Tuesday, 17 October 2023

Motions

Middle East conflict

Jacinta ALLAN, John PESUTTO, Ben CARROLL, Peter WALSH, Paul HAMER, David SOUTHWICK, Nina TAYLOR, James NEWBURY, Sam HIBBINS

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Table of contents

Motions

Middle East conflict

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (12:05): I move:

That this house:

(1) unequivocally condemns the attacks on Israel by Hamas, which are the heinous acts of terrorists and have encompassed the targeting and murder of civilians, including women and children, the taking of hostages, and indiscriminate rocket fire;

(2) stands with Israel and recognises its inherent right to defend itself;

(3) condemns antisemitism and recognises that generations of Jewish people have been subjected to this hateful prejudice;

(4) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages;

(5) recognises that Hamas does not represent the Palestinian people, nor their legitimate needs and aspirations;

(6) acknowledges the devastating loss of Israeli and Palestinian life and that innocent civilians on all sides are suffering as a result of the attacks by Hamas and the subsequent conflict;

(7) supports justice and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians alike;

(8) acknowledges what has unfolded is deeply distressing for many in the Victorian community, close to the heart of many, and it is important that we maintain respect for each other here at home as people express their views;

(9) condemns all forms of hate speech and violent extremist activity, including antisemitism and Islamophobia;

(10) recognises an attack on any religion is an attack on all religions and that we all share a responsibility to unite, condemn and defeat such an attack on our common values and way of life; and

(11) affirms in the strongest possible terms that hateful prejudice has no place in Victoria.

It is hard to imagine that only 10 days have passed since Hamas launched its unspeakable attacks on Israel – 10 days since thousands of young partygoers at a music festival, tens of thousands of people living in towns and kibbutzim and millions of Israelis were attacked and subjected to the most indescribable terror. While we have all read the reports, seen the videos and, some of us, heard firsthand of the horror of these cowardly attacks, none of us can imagine how awful it must have been to be going about your life one minute and the next to have screams, gunfire and rockets filling the air, to have family or friends abducted, murdered, to have to pretend to be dead in order to save yourself. It is simply inconceivable.

Last Monday, just days after those attacks started, representatives of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria joined me in my office, alongside the Deputy Premier and Minister for Multicultural Affairs, where we met, we talked and we prayed. I was honoured to stand with Victoria’s Jewish community on Friday evening, along with many other colleagues in this place, as we came together to condemn unequivocally the terrorist attacks on Israel by Hamas. It was a deeply moving occasion. I thank the community for inviting me, many of whom are here today and many of whom I have spoken with in the past week. I would like to share part of the speech I gave at that vigil with the house today:

I’m honoured you have invited me … and I’m deeply moved by the personal stories you have shared over the past week.

From speaking with the Rabbinical Council, to speaking to people on the street – so many people in this community have told me about the anxiety they feel for their family, and for their friends, and their homeland.

I’ve heard stories that have ended with good news: the missed calls that got returned, the text messages that said I’m okay.

… not everyone’s story will end this way.

I read about a 12-year-old boy named Erez Kalderon.

He’s around my daughter’s age. Nice boy –

he and his family live in –

Kibbutz Nir Oz – which is a major grower of asparagus in Israel.

…

… all we know about Erez right now is that he’s somewhere in Gaza.

So is his sister, his father, and his grandmother.

Their status is ‘missing’.

And Kibbutz Nir Oz no longer stands.

One member of the family said, “It feels just like a horror movie that would never come true.”

… whether they know an Erez or not … perhaps every Jewish person on earth has contemplated that feeling, these past few days.

This horror movie, this unthinkable sequel.

Terrorism, revealed to us through ten-second videos.

We know too now that it was the single greatest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. I unequivocally condemn the terror and violence we have seen these past 10 days in Israel. I cannot begin to imagine the feeling of having to deal with this pain and sorrow I will never truly know but this community knows. As Premier of the state, I hear you and I feel your anguish. On behalf of the Victorian community, I offer you nothing less than our love, our care, our support and our friendship.

Victoria and Israel have always shared a deep connection. That friendship has a lot to do with similarities. It has a lot to do with our strong Jewish community. This is a friendship that will endure today, tomorrow and forever, because Israel will endure today, tomorrow and forever. We also know that the next few weeks will not be easy. The Jewish community are united by love, but I also know you continue to face the world’s oldest form of hate. We will stand with you. Our government and our society do not tolerate racism and will never tolerate antisemitism. My door remains open to you and your leaders, and I am prepared to offer any support you need to stay safe on our streets, in your schools and in your homes, because every Victorian, no matter who they are, has that right. Everyone in Israel has that right too – the right to safety and security, the simple freedom to exist and the ordinary ability to live quietly and build something of one’s own and not be fighting to survive. That simple private peace that all Australians enjoy is all Israelis want. It is the hope that Golda Meir described 50 years ago when she said:

We do not rejoice in victories. We rejoice when a new kind of cotton is grown … when strawberries bloom in Israel.

