In the face of a government that is complicit in the violence, Australians are showing up in their thousands and in their millions, calling for peace and seeing a common humanity in the inexcusable tragedy of every Israeli child and every Palestinian child killed in this conflict. They’re not just marching; they’re sending thousands of emails to your offices and they’re calling your offices every day.
Senator SHOEBRIDGE (New South Wales) (16:44): The Palestinian and Arab communities across Australia are in mourning. The killing in Palestine has reached its cold hand deep into the diaspora here, with so many losing loved ones, friends and colleagues. There’s so much hurt right now not even being acknowledged by this place. Imagine how hard it would be to concentrate on catching the train to work or picking up your kids on time when someone you loved has been buried in rubble and your government refuses to call for that violence to end. Imagine the sense of abandonment.
In the face of a government that is complicit in the violence, Australians are showing up in their thousands and in their millions, calling for peace and seeing a common humanity in the inexcusable tragedy of every Israeli child and every Palestinian child killed in this conflict. They’re not just marching; they’re sending thousands of emails to your offices and they’re calling your offices every day. As I speak now, a group of Australian Jewish women is gathered in front of the Israeli embassy in Canberra to add their voices for a just peace, the freeing of the hostages and an immediate ceasefire. That’s solidarity, courage and principle.
Australians are doing everything in their power to make the Albanese government and the other war parties in this place listen with an open heart and then act in the name of peace. Hear them.