Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I think everyone in this House feels desperately sad about what is happening in the Middle East. It is truly tragic, the horrific attack of October 7 is unspeakable and will remain in the Jewish community and around the world the greatest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. At the same time, every single one of us and I think everyone in our country feels the pain of watching the Palestinian people in Gaza—the women, children and families—who have been absolutely devastated by this war. It is an absolute tragedy. Like many people in this room, I hope, I have always supported a two-state solution. Like the member for Macnamara, I have always dreamt, to be honest, of a situation where the Palestinian people, the Israeli people and the Jewish people live side by side in self-determination and in separate states. That is what I seek now and what I will continue to seek.

But what I am concerned about in this motion and in every motion that we have had on this issue in the House is that we are not actually achieving anything in terms of the difference it will make to the people in the conflict right now, when we all desperately want the UN-endorsed Security Council's peace resolution and for parties to come to that agreement. That is what I am seeking right now, that's what I care about, and I'm concerned this motion does nothing to that. All it does is tear our community even further apart. I share the member for Fisher's view that I wish we had found a motion that could unite the parliament more, because it does no good to our country to have motions where the majority of the parliament is sitting on either side on something which is tearing our community apart. It is tearing my community apart. They feel very, very strongly and are desperately concerned. I am concerned that this just inflames tension without adding anything to what we are really all seeking, which is actually a long and standing peace.

I want to speak for my community, who are desperately saddened and appalled by what has happened overseas but are also extremely concerned about what is happening here. Once again, I just worry that we continue to inflame this in this place. We do not unite or move forward, and I do not support what the Greens have been saying at all throughout this time, but I think there was an opportunity for the rest of the parliament to unite on something that was appropriate.

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