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The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) today called on the Australian Government to join its allies – the United States and the United Kingdom – which have just announced joint sanctions against leaders and financiers of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and impose Australia’s own sanctions against these groups under our autonomous sanctions framework.

AIJAC Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein said, “Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad are both listed as terrorist organisations under Australia’s Criminal Code and are the cause of all the heartbreaking devastation and loss of life seen in Gaza today. Closing off their capacity to finance their terrorism and start wars with Israel would be a major step toward restoring peace to both Israelis and Palestinians.”

He added, “Ultimately, both of these organisations are financed, armed and controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. The same is true of all the other proxies currently firing at Israel, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Houthis in Yemen and various Shi’ite militias in Syria and Iraq.

“If Australia’s policy is to restore peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike, the address of Australia’s sanctions should ultimately be the regime in Iran. To this end, AIJAC also continues to call on the Government to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation under Australia’s Criminal Code, as a Senate Committee recommended in February,” Dr Rubenstein concluded.