The far right government of Israel is out of control (abetted by the Trump-led government of the United States of America) as witnessed in its genocidal pursuit of the annihilation of Gaza and its trapped citizens.
I refer to the Palestinian families we see on our screens and nightly television.
The impoverished and despairing grandparents, the pregnant women, the distraught mothers and most distressing of all, the bewildered and damaged children.
The term ‘genocide’ is a legitimate term as applied to what is happening in Gaza.
It is being used by Israeli human rights groups including B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and in recent days the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Territories with reference to Palestinians in the Gaza strip.
For the sixth time in the past two years the United States’ representative in the Security Council of the UN vetoed the action endorsed by the other 14 member states to vote for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The US has also refused visas to the Palestinian authority to attend the UN General Assembly at next week’s annual gathering of world leaders, although the Palestinian president will be allowed a video address.
This year marks the signing of the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter.
The United States is using its powerful position to sabotage international law and damage what is left of its reputation, as perceived by a growing number of nations around the world.
Here in Australia our Labor government is being dragged along by its Labor Party membership to support the long overdue (think 1948) creation of a Palestinian state at the important United Nations September meeting.
The Liberal Party and the Nationals appear determined to downgrade and even ignore the International Court of Justices and the International Criminal Court in regard to their present and future rulings on Gaza.
Not a murmur of criticism for the slapping of sanctions on these esteemed justices or on Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian territories.
Members of the Liberal Party’s right such as Michaelia Cash, the shadow minister for foreign affairs, and the far right Advance-supporting Liberal MP Jacinta Price, issue statements that are lockstep with the US and its one hundred per cent support of Israel.
Let history be their judge.
Kathy Bradley, Louth Bay
Be safe on country roads
Dear editor,
This month marks Rural Road Safety Month – a time to raise awareness about the risks of driving on rural and remote roads, whilst reflecting on our own behaviour behind the wheel.
In my role as the Member for Hammond and shadow minister for regional roads, I have seen firsthand the impacts that poor road conditions, lack of investment in maintenance and infrastructure, and driver inattention can have on rural communities.
It is not just the families and friends of the victims who suffer, it’s the first responders too, who a lot of the time may know the victim.
Last year 89 lives were lost on South Australian roads and of those, 57 occurred on regional roads.
It is a sad fact that rural road crashes account for more than 65 per cent of the Australian road toll, and for many of us these crashes occur on roads we rely on and travel on every day.
We sometimes think that because we are so familiar with a road that there’s no chance we could ever crash – until we do.
All too often we hear reports of road crash victims being just minutes away from home, on a road they would have driven countless times before.
This awareness campaign is an important reminder for drivers to slow down, stay alert, be patient and take a rest when needed.
It also highlights the need for investment in our roads, and I want to take this opportunity to call on our state and federal governments to increase funding for our regional roads.
Road safety is a shared responsibility, and we must all work together so that everyone can get home safely.
Adrian Pederick, shadow minister for regional roads
