Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens and Spokesperson for International Aid and Global Justice, has called on the Australian Government to make a substantial contribution to rebuilding Gaza, saying Australia has a moral obligation to do so, especially given its failure to take any action to stop the genocide and destruction.
As stated by Senator Mehreen Faruqi:
"Australia has a moral obligation to contribute generously to rebuilding Gaza as part of a self-determined Palestinian state. Aid cannot just be the token amounts announced so far, it must be substantial. Aid to Gaza must be many times more than the $1.5 billion to Ukraine, given the scale of death and destruction of Israel's genocide.
"There must be a big push to open all crossings, forcing Israel to let all the aid in and rebuild roads for faster distribution of desperately-needed food, water and other supplies.
"Australia must atone for its role in supplying F-35 parts and steel to the Israeli war machine that killed so many men, women and children. Our complicity demands accountability and reparations.
"UNRWA is the key United Nations agency providing relief and supporting the human development of Palestinian refugees. Australia must channel a significant portion of its funding through UNRWA, which it shamefully helped delegitimise based on flimsy Israeli propaganda.
"Israel has destroyed or damaged almost all infrastructure - schools, universities, hospitals and the vast majority of homes.
"Rebuilding Gaza must go hand in hand with justice and accountability. It must be coupled with holding Israel to account for the carnage it has caused and for the genocide it committed on the Palestinian people.
"The Palestinian people are not yet free. Israel still controls their borders, their movement, their aid, their resources and their future. Rebuilding must be part of a broader push for lasting freedom, justice and self-determination by Palestinians - not crony capitalists like is currently proposed."
