PM says Hamas should be condemned for committing ‘mass murder on a horrific scale’ while Greens warn of ‘looming humanitarian crisis’
The Australian parliament has united to condemn “all forms of hate speech” including antisemitism and Islamophobia, with the prime minister declaring that the country must not succumb to the “forces of division”.
As the death toll mounted in Israel and Gaza and concerns grew about spillover tensions in Australia, Anthony Albanese said Hamas should be unequivocally condemned for committing “mass murder on a horrific scale”.
The prime minister recognised Israel’s right to defend itself, but he also urged the Netanyahu government to “operate by the rules of war” amid increasing expectations of an imminent ground operation in Gaza.
A multi-pronged motion – which included a condemnation of all types of hate speech in Australia – passed the House of Representatives with 134 votes in favour and just four against.
The four Greens MPs voted against the motion because they had not succeeded in adding a line also condemning “war crimes perpetrated by the state of Israel” and seeking “an end to the state of Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories”.
The Greens leader, Adam Bandt, warned of a “looming humanitarian catastrophe” as the Israel Defence Forces ordered civilians to urgently leave the northern part of Gaza.
“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,” Bandt said.
Albanese and MPs from across the political spectrum condemned antisemitic chants uttered by some pro-Palestine protesters outside the Sydney Opera House last week.
