The former Israeli minister of health and retired brigadier general Ephraim Sneh said: \u201cThis is ethnic cleansing, to put it simply.\u201d Retired air force general Asaf Agmon declared: \u201cOnce a society behaves this way \u2013 that society is doomed.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of our most significant allies believes what\u2019s happening in the West Bank is wrong.<\/p>\n
The UK Labour government, led by new prime minister Andy Burnham, decided enough was enough. They took action, targeting illegal settlements and settlement expansion<\/a> through banning imports.<\/p>\n Oddly, even before the UK formally announced their moves, our own government declared we wouldn\u2019t embrace the same measures.<\/p>\n I\u2019d be misleading the parliament if I was to say I wasn\u2019t disappointed.<\/p>\n To justify this decision, it was said: \u201cWe have concerns about the implementation of a blanket ban and unintended consequences for Australian businesses, for Palestinians and for Israelis.\u201d<\/p>\n Sign up for Guardian Australia\u2019s Politics, really newsletter here<\/a><\/p>\n By way of contrast, it\u2019s worth noting Australia has imposed 1,800 sanctions and strict tariffs on Russia over its illegal invasion of Ukraine, which has seen the total value of Australia\u2019s imports from Russia drop by around 99%.<\/p>\n And it would sound quite odd for us to say we wouldn\u2019t impose sanctions on Russia because of the impact on Australian businesses or Ukrainians or Russians.<\/p>\n We took action knowing it would have an impact, precisely because we wanted it to lead to change.<\/p>\n Additionally we\u2019ve pointed out regularly that we \u2013 as an individual nation \u2013 couldn\u2019t possibly act on our own regarding what\u2019s happening in the West Bank or Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n Yet many Australians would then question why we wouldn\u2019t act when we had a chance to do so in concert with many like-minded nations.<\/p>\n But let me come back to the issue of impacts. Let\u2019s look at this another way.<\/p>\n It was former prime minister Bob Hawke who dedicated so much of himself, in such a principled and unyielding way, to ending apartheid in South Africa.<\/p>\n As a prime minister he pushed on the world stage for comprehensive financial sanctions against South Africa, measures that were so tough, the former foreign minister Gareth Evans said they were \u201cprofoundly practically important in their economic, and ultimately, endgame political impact.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, imagine telling Bob Hawke not to impose bans or measures on South Africa because it would affect Australian businesses or the very South Africans resisting apartheid?<\/p>\n Bob Hawke championed a cause that forms an important part of Labor history.<\/p>\n
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