Australians from across the nation and from all backgrounds made their way to the Australian capital for the ‘Converge on Canberra – Sanction Israel Now’ events held from Sunday 20 to Tuesday 22 July 2025.
Driven by the disgust at the crimes Israel is continuing to commit with Western support and yet with a hope that their action can sway Australia’s leaders towards humanity and action, they started flowing into the capital on Saturday 19 July, staying in cabins or with Canberra hosts.
Several thousand protestors gathered on Federation Mall in front of the Australian Parliament House on Sunday 22 July where several speakers spoke about the need for Western nations to stop supporting the crimes and sanction Israel immediately.
Australians from all over Australia demand sanctions on Israel. Photo: Manarul Islam
Dr Muntaser Musameh, a Palestinian who, as a child, was shot by the Israeli forces and is now a prominent cardiologist in Canberra, pointed out how the doctors in Gaza are now barely able to treat patients due the effect of starvation directly on them.
“The doctors, nurses and health care workers (in Gaza) have to endure that fate. They have to work so hard for so many hours without food, without water, without safety, and not knowing whether their family is safe or not,” he explained.
“What does our government have to see? The whole people of Gaza die?,” he asked.
Janet Parker, on behalf of Jews for Palestine, WA had a sobering message for Western nations, particularly Germany:
“Message to Germany: you don’t atone for one genocide by supporting another genocide,” she said.
“So today we come together from around the country in rage and in grief, both as witnesses and as fierce and unstinting opponents of 22 months of deliberate mass murder. What is different here (to other genocides) is that we are seeing it on our screens every minute of every day,” she further added.
Ms Parker had a special response to anti-Semetic Envoy Segal’s plan:
“Straight from Trump’s playbook, we have Jillian Segal’s report to government that seeks to destroy our solidarity movement in every sphere. It would withdraw funding from arts bodies and universities that don’t comply with the IHRA [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] definition. It would monitor, shape and govern media narratives, school curriculums, give police every more special powers in responding to newly defined antisemitic acts, regulate social media and dictate immigration laws.”
Amin Abbas for the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN), pointed out that Israel has stooped to a new low.
“Gaza has become unlivable. Trump and Netanyahu have called the plan of massed expulsion a freedom of choice for Palestinians,” he explained.
“And how does our government respond to this? They repeat the same script – clinging on to the two state solution and talking about the atrocities of the 7th of October. They ignore our voices, they deny our humanity, and they protect apartheid with this polite language and hollow diplomacy.”
Sanction Israel march to the Israeli Embassy. Photo: Gwilym Summers
The rally then marched through the Parliamentary Triangle, pausing and chanting at the US embassy and then towards the Israeli embassy where they were met with five pro-Israeli counter-protestors and a large contingent of police to keep the two sides separate.
Police separating the thousands of Palestinian supports and the five Israeli supporters. Photo: Gwilym Summers
Message to the Prime Minister. Photo: Gwilym Summers
The rally was comprised of many communities and religions who had come together to voice their concern at the ever more deteriorating condition in Gaza in particular but also in the West Bank and neighbouring countries attacked by Israel under the cover of the genocide.
Veronica Sherman, an Israeli Jew out side the Israeli embassy pressing for sanctions on Israel. She also burnt her Israeli passport later during the Converge. Photo: Manarul Islam
Gwilym who trekked all the way from Lismore raises the Palestinian flag over and above the overshadowed Israeli flag of the embassy. Photo: Manarul Islam
Monday 21 July was a National Campaign Planning Day with the participating organisation to organise future events and campaigns.
In parallel there were independent protests at businesses that manufacture weapon components which enable Israel to carry out its genocide against the Palestinian people.
On Tuesday 22 July, there was another large rally, this time at Parliament House. A group of protesters managed to gain entry where they wore their keffiyehs, displayed the Palestinian flag and chanted Free Free Palestine until they were evicted from the House.
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