Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have dreamt of seeing peace between the Israelis and Palestinians my whole life. It is something that has been passed down from generation to generation in my family. I hold deep sympathy towards the Palestinian people. I want to see peace in my lifetime. It is absolutely true to be able to say that, in this country, we can have sympathy and empathy for both people. We have empathy towards the Israelis who were brutally attacked on 7 October and we must have empathy towards the real suffering of innocent Palestinians caught up in this terrible conflict.

The way we talk about it matters. The way we talk about it here in Australia matters. Our language matters. We cannot use this to talk about gaining political points or wedging people. We need to be respectful of each other in Australia, and the debate has disintegrated.

In many things over my political career, I don't find myself that far away from the Greens but, at the moment, I am absolutely in shock about the way in which they have ignored standards within their own party. Jenny Leong, in December last year, said:

The Jewish lobby and the Zionist lobby are infiltrating into every single aspect of what is ethnic community groups. … Their tentacles reach into the areas that try and influence power and I think we need to call that out and expose it.

That is one of the most blatantly racist and bigoted statements by any elected official in Australia. That is a matter for Ms Leong. But the thing that is really hurtful, the thing that really matters, is that not one, not one Greens MPs, state or federal, has called out and publicly rebuked Ms Leong—not one. They all have remained silent in a blatant anti-Semitic statement by one of their colleagues. If that happened in the Labor Party, whether directed at the Jewish community, the Islamic community, any community, it would be unacceptable. Do not take my word for it. At the moment, there are Jewish people who are leaving the Greens. I want to read a quote from a friend, who said, 'We do not advocate for repeal of 18C or the Indigenous voice in ethnic forums to influence power. Jews on the left advocate for what we believe in based on values that speak to us from our ancient holy books which remind us: what is hateful to you, do not do onto others.' That is from a Greens member who has publicly spoken out about how disillusioned they are with the Greens and how a party that is meant to be progressive is allowing this to fester within their own circles.

Let me say this from another Greens member, who, in the last week, has publicly come out and spoken out against the Greens. I'm not going to name this person, because they said it on their own social media, but they said this: 'I am disgusted, saddened and hurt that the party purporting to be the party of antiracism, in which I've tried to find a place over the past two years, is letting this rhetoric infiltrate its highest levels. This isn't about Israel or Palestine. It's Jew hatred, plain and simple. Believe a Jew when he says so. Where is the outrage from my Greens colleagues? I find the silence deafeningly isolating.'

This conflict in the Middle East is absolutely shattering. I want to see an end to it as soon as humanly possible. I want to see an end to innocent lives being lost. I want to see an ability for Palestinians to rebuild their lives in Gaza. I also want to see an ability for Israelis to return to their home in southern and northern towns. There is a real terrorist threat that they have faced that we saw on 7 October. It is a complicated, deep history, one that we must be mindful and respectful of when we're talking about this issue. But the way we talk about this in Australia really matters. And to have blatant racism and targeting of a minority community from a major political organisation in this country is just shattering.

I would say to the Greens, be mindful of the way in which you are talking about this issue. Be mindful of the way in which it is impacting a minority people in this country, because that is something that we can control. We have an ability to make sure Australians feel safe and respected, and right now Jewish people in Australia don't feel safe and respected by the Greens. I think it's a great shame, and I pray for more peaceful days ahead.

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