Kerry Nettle (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that 10 June 2007 marks 40 years since the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights; and

(b)

calls on the Australian Government to:

(i)

take action to ensure that Israel complies with United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 passed unanimously in 1967 that calls for a ‘withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict’,

(ii)

ensure that humanitarian relief is provided to those who need it, particularly the children in Palestine,

(iii)

stop providing arms to Israel, and

(iv)

play a constructive role to ensure that peace and justice can be achieved in Palestine, Israel and the Middle East.

Question negatived.

I note that the Australian Greens were the only people to support that motion.

John Hogg (Queensland, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That will be noted, Senator Nettle.

Natasha Stott Despoja (SA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a brief statement as to why the Australian Democrats voted that way.

Leave granted.

The Democrats did not support the motion because the wording of United Nations Security Council resolution 242 is deliberately vague on what constitutes compliance by Israel—the drafters admit as much—and it is therefore hard to determine the extent to which Israel is actually in breach of that resolution. This makes it difficult to see a strong rationale on which to claim that Australia’s defence exports to Israel, which I acknowledge are already relatively small, should be ceased altogether. We believe part (iii) of the motion would have benefited from more specificity in relation to arms and military exports. Nevertheless, the Australian Democrats remain committed to campaigning for an end to the violence in the Middle East and believe that all parties in the conflict need to do more to bring about a lasting peace.