On Tuesday night, the Coalition announced it would review the security clearances of Palestinians arriving from Gaza — a move that Amnesty considers racist, discriminatory, inflammatory and without evidentiary basis.
Amnesty International Australia remains extremely concerned about the plight of Palestinian women, men and children who have fled Israel’s ongoing genocide, marked by horrific bombardment, forced displacement and weaponised starvation. Many of those seeking safety in Australia have done so under urgent and traumatic circumstances. Despite these conditions, all Palestinian visa holders arriving in Australia have undergone extensive security assessments.
According to official documents tabled in the Senate in September 2024, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) confirmed that it conducted individual security checks for each Palestinian applicant. This process represents a more stringent level of vetting than that applied to any other cohort of people seeking protection in Australia.
Amnesty International is also gravely concerned by the Coalition’s announcement to reinstate recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which shows flagrant disregard to international law and to right of Palestinians to self-determination.
Mohamed Duar, Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson, says:
“Palestinians arriving in Australia are ordinary women, men and children escaping genocide inflicted by Israel. They are survivors of a brutal military campaign that has forced them to endure war crime after war crime.
“Palestinian visa holders who have arrived in Australia have already undergone extensive security assessments, including by ASIO, which represent a far higher standard than any other group. For Dutton to demand their rescreening as part of an election campaign is inflammatory, discriminatory and a clear demonstration of anti-Palestinian racism being weaponised in an effort to win votes.”
Mohamed Duar, Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson
“Dutton’s rhetoric dangerously reinforces anti-Palestinian discrimination and blatantly disregards the lived reality of Palestinians enduring genocide, an unlawful military occupation and dehumanising system of apartheid. More than 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, over 117,000 wounded and thousands of bodies remain trapped beneath the rubble. Those who survive and flee these horrors deserve protection— not to be targeted or alienated through divisive political tactics. Current humanitarian pathways are grossly inadequate and must be substantially revised to address the scale of suffering caused by the ongoing genocide.
“Announcing the reinstatement of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital directly violates over 78 years of international law and legitimises Israel’s unlawful occupation, as determined by the International Court of Justice. The United Nations has affirmed that Jerusalem is international territory and can never be recognised as the capital of Israel. No state or political leader should undermine the legitimacy of international law and binding resolutions.
“Amnesty urges all political leaders and parties to reject the politicisation of Palestinians escaping genocide and to uphold a fair, equal, and non-discriminatory approach. We condemn anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab and Islamophobic rhetoric in all forms – especially when it is used as a political weapon in election campaigns.”
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