Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday I, together with a number of other parliamentarians, received a briefing from a group called Australians for Lebanon, which has come together recently as a result of the tragedy that is occurring in Lebanon. I have also received a letter from the Ambassador of Lebanon, Michel Bitar, dated 6 August 2006. He says:

Lebanon has become a disaster area and a humanitarian catastrophe of incredible dimensions. Since the bombardment began on 12 July—

Then he details the number of deaths, now 1,000. He goes on:

• Hundreds more people lie trapped ... 900,000 are displaced ...
• Vital infrastructure has been decimated ...
• An air, land and sea blockade ...
• Ambulances, Fire-engines, Hospitals, Medics, aid workers and UN Peace-keepers have been targeted by Israeli air strikes.

The precipitation of the crisis was action by Hezbollah, which should be condemned. But my concern is that Israel, in its actions, has responded in a hugely disproportionate way and that Lebanon is paying a high price in the massive destruction of its infrastructure. As of today, there are more than a million internally displaced citizens. It is going to take a very long time for the country to recover. I do not need to cite the Geneva conventions; they are well known. What concerns me about this whole process that Israel has engaged in is that I believe it is more than just surgical strikes. Too many innocent civilians are being killed. UN personnel have been killed. Infrastructure, including roads, has been destroyed. I think there is a humanitarian crisis in that country that is going to continue to unfold. I for one would like to see Australia, America and other like-minded countries calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the region. That goes for both Hezbollah and Israel.

Israel is supposed to be a civilised country. With the greatest respect, I do not believe its response has been civilised. I think it has been an overreaction to send a message to the region. What worries me is that it is taking the sort of action, through the targeting of civilians, that is outlawed under international law, and one needs to take care that one is going after military objects, not innocent civilians. I would like to see a cessation of fighting, I would like to see the UN brought in sooner rather than later and I would like to see people not sitting on their hands. What is happening is unjustifiable. (Time expired)