Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

I totally agree with the opposition's comments with regard to this. This is a stunt. It is unbelievable what the Greens are asking for. What they're asking for in this motion is basically to acknowledge that 'the Nakba was the violent displacement, dispossession and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people'. I just want to draw attention to what happened between 1948 and 2014 when we talk about ethnic cleansing or displacement of people, especially Jewish people. In Algeria in 1948, there were 140,000 Jews. Today, there are 50. In Egypt, there were 75,000. There are now 100. In Iraq, there were 135,000. There are now 10. In Lebanon, there were 5,000. There are now 100. In Libya, there were 38,000. There are none now. In Morocco, there were 265,000. Now there are 2,150. In Syria, there were 30,000. Now there are 100. In Tunisia, there were 105,000. There are now 1,050. In Yemen, there were 63,000. There are now 50. The Jews were displaced. Bethlehem in 1950 was 80 per cent Christian. Today, it's 80 per cent Muslim. That is over a period of 70 years. So, if you're talking about genocide and displacement, the Jewish people have been treated like this for centuries, for thousands upon thousands of years, by different races and countries.

It breaks my heart to see the same thing happening in our country with the Jewish students who are mistreated on university campuses and to see what is happening on our streets in Australia, with the Palestinian protest marches. I think it's disgusting and should not be allowed. What I see my country coming to now breaks my heart. What these people, regardless of their race—and it's not a race; it is a religion—now have to face in this country is un-Australian. This is an absolute stunt by the Greens, and I get so annoyed to call it out for what it is and to call out the Labor Party for their pathetic attempt to allow the Palestinians onto the UN. It is appalling. It is absolutely appalling to support that, and I'll talk about that more.

What I will say is why can't we just live in peace? You have the problems that are happening in Israel and Palestine. We're not going to solve that. That has to be solved, but you can't solve it with a country that is run by Hamas, which is actually a terrorist organisation. You can't solve it with your stunts here in the Senate. That's not good enough. That's not what the Australian people want. If you really care about the Australian people and what's happening, then don't support these protest rallies that are happening in Australia. Support the people based on the violence that they are facing on their own streets in this country. The youth—you talk about radicalisation. This is all geared at destroying the Western way of life. This is all about destroying our democracy. That's what this is all about. It's not about worrying about what's happening in Palestine. This is a political stunt, and it's being driven by Labor and the Greens who actually support those Muslims in this country purely for the vote. That's what it's about. It's got nothing to do with what's happening over there.

The fight between Israel and Palestine has gone on for centuries. But the Jews have come out here to this country for peace and for a new way of life. Why are they being treated the way that they are? I just don't understand it. Why can't people live in peace in this country? Why can't we stand up and support that? Why do you keep supporting the Palestinians when what we do in this place has got nothing to do with it? You're very one sided in your attitude to the whole thing with Palestine and Israel. But I do support the Jewish people. I support them in having the right to stand up and fight for their own country. If anyone were to invade our nation, where would you stand? What would you do? I can't see the Greens standing up and fighting for this nation if anyone attacked us. Those poor people who were living in peace had their whole lives destroyed. What about them? We never hear about that.