Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The scenes over recent weeks in the Levant have been heartbreaking. More than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed, including thousands upon thousands of children. Forty-eight per cent of people living in the Gaza Strip are children. They are not responsible for the actions of Hamas and should not be sieged and indiscriminately bombarded by Israeli government air strikes. Innocent civilians of any age cannot be held responsible for war crimes committed by their governments. The Greens condemn the war crimes of Hamas and of the Israeli government, because nothing can justify the violence that we have seen.

People around the world are taking to the streets in the largest antiwar movement in a generation to call for a ceasefire and an end to the invasion and occupation. It is unacceptable that the government refuses to hear these calls. Peace cannot and will not be achieved through endless violence and the destruction of Palestine. History has shown us time and again that that only serves to radicalise. Instead of backing the invasion, Australia should be part of an international push for peace and de-escalation. That means a lasting ceasefire, an end to the invasion of Gaza, the release of hostages and political prisoners, an end to the illegal settlement and expansion in the West Bank and the holding of those who have committed war crimes to account. What we will not do here at home is use these horrific acts to whip up antisemitism, Islamophobia or anti-Palestinian racism.

We need a lasting and just peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.