A Peace Vigil was held for the Middle East in Katoomba's Peace Park by the Blue Mountains Peace Collective. The Collective called for an immediate end of attacks, bombardment and military occupation, a return of hostages and immediate humanitarian aid.
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00:00 Today, as was noted, a hospital in Gaza was bombed and 500 displaced Gazans, families
00:07 and sheltering were massacred.
00:09 It's frightful.
00:10 The members of the Blue Mountains Peace Collective have watched more than a week of those horrific
00:16 bloodshed in the Middle East.
00:17 That we support the UN Secretary General's calls for an end to the vicious cycle of bloodshed,
00:23 hatred and polarisation, for peace, for an end to attacks and bombardment, return of
00:30 hostages and respect for humanitarian law.
00:32 We hear the day-to-day incidents of settlers gunning down Palestinian farmers in disputes
00:38 over grazing lands, Palestinians driving cars into queues of people waiting for buses, bombs
00:44 killing people at shops, Israeli military shooting stone-throwing kids.
00:49 And it seems to be endless.
00:50 And it is the daily, it's the daily feed before this particular outburst.
00:56 As the Secretary General urged, even in these worst of times, and perhaps especially in
01:01 the most trying moments, it's vital to look to the long-term horizon and avoid irreversible
01:07 action that would embolden extremists and doom any prospects for lasting peace.
01:15 Unfortunately that hasn't been the approach of our country's leaders, nor those they follow.
01:20 The Prime Minister followed the US President, virtually giving a green light to the Geneva
01:25 Conventions being dumped by Israel.
01:28 It effectively approved new massacres and murder for a criminal blockade of food, water
01:33 and fuel amid relentless bombardment of civilians and others.
01:41 We do not know when or how this appalling conflict will end or even subside.
01:50 Yet we do know that the peacemakers will enter into the pain.
01:58 They'll endure the pain.
01:59 And one day, they'll have lasted.
02:00 I watched the marches in Soweto where about 700 young people who were 15, 16 years of
02:11 age were murdered by the South African military.
02:15 It was hard to imagine that the situation in South Africa could be resolved.
02:22 At that time, I think South Africa and Israel were the two most heavily militarised countries
02:28 in the world.
02:29 Again, as a 19-year-old witnessing the hunger strikes in Ireland and the bombings, the distress,
02:38 the despair of people in Northern Ireland, it was hard to imagine that that could be
02:43 resolved peacefully.
02:44 Now, as a 60-something-year-old, I can look back and think the situation in South Africa,
02:52 while not perfect, the situation in Northern Ireland, while not perfect, has been largely
02:57 resolved and it was resolved through peace.
03:02 My deepest wish is that the situation in Palestine could be resolved in that way.
03:08 The political tools are there to do it, but we have to have willingness from the international
03:13 community.
03:14 And while Nyoung does that, I'd ask you to observe a minute's silence and use the time
03:21 to reflect on the suffering being experienced in the Middle East.
03:24 [END]
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