Australia remains silent on Israel’s damage to its war cemeteries in Gaza

The Australian government was aware of damage to an Australian military cemetery by Israeli forces in Gaza this year but failed to act, a parliamentary hearing has revealed.

Senator David Shoebridge has questioned an Australian Department of Defence official about a “very worrying” situation. CNN report from January this year on the desecration of several graves in Gaza by Israeli forces.

Mr Shoebridge of the Green Party acknowledged that 263 Australian soldiers had been buried in a war cemetery in the besieged Gaza Strip, asking the Defence Department representative what damage had been done to the burial sites.

In response to the senator, the defense representative confirmed that the cemetery had indeed suffered damage in March, acknowledging that the cemetery had suffered “some damage” and that the head gardener’s house had been destroyed.

“But we have not been able to receive any additional information since then,” she added.

Shoebridge asked whether the Ministry of Defence had requested information from the Israeli military about damage to Australian war graves.

“We did not request information from the Israeli army,” the representative replied.

Noting that the destruction of war graves in Gaza was not unprecedented, the senator asked whether, like the UK, Australia had demanded compensation for the destroyed war graves where its soldiers are buried.

Responding hesitantly and checking her notes, the defence representative’s only response was that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission oversees war graves in Gaza, including Australian ones.

“Yes?” Shoebridge replied, seeking clarification.

“As such, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission will undertake an assessment when it is able to access the site,” the defence representative concluded in her response.

The New Arab contacted the Australian High Commission in London for comment.

In 2008, the Israeli government agreed to fund the restoration of a British war cemetery in Gaza City, damaged during months of fighting with Palestinian groups, sparked by the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier.

At the time, the UK was awarded around £20,000 in damages.

During World War II and the British Mandate of Palestine, Gaza was home to an Australian hospital base as well as infantry of the First Australian Imperial Force.

Gaza War Cemetery contains 3,217 Commonwealth graves from the First World War – 781 of which are unidentified – and 210 graves from the Second World War.

There are also 30 post-war graves and 234 war graves of other nationalities.

Australia is one of Israel’s oldest allies and has been a staunch supporter of its war on Gaza that has killed at least 37,950 Palestinians since October, mostly women and children.

Along with other Western countries such as Canada and New Zealand, he backed a “lasting ceasefire” in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for a complete end to the fighting.