Al-Aqsa Flood: the Fantasy and the Reality

An essential quality of faith is in finding meaning in one’s experience as life unfolds. The actions of the New South Wales nurses now forbidden to work as nurses in Australia invite us to reflect on what happened. That the stood down nurses have projected onto the Israeli speaking to them the role of an abusive parent who they are going to punish is indicated.

“Seeing small children acting out fantasies of mutilating, poisoning, and setting fire to their parents in play therapy gave Klein a new vision of the frustrated infant’s violent inner life when the primitive capacities for love and hate rule in a pure and unevolved form, when good and evil are entirely separate, not yet softened by the ambiguities of real life.”1

Why does the male nurse present himself as being a doctor? Why does the female nurse claim Israelis have no soul? Insofar as the hatred was presented in a “pure an unevolved form”, that the pair have the emotional maturity of small children is indicated. With reference to https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/offering-unconditional-love-to-the-perpetrators-is-barbarism-a-cry-for-god/, is their attitude typical of those who want Palestine “freed”? Does “Israel” represent the abusive parent? Does “Palestine” represent a return to the paradise of “mother-love”? Is the chanters’ metaphysical relationship to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea Animism?

What is the reality?

[1] As reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel [on 7 October 2023], with hundreds of gunmen pouring across the barrier fence from Gaza and rampaging through Israeli towns”2.

[2] On 29 February 2024 Hamas was designated a terrorist organisation in its entirety by the New Zealand government as a result of “what happened on 7 October [2023]”3.

[3] The 24 May ICJ ruling refers to “the Palestinian Group in Gaza”4. It is silent as to whether there may be members of Hamas among “the Palestinian Group in Gaza”. A possible implication of New Zealand being seen to support the ICJ ruling is that New Zealand would effectively sanction Hamas to use “the Palestinian Group in Gaza” that are not members of Hamas as a human shield. “The use of human shields is prohibited”5 under Rule 97 of the Customary Rules of International Humanitarian Law. As a corollary, there is a question as to whether New Zealand would be a breach of Article 1(1) of the Crimes of Torture Act 19896 in relation to “the Palestinian Group in Gaza” that are not members of Hamas were it to be seen to support the ICJ ruling. To align with the International Rules based Order, that New Zealand be seen to not support the ICJ ruling is indicated.

[4] Israel is a Member of the United Nations as is New Zealand. Under Article 51 of the UN Charter, “Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations”7 New Zealand would not be prevented from taking military action were it in a similar situation to Israel. How is singling out Israel against taking military action under Article 51 consistent with the determination in the UN Charter, “to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small”8? To align with the International Rules based Order that New Zealand be seen to not support the ICJ ruling is indicated.

[5] The Republic of South Africa asked for the ICJ ruling9. “On 29 December 2023, South Africa filed in the Registry of the Court an Application instituting proceedings against Israel concerning alleged violations in the Gaza Strip of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide”10 allegedly “in the broader context of Israel’s conduct towards Palestinians during its 75-year-long apartheid, its 56-year-long belligerent occupation of Palestinian territory and its 16-year-long blockade of Gaza”11.

[6] When interviewed by the ABC, Ms Samah Sawabi, an Australian-Palestinian playwright, scholar, commentator and poet12 does not hint of “genocide”, “belligerent occupation” nor “blockade” in Gaza when she visited in July 2023. Ms Sawabi “told the ABC she wanted Australians to know what a “beautiful” place it [Gaza] was”. “It’s a place with cafes and music concerts and people hanging out at night … people with dreams, people with desires, people with humour”. “People were so positive that they were moving forward and that Hamas was not interested in any more provocations with Israel, and that Israel was also not interested in provocations with Hamas.”13. Ms Sawabi reports this all ended that week. As per item [2], it is a matter of public record that on the 7 October 2023 Israel was attacked by Hamas from Gaza. Israel’s claim that the alleged genocide is “wholly unfounded”14 has been independently corroborated. In law one is innocent until proven guilty.

[7] The alleged violations of the Genocide Convention has inflicted reputational damage, been the basis for seeking to deny Israel the protection of Article 51 and is outrageous to Israelis15.

[8] Ms Sawabi’s eye witness account of Gaza shortly prior to October 7 is at variance with that presented to the ICJ by the Republic of South Africa. Recalling its own political struggle against apartheid, does the government of the Republic of South Africa view governments, like the New Zealand government, that have designated Hamas a terrorist organisation to be “apartheid” friendly? If so, is the Republic of South Africa leveraging the Genocide Convention to apply domestic pressure to such “apartheid” friendly governments via the resident academic institutions and media?

That Israel has acted legally under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in response to the October 7 attack is indicated. Hopefully, on appeal, the High Court of New Zealand will agree with me. It is time for the world to awaken from this psychotic episode;  investigate how it came to pass; and put protections in place to avoid it ever happening again.