The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance (AFSA) calls on its members and allies to stand with us in solidarity against all systems of oppression and for the right to sovereignty over lands, resources and food. It has now been over 200 days since Israel began its violent assault on Gaza and its people, which is 200 days too long as Palestinians fight for liberation in the face of illegal Israeli occupation.

When the violence began, AFSA launched a statement of solidarity with Palestine, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. In the wake of a harrowing attack on a refugee camp in Rafah by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), we believe it’s time to reaffirm our solidarity with Palestinians and call for an end to genocide.

The recent airstrike on a Rafah refugee camp led to a fire that killed 45 Palestinians, including children and babies, seeking shelter in tents. Ceaseless military attacks on Gaza have left Palestinians starving, mourning the death of loved ones, and with nowhere to go. To date, we must acknowledge that Israel is responsible for:

• The deaths of at least 36,050 people, including 15,000 children;
• Injuring more than 80,643 people
• Over 10,000 people who remain missing

As the violence continues, Palestinian citizens trapped in Gaza are cut from accessing basic needs for survival, including clean water, food, medical supplies, and hygiene and sanitation services. Food is a fundamental human right, not to be used as a weapon of war. Israel’s genocidal policies are systematically destroying food chains and means of sufficiency including vital agricultural and fishing infrastructure.

Enough is enough. We must use our collective voice to call for an end to genocide. We demand a ceasefire NOW!

As immediate measures, we write as a collective voice to urge the Australian government to call for:

• The Australian Labor Government to immediately stop exporting weapons and ammunitions to Israel;
• An immediate and permanent ceasefire;
• Opening up safe pathways to Gaza to full humanitarian relief efforts, including safe access to medical aid, food, water, and fuel.
• The Australian Government to open its borders to Palestinians seeking refuge from the conflict.

We urge the government to exert all possible influence with Australia’s international partners to do the same. Most importantly, AFSA acknowledges that in the long term, a ceasefire is not enough to prevent further atrocities from happening again. We need to fight for systemic decolonisation in Australia and the world over. Following the failure of the Voice to Parliament referendum and National Sorry Day on Sunday, this statement also reaffirms our commitment to decolonial work on the ground here in so-called Australia, where First Peoples face ongoing colonial violence. AFSA remains committed to showing up in solidarity with First Peoples here and in Palestine, to fight for a food system that enshrines Indigenous food sovereignty at its core.

We share our love and strength with the people and all the fisherfolk, farmers, and peasants of Palestine, and Indigenous Peoples across the world. We need food sovereignty to be realised in all parts of the world, now!

We have on this land all of that which makes life worth living

On this land

The lady of our land

The mother of all beginnings

And the mother of all ends

She was called Palestine

-Mahmoud Darwish