Anti-war groups, parties and MPs are demanding the Australian government stop making excuses for the United States’ and Israel’s illegal bombing of Iran.
Djab Wurrung Gunnai Gundjitmara woman and independent Victorian Senator Lidia Thorpe said on June 24 that “the world pays the price as we face a threat to global security at the devastating cost of human life. Nuclear weapons threaten all of humanity and need to be completely dismantled — everywhere. But not through war.”
She said since Israel started its genocidal campaign against Palestinians, “we have called on the Australian government to end its complicity”.
“[Prime Minister Anthony] Albanese must condemn Israel’s lawless actions and cut ties with a regime that defies international law and disgraces our basic morality. Australia faces a choice: to align itself with war or to stand up for peace and human rights — both on these unceded lands and overseas.”
Independent MP for Clark and former senior intelligence officer Andrew Wilkie told ABC Radio National on June 24 that Iran’s missile strike on a US airbase in Qatar, for which Iran gave prior warning, was “entirely predictable”. “After the US strikes, Iran had to do something; it had to respond. It has now responded. So, I don’t know that we should be particularly surprised about what has unfolded overnight.
“It is a very powerful reminder, though, of the importance of now de-escalating … I’m going to put the onus on starting the de-escalation more on Israel and the United States and not putting it on Iran.
“The reason for that is that the Iranian regime, they’re cornered, they’re facing the possibility of collapse, they’re likely to act irrationally in the future, so I think the onus is on the West, the US in particular, to start the process of de-escalation before this spins further out of control.”
Wilkie said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had found that there is no evidence that Iran is building a nuclear weapon as the US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Congress: “Let’s face it. Having hundreds of kilograms of enriched uranium is a mile away from having a functioning nuclear weapon.”
Wilkie also condemned Israel and the US’ “egregious disregard for international law” and said the United Nations Security Council must impose sanctions.
“[Bombing other countries] must be in self-defence. This idea of the pre-emptive, or the anticipatory use of force, it doesn’t have a basis in international law. That was the reason George W Bush used for attacking Iraq. It was a preemptive use of force, so it was illegal under international law, and an egregious use of misinformation. Just because [Iran] has enriched uranium has little to do with them having a nuclear bomb.”
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said on June 23 that Australia’s support for US nuclear strikes is “inconsistent with key principles of international law and diplomacy” and “deeply unhelpful in realising a peaceful resolution to this crisis”. It shows that Australia “backs military aggression over dialogue and further erodes global disarmament norms”. ICAN reiterated its call on Labor to “urgently move to sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)”.
It used Australia to “cease political support for military action of any party to the conflict”, including refusing military, logistical or technical support for US attacks on Iran, such as by refuelling B2 bombers in Australian airspace, or assisting with targeting via Pine Gap.
“Before her deeply disappointing support for the American attacks, foreign minister Penny Wong had more helpfully called for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy. ICAN Australia supports this approach and urges the government to adopt one further 'D' — disarmament.”
Independent Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) spokesperson Dr Alison Broinowski on June 23 condemned the US’ bombing of Iran as a “flagrant violation of international of law” and cited the IAEA’s report that while it “cannot guarantee Iran’s nuclear programme is entirely peaceful, it has no credible indication of an active, coordinated weapons programme either”.
Broinowski called on the PM to rule out participating in the US and Israel’s illegal attacks, and to communicate this position to them. “It must be remembered that Iran only attacked Israel after Israel launched assassination attacks … on Iran”. Australia “must not be complicit or involved in any way” including communication with nuclear submarines and “the kind of command-and-control war fighting logistics that runs through the global communications and surveillance infrastructure that includes Pine Gap and North West Cape”.
The US and Israel must heed the IAEA’s warnings about the possible release of radioactive material into the atmosphere in the region. The IAEA has warned that if the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant was targeted, there would have to be widespread evacuations, stable iodine distribution and food restrictions.
IPAN called on Labor to sign the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), as it promised to do at its 2018 National Conference, and cease providing military materiel to Israel, either directly or via a third party.
Labor Against War, which opposes AUKUS, condemned Albanese’s support for the US bombing of Iran, saying it makes a mockery of the government’s supposed commitment to a “rules-based international order”. Spokesperson Marcus Strom warned against Australia being “dragged into another US-led war in the Middle East built on lies and half-truths”. He said the “logic of AUKUS” means sacrificing sovereignty to US military adventurism”.
The Australian Peace and Security Forum said the US’ illegal attack on Iran may open the door to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. “This will … likely to encourage Iran to develop nuclear weapon capability.”
It said the US and Australia, which criticise other countries that ignore international law, are now sending a message that “might is right” and that “we only support the international system when it furthers our own interests”.
“The Australian government’s stated concern about continued escalation of violence in the region, rings hollow when it supports this illegal action.”
It said the US attacks on Iran have also served Israel’s interest by diverting international attention from its continuing genocide in Gaza with US complicity.
Jews Against the Occupation ’48 said “for Australia to buy Israel’s perverse claim that its attacks on Iran are defensive is preposterous, and supporting a war based on lies and deception is both immoral and criminal”.
The Greens spokesperson David Shoebridge said on June 23 Albanese has learned “nothing from the countless deaths and destruction following Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq”.
“The Labor government’s refusal to even discuss the involvement of US bases in Australia, such as Pine Gap and North West Cape, once again prioritises their secret military ties with Donald Trump over their democratic responsibilities to the Australian people … The last 48 hours have demonstrated clearly to millions of Australians what a danger AUKUS poses to our independence, and why the government must withdraw from this toxic deal.”
Socialist Alliance national co-convenor Sam Wainwright criticised Wong for initially calling for de-escalation after Israel’s bombing, but refusing to call out the illegality of its actions, except to say that it has “a right to defend itself”.
“Now, she and the PM have also endorsed the US strike on Iran with the disingenuous claim that ‘the world has agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that, and that is what this is’, while again making a contradictory call for de-escalation.
“The truth is that Labor supports Israel’s function as a nuclear-armed garrison state, projecting US power in the region, armed to the teeth and able to smash all opposition to Western interests, unrestrained by international law.
“The dishonest call for de-escalation is a sop to public opinion,” Wainwright said.