Greens leader Adam Bandt has been called out by a member of the public for his party’s perceived failure to adequately condemn Hamas in the wake of the atrocities it committed in Israel on October 7.
During its surprise attack in southern Israel, Hamas militants murdered innocent civilians, in many cases using horrific methods, and abducted others, taking them back to the Gaza Strip, where many remain as hostages.
The attack left more than 1400 Israelis dead, and prompted Israel to strike back at Hamas via heavy bombardment of Gaza.
Hamas, which governs Gaza, has been designated a terrorist organisation by Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and a long list of other nations.
The Greens have fulsomely backed pro-Palestinian protests across the country, and sparked a controversy in parliament a week ago when they refused to back a motion expressing support for Israel and the nation’s right to defend itself.
The four Greens were the only MPs to vote against the motion. An amendment moved by Mr Bandt, accusing Israel of committing war crimes, drew the support of just three more MPs, all from the crossbench.
Mr Bandt told parliament that while the Greens joined “everyone in this parliament in mourning the 1300 Israelis who have lost their lives”, he wanted to highlight “there are also between 2300 and 2600 Palestinians who have lost their lives, many of whom are children”.
“And we mourn them as well,” he said.
“This is now moving beyond self-defence into an invasion, and it is up to Australia as a peace-loving country to join the push to stop it.”
On Monday night’s Q+A program on the ABC, audience member Paul Roberts raised the Greens’ position on the matter.
“As an Australian Jew, I’ve been comforted in recent weeks by the concern and support I’ve been given by the Australian public and by the government and opposition,” Mr Roberts said.
“Adam Bandt, are the Greens able to differentiate between terrorism and those fighting terrorism, and will the Greens dissociate themselves from the Australian protesters who call for a Palestine to replace Israel, rather than to live in peace with Israel?”
Mr Bandt said the Greens have condemned the actions of Hamas.
“We did that immediately. The taking of hostages is a war crime and the perpetrators need to be held to account and they need to be brought to justice. So we are crystal-clear on that,” Mr Bandt said.
But he went on to say that the occupation of Palestinian territories had “pushed them into this open-air prison”.
“We need a peace process so that both Palestinians and Israelis can live in the just peace and security that they are entitled to.”
Q+A host Patricia Karvelas asked Mr Roberts if he was satisfied with Mr Bandt’s denouncement of anti-Semitism, including from some of the protesters.
“No, because we are not going to be back here in five years, we will be back here in months if Hamas is not dismantled. Their sole existence is to kill all Israel worldwide,” Mr Roberts said.
“When you hear people speak at rallies, where they say, ‘From the river to the sea, people should be free,’ the river is Jordan and Israel is the sea.
“You are sending me a message as an Australian Jew that you are political bedfellows with organisations that seek the death of Israel.”
Mr Bandt said that was not his position, nor the Greens’ position.
Fellow panellist Larissa Baldwin-Roberts, a Widjabul Wia-bal woman from the Bundjalung Nations and CEO of progressive activist group GetUp, said she did not interpret the “From the river to the sea,” chant the same way.
She wore a Palestinian scarf throughout the program to show support for Palestinians trapped in Gaza.
“For First Nations people, there is an incredible solidarity that exists here. We are talking about securing a free future for Palestine,” she said.
“We are talking about the freedom of continuing your language, your culture, not just to survive but to thrive as people.”
She received applause for the answer, but groans later for her response on the slogan and why Jewish people find it offensive.
“I don’t believe that it is hate speech,” she said.
“I understand why people say this, and people see this as a call to freedom. I understand that you can see this in a different way as well.”
Sydney teenager Saim Saeed, who lives in a predominantly Palestinian community, said he had felt betrayed by the government, believing “the response has been very one-sided and unfair towards them”, especially with the lighting of the Opera House in support of Israel.
“Could the government have been more sympathetic towards the Palestinian people in a time of heightened tension?” he asked the panel.
Albanese government minister Matt Thistlethwaite said the government had condemned Hamas, not the Palestinian people, over the attack.
“I think most Australians were quite shocked and horrified at the brutality of the Hamas invasion, and we’ve certainly made the point in the parliament that our condemnation was directed to Hamas, the terrorist organisation, not to the Palestinian people who, in many respects, are innocent victims in this whole conflict.”
But he deflected on the lighting of the Opera House, saying that was a matter for the NSW government and its guidelines for when the icon is used to show support.
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“I think in the circumstances it was probably appropriate given the expression of support that existed in the Australian community for Israel and the motion that was passed in parliament,” he said.
Ms Baldwin-Roberts also weighed into the issue.
“It is symbolism, but I would say people want substantive rights, not pretty lights,” she said.
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2023-10-23 15:00:00Z
CBMitQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50L3R2L2N1cnJlbnQtYWZmYWlycy9hLWpld2lzaC1tYW4taGFzLWFjY3VzZWQtdGhlLWdyZWVucy1vZi1ub3QtY29uZGVtbmluZy1oYW1hcy1vdmVyLXRoZS1nYXphLWF0dGFjay9uZXdzLXN0b3J5LzM5NTA2MjkxMjkxOWU5ODE5MjA5ZDMyMjA2OTU0YTc20gEA
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