‘Distressing’: MPs speak out after Gaza strike
Written by admin on May 28, 2024
Emergency Services Minister Murray Watt has defended the government’s stance on the war in Gaza as divisions within Labor intensify in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a makeshift refugee camp.
At least 45 people have been killed and hundreds have been wounded after Israel’s military struck an area in the southern Gazan city of Rafah on Monday, according to Palestinian officials.
Senator Watt said images spread in the wake of the attack were “incredibly distressing” and reiterated calls for a humanitarian ceasefire to end the violence.
His comments come a day after his Labor colleague Fatima Payman escalated her remarks in relation to the conflict, demanding her party stop trade with Israel and recognise a Palestinian state.
“We’re now at a point where more than half of Gaza’s people are sheltering in Rafah and these latest reports of casualties are deeply distressing so I can understand people being extremely upset,” Senator Watt told ABC’s Radio National.
“I think Australia has exercised our moral position very effectively [..] and we want to see the actions in Rafah stop.”
University tensions
The Coalition wants to impose visa bans on international students who use antisemitic hate speech while participating in protests on Australian university campuses.
Pro-Palestinian protest camps have appeared at several universities across Australia in recent months, with hundreds of students calling on administrators to cut ties with companies associated with weapons manufacturing and Israel.
Jewish groups and politicians have raised fears for the safety of Jewish students amid claims of antisemitic behaviour and the use of divisive chanting on campuses.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said if elected next year the Coalition would use section 116 of the Migration Act to cancel the visas of student protestors “found to be involved in spreading anti-Semitism or supporting terrorism”
“Since October 7 we have seen multiple instances of anti-Semitic rhetoric and sympathy expressed for listed terrorist organisations including Hamas on campus,” he said.,
“And yet there is no evidence the Minister for Home Affairs Clare O’Neil and Immigration Minister Andrew Giles have cancelled a single student visa under the significant powers available under the Migration Act.
Rising divisions over the war in Gaza come amid international outcry after an Israeli airstrike on a makeshift tent camp killed at least 45 people on Sunday night.
Speaking at a Jewish high school in east Melbourne on Monday, deputy prime minister Richard Marles said the levels of hate speech he had observed over recent months was higher “than any that I’ve seen during my lifetime.”
The Greens will this week will call for a lower house vote on recognising Palestinian statehood, with leader Adam Bandt challenging Labor on Monday to support the measure.
New detainee figures spark anger
Federal Labor is under fire from the opposition after figures showed a cohort of freed immigration detainees have been charged with state crimes after being released by the High Court.
According to recent Home Affairs data, first reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, at least 28 of the 153 people freed under the NZYQ ruling in November have committed offences.
The revelations will likely increase strain on the Albanese government which is under extraordinary pressure over the fallout of a court decision making indefinite immigration detention unlawful.
Nationals leader David Littleproud said figures represented a “stark failure” and said stricter monitoring conditions should have been in place.
“This has just shown the complete incompetence of this government in trying to live up to the core principle of what every government’s responsibility is to keep you safe,” Mr Littleproud said.
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Independent MP Monique Ryan urged against a “knee-jerk” reaction to the data.
“We have to abide by the rule of law, whether that’s domestic or internationally, and we don’t have any data about the crimes that these individuals have been accused of,” Dr Ryan said.
“Now, if they’re serious crimes, of course, that’s a real concern and our first priority has to be the communities, keeping the community safe. But these could be traffic offences.”
