre due to the possibility of the war spreading, after Israel鈥檚 attack on Iran and its retaliation.
Protesters vowed to come back next week, and every week, until there is a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Peter Boyle that 鈥渞acial tension provoked by the right-wing on social media over the tragic Bondi Junction stabbing yesterday may have kept some families away鈥.
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The mass rallies听are only one element of the popular mobilisations for Palestine. The new Palestine Under Siege documentary has screened to packed audiences in Meanjin/Brisbane (April 10 and 11), Djilang/Geelong (April 5), Naarm/Melbourne and other cities.
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Vigils are continuing in听Kombumerri Country/Gold Coast (April 13), Gimuy/Cairns听(April 12)听and Karatha (April 7). A for April 17 in Gimuy/Cairns.
Merri Bek and Northern Suburbs 4 Palestine called a 100-strong protest outside Labor Senator Jess Walsh office in Naarm/Melbourne on April 13.
Seb Hand, childcare worker and United Workers Union member听called out Walsh for complicity in genocide. Walsh failed to vote for听a Greens motion in the Senate to stop arming Israel.
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Hand said that it was even more shameful behaviour for a previous听union secretary to refuse to vote such a motion,
Protesters听highlighted the Albanese governments $917 million agreement with Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.
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