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Follow Us on TwitterLavinia Kay Moore (SA) writes to Melissa Parke MP congratualting her on speech in Federal Parliament 22Sep11 September 22, 2011
Dear Ms Parke,
I have just read your speech of the 15th today.
I am a long time supporter of human rights, and over my lifetime I have advocated for women’s rights, rights of children to be safe from abuse, political a civil rights. I have supported Palestine’s struggle for freedom and recognition for many years.
I have just yesterday returned from a trip overseas, and where I have travelled the issue of the UN and Palestinian statehood has been “front page” news. I expected that when I arrived back in Adelaide that this sadly would not be the case. I was proven correct when I read today’s “Advertiser”. No surprises there.
I was sent an email of your speech. Without sounding too pessimistic I don’t hold out much hope that the Australian representative at the UN will vote for Palestinian state recognition. Having seen the complete ignorance of the Nakba’s 60 years commemoration, side by side with the celebration of the establishment of the Israeli state on Palestinian land made me despair.
I would love Australia to vote for Palestine. If they have not the courage to do that, they could at least abstain. If they vote against it, how can they claim to stand for equal rights for all?
What frustrates me most of all is the ignorance of the Australian population as a whole. Accusations of racism is an easy slur. But supporting the rights of Palestinians is not racist. People like me who support Palestinians’ struggles for freedom from occupation are not because of that action, racist. Arabic Palestinians are a Semitic people .Yet many times letters and articles and opinion pieces- and even speeches in parliament – accuse human rights activists of racism/ anti Semitism when we are seen to be pro-Palestinian.
(It is possible that the opposite may be true in some cases.
But that can only be claimed if the complete facts are known: about the speaker , and about the opinion they hold.)
What is important now is that representatives purporting to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people, both in the Diaspora and in Palestine itself, have made the decision to go to the world body that has the power to recognise the existence of a state. Palestine asks to be recognised as such. It has a right to be recognised as such.
And Australia has an obligation to do just that, if we as Australians wish to be considered as fair-minded people who not only believe all human beings are born equal, but that as human beings all of our rights that accrue to us from the time we are born are inalienable rights. No-one, not the president of the United States, not the prime minister of Australia, nor our representative inside the United nations has the rights to deprive any living soul of those rights. No matter who they are. No matter what they do. Never.
I thank you for your support of this effort by the Palestinian people. I know one day it will happen. I wish it happens now. It should have, 60 years ago.
Thank You.
