While we condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7. By early March at least 30,878 Palestinians and 72,402 have been wounded since Oct. 7 in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza. This is far from a proportionate response, and amounts to Genocidal actions against Palestinian people. Further, restricting basic services and aid trucks has amounted to causing starvation and famine in Gaza. The United Nations reports on 27 February, that Famine Imminent in Gaza, Humanitarian Officials Tell Security Council, Calling for Immediate Ceasefire.

Israel has continued to deny freedom, human rights and self determination for Palestinian people, long before the brutal attack on October 7. We call for an immediate Ceasefire.

We note Australia has announced today that it will restore funding for UNRWA, the UN Palestinian aid agency. Funding should never have been discontinued based on an unverified Israeli smear campaign. Truth is the first casualty of war and the Israeli government and Defence Force has often manipulated the story with false or misleading information.

Merri-bek Council considered two motions regarding the conflict in Gaza and genocide on 13 March 2024, and the Councillors present passed both motions unanimously.

Energy, oil and armaments plays a crucial role in Israel’s continued merciless and savage attack on Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We repost this Press release from Oil Change International on the role of oil fueling the ongoing genocide.

[Washington, DC] – New data compiled by DataDesk, commissioned by Oil Change International, sheds light on the devastating role of oil fueling the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. By tracing the supply chains of crude oil and refined products to Israel, the research exposes the various countries and companies whose fuel supplies are perpetuating this humanitarian crisis – and thus have an opportunity to help compel a ceasefire by turning off those taps.

According to the findings, the US is the Israeli military’s key direct source of imported jet fuel. Oil majors, including BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, Eni, and TotalEnergies, are also complicit in fueling atrocities in their ownership stakes in and operations of projects supplying oil to Israel, particularly via Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Brazil and Saudi Arabia are also implicated in supplying Israel with fuel for its war machine. Countries and companies continuing to provide fuel to Israel are playing a part in enabling the ongoing violence and oppression against the Palestinian people.

The research comes in the context of Israel’s 2023 invasion of the Gaza Strip and in the wake of a 2024 ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israel’s actions may have violated the terms of the Genocide Convention.

Key findings:

• Israel has received three tankers of JP8 Jet Fuel since the war started as part of U.S. military aid for Israel. JP8 Jet Fuel is specifically formulated for military jets. One shipment left the United States before the war started, while two have been sent since. The latest tanker was seen docked at Israel’s Ashkelon terminal on March 6.
• Israel receives relatively small but regular shipments of crude via the Sumed pipeline. The pipeline receives crude oil from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Iraq, and from Egypt, through which the pipeline also travels. All of these countries have condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza.
• Other countries with more friendly relations with Israel supply the majority of crude oil delivered since the war began, including Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Gabon is also a major source of crude oil delivered. Crude from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan is supplied by pipelines owned or operated by major international oil companies, including BP, Chevron, Exxon, Shell, and Eni.
• Russia continues to supply a steady stream of vacuum gas oil (VGO) for one of the key refineries in Haifa. VGO is generally upgraded into gasoline and diesel.
• Two shipments of Brazilian crude oil totaling 260,000 tons have been delivered to Israel since December 2023. This crude was supplied from offshore fields co-owned by Shell and TotalEnergies together with Brazil’s Petrobras.

Palestinian groups and their allies have called for an energy embargo and are demanding governments and companies cease all fuel shipments to Israel until it ends the genocide and its regime of apartheid against the Palestinian people. Specifically, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement calls for a consumer boycott of Chevron-branded gas stations. Countries, as well as oil and gas companies, must be held to account for their role in perpetuating violence and human rights abuses.

Merribek Council signs immediate Ceasefire statement on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

On Wednesday night Merri-bek Council voted on two resolutions regarding the war on Gaza: both passed unanimously by those present in the meeting.

It should be noted that Independant Councillor Helen Davidson, and Labor Councillors Annalivia Carli Hannan and Lambros Tapinos, although they attended online for other items, were absent for both the items relating to Palestine. Cr Oscar Yildiz in voting for these motions, reversed his previous voting position regarding the Gazan war at the November 2023 Council Meeting.

Item 8.1 Motion:

That Council signs on to the Statement by Current and former Australian Elected Representatives on the Situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in support
of an immediate, permanent ceasefire and a just and lasting peace: Statement and full list of signatories

The full statement is below:

A Statement by Current and former Australian Elected Representatives on the Situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories As current and former Australian elected representatives from all levels of government, we make the following statement in support of an immediate, permanent ceasefire and a just and lasting peace:

