Tony Abbott is back in front of the media today sharing his
opinion on cutting aid to Palestine. Mr Abbott is having a lot to say recently
about things he wasn’t prepared to do when he was PM. Wise after the event it
appears. But on this issue I disagree with him.
In the case of aid to Palestine we are talking under
$50million. In the scheme of government spend not a huge amount.
Australia is a supporter of the two-state solution. To a
layperson as I am, that seems to me to be a sensible solution to the
Palestinian Israeli conflict. But I can’t see that ever happening whist Israel
keeps stealing land. Whilst the population isn’t as large as it was it is not
just Muslims who suffer as a result of Israeli insurgence and sanctions. Palestinian
Christians suffer as well.
The latest issue of aid is mired by the possibility that aid
is funnelled to terrorists. Who would know? FM Julie Bishop has previously cut
aid to World Vision due to accusations (strenuously denied by them and
currently before the courts) that aid was ending up in the hands of terrorists.
It will be interesting to hear the court ruling which if memory serves me
correctly is due in February.
I don’t think we can ever guarantee that not a single dollar
from foreign aid will end up in the hands of terrorists. The same applies to
any other group intent on rorting our goodwill for that matter; foreign or local.
So before we jump on the bandwagon consider this.
Spending money on foreign aid does actually have the
potential to reduce our costs due to fewer refugees. If we provide aid and
protection to displaced persons in their own or neighbouring countries it is
far less costly than providing support here. In fact it makes sense to increase
aid and cut all humanitarian immigration; at least for the time being. Aid, also
has the potential to reduce the volume of illegal asylum seeker traffic intent
on making it to Australia. Whist this is under control now it certainly won’t
be if Labor were to win the next election.
My second point is possibly the more contentious of the two.
If you drive a car, rely on public or commercial transport or use products that
contain oil, then the chances are we too will have inadvertently funded
terrorism. The world of Middle East oil trading is extremely shady. We know
from reports that ISIS has sold stolen oil to Middle Eastern countries who on
sell to the west. In addition to selling to those developing countries where a
lot of foreign goods come from. We also know or suspect that some of the biggest
traders also fund terrorists. I suspect that trade is far more lucrative for
terrorists than our foreign aid to Palestine. Think about that next time you buy your new phone or laptop; and even your cosmetics.
In cutting aid, it might make some of us feel better but it
is people, including many children who will suffer. As for those who say if we
cut this aid we won’t have to slug pensioners. I think that is a bit short-sighted.
The changes to pensioner entitlements aren’t just about cutting current costs. They
are also setting the groundwork to reduce rapidly increasing future costs and
breaking the middle class welfare mentality.
This
piece about aid to Palestine comes directly from the government website.
"The
PTs (consisting of the West Bank and Gaza Strip) is one of the poorest regions
in the Middle East. The 2014 United Nations Human Development Index, measuring
life expectancy, standard of living and education, rated the PTs 107 out of 187
countries. Some 22 per cent of the Territories’ people are food insecure, 26
per cent live in poverty and 25 per cent are unemployed. These figures have all
deteriorated over the past 20 years, leading the United Nations to refer to the
PTs as having undergone a process of 'de-development'.
The PTs face
formidable constraints to economic development including the physical
separation of territory, a lack of control over territorial borders and key
natural resources such as land and water, restrictions on movement of goods and
people, and the ever present threat of violent conflict. The Gaza Strip
experiences development constraints akin to the West Bank but is further
challenged by extreme population density, heavier restrictions on the movement
of people and goods and a tiny land mass."
I’ve
also read to extremely confronting and enlightening pieces recently which have
influenced my views.
The
people of Palestine are prisoners. Whilst I have the same concerns about
terrorism as anyone else, I simply can’t condone cutting funding to these poor
people. For those who suffer the most are the old and defenceless and the children.
They deserve better.
So
no Mr Abbott, we should not be cutting aid to Palestine. Perhaps we should be
increasing our aid budget and stopping immigration. That would save us I suspect
a lot more in the long run; economically and socially.
