Andrew Bragg (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to acknowledge the truly shocking images we've seen on our TV screens over the past 10 days. The scenes we've seen in Israel—where a terrorist organisation has attacked and sought to disrupt the State of Israel—are some of the most dreadful images that have ever been seen in our history.

There is no equivalence here between the State of Israel and the terrorist organisation Hamas. I regret to say that too many people have not been able to see the true moral position here. On one side you have one of our allies, a democratic state, and on the other side you have a terrorist organisation which believes Israel should not exist. In fact, one of its stated aims is to destroy Israel. That's why the scenes at the Sydney Opera House last Monday night were so disappointing. We saw a group of demonstrators celebrating the death of civilians. In doing so and uttering statements like, 'Gas the Jews,' they were breaking the New South Wales criminal code, which prevents the incitement of violence against the citizens of our state. I regret to say that we have not seen the action that should be applied here to protect our citizens. Of course we are concerned about everyone in the Middle East—all Israelis and all Palestinians—but there is a moral position here: Israel is our friend and ally and Hamas is a terrorist organisation that should not exist.