Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today in further acknowledgment of the people of Israel and what is occurring in the Middle East. We have seen today absolute destruction of a hospital in Gaza, with evidence now emerging that this was actually a misfired missile from Islamic Jihad. This is the worst kind of own goal anyone can ever imagine, but we do know that here is only one group responsible for this conflict, and that is Hamas. But we have seen today the Greens, true-to-form, and, over in the other place, the behaviour of the Teals, Sophie Scamps, the member for Mackellar, and Kylea Tink, the member for North Sydney, in their support for a motion that would have removed Israel's right to defend itself—absolutely appalling behaviour on all accounts.

One of the things that we hear from the Greens and others with regard to Palestine is that it is all about peace, that they are a peace-loving people and they would love a peaceful solution. Having spent some time over in the Middle East, including in the office of the Prime Minister of Palestine, in Ramallah, and speaking to him about their 'pay-for-slay' policy, it is outside of the realm of comprehension that this is a group of people truly committed to a peace process.

I made some mention of this last night in my contribution to the debate on the motion, but I want to go further today to ensure that people understand that there is no commitment to peace. There is a blatant anti-Semitism that runs through Palestinian communities that is endorsed and, in fact, encouraged and taught to the next generation of Palestinian children through the UNRWA schools. I have just picked some examples that I'd like to share. These are teachers in the West Bank employed by the UN, and these are just a sample of some of their social media posts.

The first one is from Arwa al-Najjar, who lists herself as a teacher at UNRWA. On 12 June 2022, this teacher posted support for Palestinian teen terrorist Ahmed Mansara, calling for his release. This is a terrorist who, at the age of 13, with his teenage cousin, went on a stabbing rampage in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev, seriously wounding a 12-year-old Israeli boy. The translation of part of her post included: 'His left hand presses down on his wounds and his right hand cures the wounds of the homeland'. This is a teacher in the West Bank endorsing a terrorist.

Then we have Nizar Khalil Abu Shaheen, a teacher in the West Bank, who has been recorded as posting anti-Semitic material. In June 2021, this teacher shared and endorsed as words that should be read, an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about wealthy Jews controlling the UAE and, in particular, forcing it to make peace with Israel for their own financial gain. The anti-Semitic post also quotes The international Jew, by notorious anti-Semite Henry Ford, which claimed 'the Jews prefer to lead the world from behind,' suggesting that the Jewish 'capitalists' prefer to control the UAE indirectly. Furthermore, the post conflates the Jews with the State of Israel, which in itself is antisemitic. These are the people who are teaching the next generation of Palestinian children.

This same teacher went further. In September of 2021, when six convicted terrorists escape from an Israeli prison, he posted praise and encouragement for their leader Zakaria Zubaidi, describing him as an 'honest and humble person' who 'stole our heart'. Zubaidi, considered a symbol of the intifada, is the former Jenin chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. So the translation of this post 'honest and humble person, who stole our heart in two days' is extraordinary. This is the kind of anti-Semitic hatred that's been taught.

There is another example: Amin Ghazal, again a West Bank teacher who posts supporting Hamas—Hamas, who had just conducted the most vile attack on Israel, killing over 1,400 Israelis in their home at a music festival, beheading and burning babies—yet teaches in UN-endorsed Palestinian schools, is teaching this sort of hate.