Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Let's be clear: the only reason the Senate is considering this motion at present is that it was triggered by the events unfolded since Hamas's barbaric and brutal attacks of 7 October. And frankly, it is shameful that we find ourselves in the position of considering and debating something that Hamas has welcomed and Hamas considers to be an advance on the position since 7 October.

This parliament, and certainly the parties of government, should have maintained the longstanding bipartisan position in relation to a two-state solution—a longstanding clearcut and bipartisan position that set in place clarity and conditions for how and when a two-state solution could be achieved that would enable an enduring and peaceful settlement between Israeli peoples and Palestinian peoples. We should never forget that Hamas, on 7 October, deliberately targeted civilians—the elderly, children, babies, young people at a music concert—and that they continue, to this day, to hold hostages and to hide those hostages amongst Palestinian civilians, placing those Palestinian civilians at even greater risk whilst their leadership hide in tunnels, underground, in a network extensively built with funds that should have instead been used for the advancement of Palestinian peoples. These are the facts that we face—a dangerous terrorist organisation that no country could, should or would live alongside, one sponsored by Iran as part of their plan of disruption around the region and the world—and yet Hamas sees parts of the UN, some governments and certainly political parties like the Greens entertaining their demands or advancing on those demands. It is shameful, and we continue to stand very firmly against this.

I note the amendment that the government has circulated and the correspondence from Senator Wong in relation to that amendment. That amendment is inadequate. It woefully fails to deal with what must clearly be the preconditions for a two-state solution for recognition of a future Palestinian state. That's why the coalition has circulated a further amendment to Senator Wong's proposed amendment. We are clear that, to have recognition of a Palestinian state, there must be recognition by Palestinian representatives and the Palestinian authority of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state. There must be no role for Hamas in a future Palestinian state, and inherent in that is that all hostages must be released. There must be reform of the Palestinian Authority, including major security and governance reforms. There must be agreement and resolution of final status issues, including borders and rights of return, and there must be appropriate security guarantees between parties to ensure peace and security within recognised borders. These are essential preconditions to ensure that recognition and a two-state solution deliver an enduring and lasting peace for the people in Israel and for the Palestinian people. These are also the preconditions that used to be bipartisan, that have been spoken about by the government—some of them still are, even in Senator Wong's letter, and certainly in the United Nations—but all of them are consistent with what had been a long-standing bipartisan commitment to a two-state solution and how it would be achieved.

Our appeal is for the government to come back to what had been a decades-long bipartisan position in Australia to support these preconditions for how and when we could recognise a Palestinian state as part of an enduring two-state solution that provided for peace and the prospect of prosperity and did not reward the likes of Hamas for the evil doings of October 7. Our support for any government consideration of amendments depends upon there being clarity that our amendment would get to be considered.