David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

():  Just yesterday, seven Jewish groups from across Australia signed a statement condemning the Israeli government's decision to break the hostage and ceasefire agreement negotiated in January 2025 and resume the horrific bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza. Those groups were the Jewish Women 4 Peace Action Ready Group, the Australian Jewish Democratic Society, Australian Jewish members of the leadership team of Sydney Friends of Standing Together, Jews for Palestine WA, Jews Against the Occupation '48, the Jewish Council of Australia, and Emet. I won't have time to read the full statement, but I think it's instructive that we see the courage and the moral compass that these groups have shown in delivering that statement to the Australian government and the Australian people. The statement says, in part:

We, Jewish Australians, oppose the Israeli government's decision to break the hostage and ceasefire agreement negotiated in January 2025 and resume the horrific bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza. 

It further says:

On 18 March, the Israeli military launched a wave of airstrikes in Gaza, massacring over 750 (and rising) Palestinians, including countless children. Survivors of Israel's assault face excruciating conditions, including having to endure amputations without anaesthesia. Palestinians in Gaza are suffering from famine, the destruction of healthcare systems, relentless aerial attacks, and are now being subjected to a new wave of violence.

They conclude:

We reject any naive suggestion that the Netanyahu government has renewed fighting in order to bring back the Israeli hostages. The resumption of the bombardment of Gaza only endangers the lives of the hostages further, while ensuring death and destruction of Palestinians in Gaza. 

We call on the Australian Government to immediately censure the Netanyahu government's resumption of war in the strongest terms and move to imposing sanctions on the state of Israel.

Can I say on behalf of my party and, I know, millions of Australians: I thank them all for the courage they've taken in putting that clear statement on the record.

When we ask what the complicity of the Australian government is, we should reflect upon what this parliament has done in the last 12 months. In the last 12 months we have taken no steps to stop the trade of weapons with Israel. In fact, we've gone further. We have removed all constraints on exports of weapons and military equipment between Australia and the United States. And do you know what the Trump administration did earlier this year? They removed any consideration of international humanitarian law for the transport of weapons and methods of killing from the United States to the rest of the world. So we are now in the situation where we send weapons to the United States with no constraints, no controls and no licences, and they can now send weapons made in Australia anywhere in the world, to any conflict, including Israel, without any consideration of humanitarian law. We are deeply complicit in the F-35s and we are now complicit in our entire supply chain. We call on the government to act.