What Have the Free Palestine Rallies in Australia Achieved So Far?

More than 100,000 protestors have marched in solidarity with Palestine in Australian capital cities for the fifth consecutive weekend since Israel’s bombardment of Gaza began in early October. Each weekend the protest crowds have grown larger – there were at least 50,000 each in Melbourne and Sydney on the weekend. So what have the rallies achieved so far? 

The main objective of the protests is to end the violence in Gaza, where more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 4000 of which were children.

The most immediate way to stop the death toll from continuing to rise is for Israel to agree to a ceasefire, also known as an armictice, truce or a pause in fighting to allow all parties to negotiate terms to end a war. 

Israel has said over and over that it will not agree to a ceasefire nor will it stop bombing Gaza until Hamas releases the roughly 200 Israeli hostages it’s held since October 7, although there have been reports some hostages have been killed by Israeli airstrikes.

The Australian government has so far refused to officially call for a ceasefire.

Two weeks ago, when the UN General Assembly of nations voted on a humanitarian truce in Gaza, – the first step towards a ceasefire – Australia abstained from voting. The motion was passed with overwhelming support, but it’s not binding, instead it applies significant political pressure, but effectively not from Australia.

Several Labor MPs have since broken ranks to say Australia must use its political influence to urge Israel to agree to a ceasefire, but prime minister Anthony Albanese has remained fixed in his position, repeating even today in parliament that "Israel has a right to defend itself [and] the way that it does matters. And we must distinguish between Hamas and Palestinian citizens".

But the cracks within the Labor Party are growing as the pressure on the government mounts due to the rallies and the thousands of phone calls and emails with which Palestinian supporters have flooded Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong’s office. 

Despite using the same language as Albanese for the past month, on Sunday Wong called for “steps towards” a ceasefire in Gaza.

“Just and enduring peace, Palestinians and Israelis living within internationally recognised borders, is the only pathway for security both for Israel and for Palestinians,” she said.

“What I would say is we all want to take the next steps towards a ceasefire, but it cannot be one-sided. Hamas still holds hostages. Hamas is still attacking Israel.”

However she faced lengthy questioning from both sides of politics during question time in parliament on Monday and Albanese ultimately did not back her calls.

Other direct actions are also adding to the pressure on the government.

In lieu of sanctions on Israel, which would be a financial blow to its economy and a way to force its hand, activists blockaded Port Melbourne and Port Botany in Sydney to delay or turn around Israeli-owned cargo ships. 

Organisers said the Israeli shipping company ​ZIM is “in every port of the world, that means we can fight them in every port of the world and bring them to their knees. 

“Start hitting them economically where it hurts.”

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Aleksandra Bliszczyk is the Deputy Editor of VICE Australia. Follow her on Instagram.