1.All states have an obligation to contribute to upholding international law, including human rights, international humanitarian law and the other universally accepted norms of the international legal system.
2.For too long the human rights of the Palestinian people have been grossly violated, in the context of broader circumstances that also breach international law and pose a grave threat to international peace and security.
3.These violations began in 1948 with the violent displacement of some 700,000 Palestinian people from their homeland. These people, and hundreds of thousands more displaced since, have all been denied a right of return.
4.The occupation by Israel of the West Bank and Gaza, ongoing since 1967, continues to involve military occupation, illegal settlement expansion, land theft, violence, discrimination, restrictions on movement and the subjugation of the Palestinian people. The situation is intolerable and to the shame of the international community.
5.While Gaza was cleared of illegal Israeli settlements in 2005, the ongoing blockade clearly constitutes an occupation under applicable international law standards.
6.It is beyond dispute that Israel is committed to policies designed to entrench the domination of one people over another in the territories of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Attempts to deny this, or smear those who allege it, are an attempt to defy truth and reality.
7.These events and policies have involved the destruction of Palestinian society and the denial of the legitimate national aspirations of the Palestinian people.
8.On 3 March 2021 the International Criminal Court announced it had opened an investigation into Israel and certain Palestinian armed groups. The Chief Prosecutor of the Court has announced it, “encompasses conduct that may amount to Rome Statute crimes committed since 13 June 2014 in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem”.
9.We note Australia is a state party to the International Criminal Court and bound by its statute which makes criminal the gravest international crimes.
10.The deliberate or reckless killing of innocent civilians is never defensible, whatever the context, and both the horrific acts of Hamas on 7 October and the horrendous scale of the civilian death toll caused by the Israeli military response will properly form part of that investigation.
11.We call on the Australian Government to publicly advocate for an immediate permanent ceasefire, to continue to call for the release of all hostages and urge that all parties fully comply with international standards.
12.We call on the Australian Government to recognise Palestine as a state that is entitled to be free of occupation.
13.We call on the Australian Government to examine its relationship with Israel, with a focus on positively contributing to the resolution of this intolerable and dangerous situation that threatens the people of Israel and Palestine and the entire international community.
14.We stand with Palestine, the Palestinian people, including Palestinian Australians and with all others who support truth and justice, including the many Jewish people protesting Israeli violence against Palestinians.

Council moves to update procurement policy for companies associated with weapons manufacture

Item 7.15 is in regard to update Merri-bek’s procurement policy. While it doesn’t mention specific conflicts, it “would include prohibition of entering into future purchasing or contracts with suppliers who manufacture or benefit from the production of military weapons used in war or to harm civilians. The draft wording does not identify specific conflicts or nations.”

This motion, too, was passed unanimously by Councillors present. There were no Councillors participating online during this item.

The executive summary states:

This report responds to the resolution at the Council Meeting on 8 November 2023 which related to matters associated with the war in Gaza.
This report has been prepared by Council staff in order to provide options for Councillor consideration. The report does not itself make a recommendation. This report:
1.Sets out a possible amendment for Council’s procurement policy, which would include prohibition of entering into future purchasing or contracts with suppliers who manufacture or benefit from the production of military weapons used in war or to harm civilians. The draft wording does not identify specific conflicts or nations.
2.Sets out options for application of the Community Flag Schedule after May 2024.
3.Sets out a proposed motion for submission to the National General Assembly of Local Governments, as proposed by a Councillor.
4.Includes a confidential attachment setting out information for Councillors in relation to existing contract/s.

Background

At the Merribek Council meeting on 8 November 2023, council voted to be the 1st council in Victoria to fly the Palestinian flag, and also to:

• Condemn Israel’s war crimes
• Call for an immediate ceasefire and end to Israel’s indiscriminate bombing
• Call for the immediate lifting of the siege on Gaza to allow Palestinians in Gaza to have unlimited access to food, water, fuel, electricity, medical supplies and construction materials.
• Advocated for all Palestinian and Israeli hostages ot be released
• Advocate for a political resolution to the decades-long confilct which includes an end to Israel’s illegal Occupation of Palestine
• End to all military, economic, political and diplomatic ties with Israel until it complies with its obligations under international law.

And to explore options for Merri-bek to cancel contracts with companies that support Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine or profit from it, especially companies that supply equipment to the Israeli Defence Force.

International Criminal Court preliminary findings on Genocide

References:

Video record of Council Meeting 13 March on Youtube:
 https://www.youtube.com/live/i9Cn-Ri2mFw?si=wb-lml9t9gRSYgFZ

Merri-bek Council 13 March Meeting Agenda https://www.merri-bek.vic.gov.au/globalassets/website-merri-bek/areas/my-council/council-and-committee-meetings/council-and-parm-meetings/agendas/2024-agendas/council-agenda-2024—3-13-march—pdf-with-attachments.pdf

Oil Change International, 14 March 2024, New Research Exposes Countries and Companies Supplying the Oil Fueling Palestinian Genocide https://priceofoil.org/2024/03/14/new-research-exposes-countries-and-companies-supplying-the-oil-fueling-palestinian-genocide/

Amnesty International, 26 January 2024, Israel must comply with key ICJ ruling ordering it do all in its power to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/01/israel-must-comply-with-key-icj-ruling-ordering-it-do-all-in-its-power-to-prevent-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/
You can read the preliminary findings of the International Criminal Court here: https://www.icj-cij.org/node/203454

United Nations, 27 February 2024, Famine Imminent in Gaza, Humanitarian Officials Tell Security Council, Calling for Immediate Ceasefire https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15604.doc.htm