Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hanson for the question. I would make the point to her, first, that the government unequivocally condemns the actions of Hamas. I have said publicly on many occasions that Hamas is a terrorist group and that Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of the State of Israel and to the destruction of the Jewish people. Hamas has no place in the future governance of a Palestinian state, and we have consistently called for Hamas to release hostages.

The resolution that you are referencing was a resolution supported by some 143 countries which was fundamentally about how the world was trying to overcome the cycle of violence in the Middle East and create momentum for a two-state solution. I want to make this very clear: Hamas does not support a two-state solution. Hamas supports the destruction of the State of Israel. That is clear. People might have different views about whether we should have a two-state solution, but it is wrong to say that voting for a resolution that supports a two-state solution is somehow supportive of Hamas. It is contrary to their views. I believe, after having visited the Middle East and engaging with both Israelis and Arab leaders, that the only pathway to long-term security for the State of Israel as well as for the Palestinian people—the only path, ultimately, to ending the cycle of violence which has dogged so much of our lives and has worsened post the atrocities of 7 October and the events since then—is to work towards that two-state solution. That is the spirit in which we supported a resolution which extended more rights as an observer— (Time expired)