MWA has worked with people experiencing domestic and family violence for more than 40 years. We are all too familiar with the impacts on the victims and broader society, and without the appropriate support, these impacts last a lifetime and have detrimental effects on lives and wellbeing.
Every year in May, during Domestic Violence Prevention Month, we raise community awareness of the social and personal impacts of domestic and family violence and the support available to those affected. Just as we advocate for victims of Domestic and Family Violence in Australia, we need to stand in solidarity and support with victims of violence in Palestine, who have been facing intensified acts of terror, displacement, and oppression.
When we examine the parallels between domestic and family violence and state-sanctioned violence, we uncover disturbing similarities in the mechanisms of power, control, and domination. In both realms, the primary objective is to uphold authority and maintain control over individuals and communities.
Just as perpetrators of domestic and family violence seek to extract power and control from victims within their households, state-sanctioned violence operates on a larger scale, extracting rights, resources, and agency from entire populations. The complicity and silence that enable domestic and family violence find echoes in the complicity and silence surrounding state oppression and human rights violations.
As we observe the 76th anniversary of the Nakba, the forced expulsion and displacement of 700,000 Palestinians during the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, MWA stands in unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people. Al Nakba, or “The Catastrophe,” remains a haunting testament to relentless dispossession, etched into the collective consciousness of Palestinians as a story of enduring struggle and injustice.
The historical context of the Nakba is crucial in understanding the complexities of the ongoing crisis in Palestine. From the emergence of Zionism in the late 19th century to the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Balfour Declaration in 1917, the Palestinian people have endured a legacy of dispossession, conflict, and occupation rooted in colonial ambitions and disregard for their rights and aspirations.
The events leading up to and following the unilateral declaration of the State of Israel in 1948 are critical to understanding the Nakba. The Zionist movement’s campaign of terrorist attacks, including the Deir Yassin Massacre, where Zionist paramilitary groups kill hundreds of Palestinians, and the bombing of the King David Hotel, aimed to displace Palestinians from their homes and lands.
The Palestinian people never agreed to the UN Partition Plan at any stage. This was imposed upon them against their will. Further, the creation of the State of Israel was not because of the formal UN processes. The Zionist movement pre-empted this process and unilaterally declared their independent State.
The crimes committed during the Nakba, with more than 530 towns and villages destroyed and over 700,000 Palestinians displaced, continue to resonate today. Tragically, the atrocities of the Nakba were not isolated incidents but rather part of a legacy of displacement and dispossession that has plagued Palestinian refugees for decades. Subsequent waves of displacement, including the 1967 occupation of the Palestinian Territories and ongoing aggressive land-grabbing, settlement policies, home demolitions, and forced evictions, have only compounded the suffering of Palestinian communities.
Today, with more than 7 million Palestinian refugees worldwide, Palestinians endure poverty, human rights violations, and systematic oppression, with limited access to resettlement options. The establishment of an apartheid system by Israeli authorities further denies Palestinians their fundamental human rights, perpetuating forcible displacement and demolishing homes, leading to immense human suffering and tragedy.
The harrowing realities faced by Palestinians demand immediate attention and action from the international community. We must unequivocally condemn Israel’s flagrant violations of human rights, the targeting of civilians, and the ongoing cycle of violence and displacement. It is imperative to demand accountability, justice, and an end to the systemic oppression that has defined the Palestinian experience for far too long.
Within our own communities in Australia, the repercussions of global conflicts, including the ongoing crisis in Palestine, are deeply felt. Members of the Australian Muslim community face discrimination, Islamophobia, and targeted attacks for speaking out about their historical and current struggles. MWA has been a steadfast support system for over 40 years, providing aid, advocacy, and community for those affected by these challenges.
The cumulative impact of trauma, discrimination, and geopolitical shifts has necessitated a nuanced approach to support, advocacy, and public education. MWA continues to evolve its services to address immediate needs and work towards broader societal change, combating racism, Islamophobia, and misinformation.
As we reflect on the Nakba, we renew our commitment to justice. We call for an end to violence, occupation, and discrimination, and we stand with Palestinians in their quest for self-determination, sovereignty, and peace.
Whether it is domestic and family violence, or state sanctioned violence, both rely on systemic mechanisms that remove support systems, gaslight victims, and perpetuate cycles of abuse and impunity.
By recognising these parallels and addressing the root causes that enable violence in both private and public spheres, we all have a role to play in standing up against coercion, oppression, and abuse. Upholding human rights and challenging systems of domination apply in both the private and public spheres, in homes and in states, in the micro and the macro.
