30 November 2022
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: I also rise to put on the public record my support for this very important motion, and I thank the honourable member for putting it forward. I certainly reiterate the comments made by my colleague, the Hon. Tammy Franks. Yesterday marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The Greens stand in solidarity alongside the people of Palestine and have continually called for an end to Israeli occupation. There are over 600,000 Israelis living in illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land, and, as the motion states, this occupation has occurred over 50 years.
According to Amnesty International, over a hundred thousand hectares of land have been occupied by Israel, with over 4.9 million Palestinians facing daily restrictions on their movement. The Greens believe that human rights need to be at the forefront of foreign policy. Palestinians are being denied their basic rights, as they are unable to move freely to work, to be educated or to protest, and in some cases they are unable to even access clean water and electricity.
Violent attacks on the people of Palestine, their places and their cultural sites are devastating. Over the last 50 years, we have seen surges of violence related to the occupation. Last year saw the highest number of Palestinian deaths resulting from confrontations with Israel since 2014. The Greens oppose violence in any form and we call for an end to all violence in Palestine. We demand an immediate end to the occupation and call on Israel to withdraw its military presence.
Both Israelis and Palestinians should be able to live in peace and security. Just as Israelis are entitled to their own state and to live in peace and security, so too are Palestinians. The United Nations Secretary-General has recommended that Israel immediately cease all settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, and the Greens support that. The Greens will be supporting this motion, to add our voice to the calls to end the conflict in Palestine, and, as indicated by my colleague, we will not be supporting One Nation's amendments.