Following the decision to not recognise West Jerusalem as the capital, we are calling on the federal government to do the following: to recognise the self-determination and statehood of Palestinians and push to ensure an end to the Israeli occupation; to halt military cooperation and military trade with the State of Israel; and to work towards rectifying the injustices in a way that will allow both Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace.
Full speech
Senator STEELE-JOHN (Western Australia) (16:13): Labor’s decision to no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is a welcome move. After all, the Morrison government’s original announcement was nothing more than a craven attempt to employ an action straight out of the Donald Trump playbook. The Australian Greens’ foreign policy is grounded in lived experience and in the needs of the community. Peace and non-violent approaches to the resolution of conflict will always drive our response. We in the Greens recognise the ongoing injustices that have been done and are being done to the Palestinian people, and we express our deep solidarity. We acknowledge and note that Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other groups have concluded that the Israeli government is committing the act and is guilty of the crime of apartheid.
Following the decision to not recognise West Jerusalem as the capital, we are calling on the federal government to do the following: to recognise the self-determination and statehood of Palestinians and push to ensure an end to the Israeli occupation; to halt military cooperation and military trade with the State of Israel; and to work towards rectifying the injustices in a way that will allow both Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace. We must work to find a way to support the people of Israel and the people of Palestine to live their lives in peace.