I hope we will see the strawberries bloom in Israel next spring, and I hope we will see the asparagus grow again in Kibbutz Nir Oz. I know that the support that the Jewish community has been providing to the front in their homeland will make a difference in Israel, and I hope the community can feel the love, care and support we have for you and the community here in Victoria. These were the words that I gave last Friday evening, and as I said, I was joined by so many of my colleagues in this place.

But we know too that the pain, the grief and the anguish have not just been felt by the Jewish community or indeed the citizens of Israel. There are 2 million men, women and children in Gaza, all of whom too have an unalienable right to prosperity and peace. Hamas has a responsibility to deliver prosperity and peace, but they have not done that. They have consigned every single person to live in terror because they hate their neighbours’ children more than they love their own. In Australia, we build bunkers in our homes in the event of the terrible tragedy of bushfire, not in the event of terrorists storming them and murdering us and our children. It goes without saying, for the removal of all doubt, any loss of life on either side of the border is an unspeakable tragedy.

I am grateful that for the most part here in Victoria, our tolerant, multicultural and multifaith society has been able to reckon with these events in a respectful way. Across our state, religious leaders and community leaders have engaged deeply with their communities in recognition that an attack on any religion is an attack on all religions. Victoria is always better when we come together as one. That is not in any way to diminish the actions – the unforgivable actions – of a tiny minority, or the horror that must be felt by many as they see a very small group of neo-Nazis terrorising people in our city.

On that point, I am pleased that in the last sitting week in this place we debated and passed the banning of the Nazi salute in Victoria – once again our state leading the nation. This week, without wanting to pre-empt or foreshadow what might happen in the Legislative Council, I want to affirm to the community here that should that bill pass the Parliament in the next two days, as we hope it does, we will aim to give the bill effect via royal assent without delay so that the law will be in place as soon as possible. That is something I have communicated directly to the member for Caulfield. We do not want to waste one single day in making the Nazi salute ban the law of our state.

What has transpired in the past days has been shocking, and we know that there will be many more challenging days and weeks to come. But as this Parliament unites in our condemnation of the terror that has been committed, we must also unite in a shared vision for the future – a future where every person, regardless of race, religion, background or upbringing, can live in peace and live safely and without fear. I commend the motion to the house.

John PESUTTO (Hawthorn – Leader of the Opposition) (12:15): I am very proud to speak in support of this motion, which is an important testament to not only the Victorian people and our fantastic Jewish community but the nation and beyond, to say we will stand with Israel, we will stand with Victoria’s Jewish community and the Jewish community right across our country as a mark of our support for the values that all human beings, no matter what their backgrounds, are entitled to receive. This is a frontline battle, a battle we must succeed in and a battle we must persistently pursue for all peoples. In this case it is our fantastic Jewish community and the people of Israel who need our strong support, and they are getting it here today in a united and bipartisan fashion.

To the Jewish community here in Victoria I say: you are not alone. You have an absolute right, like all Victorians and all peoples, to feel safe in our state and to publicly and freely express your faith and culture. I would also like to say on behalf of the Victorian Liberals and Nationals, joining with the government, we extend our deepest sympathies to the families of those who were brutally murdered or hurt just over a week ago.

Australia’s relationship with Israel has been many decades in the making. We were there at its founding, and we have had a strong and unyielding friendship ever since, as we always will. In 1947 there was no Israel. Instead the Jewish people were scattered around the world, scarred and traumatised by industrial genocide carried out in extermination camps across Europe. That of course followed millennia of persecution and hate, and it was in this setting that Australia chaired the 1947 UN committee that voted in favour of establishing Israel. While Israel has become home to the Jewish people, the admirable goals expressed by Doc Evatt, then foreign minister, have unfortunately not been realised to their fullest extent, and we must continue to work to ensure that Israel can enjoy the security it was promised at its founding.

The 7 October attacks on innocent Israeli children, women and men was nothing more than an act of base barbarism. It revealed to the world the depths of Hamas’s inhumanity and evil motives. We cannot shy away from understanding the brutal nature of these attacks. Let us remember this is not a dispute between sovereign nations and it was not just a border skirmish, it was an attack on a people and their character, a war of annihilation waged at a local level. In the Sufa kibbutz in southern Israel Hamas gunmen went house to house looking for Israelis to kill. In other parts militants of Hamas massacred young people attending a music festival. Civilians fleeing the violence were fired upon and executed in the streets after surrendering. Women were raped and stripped naked, dragged through the streets. Dismembered bodies were paraded for others to look on and in some cases cheer. We know that more than 1000 Israelis are dead and thousands more are wounded, and let us remember too that 7 October will for the people of Israel and Jewish people across the world be their September 11.

The tragedy of these events is not just the loss of life; it also includes the sadistic decision by Hamas terrorists to abduct innocent civilians – children, women and men – and take them as hostages, again using them for the most barbarous of purposes. Grotesque images are seared into our collective minds now, including that of a young girl with bloodied clothes being dragged by her hair from the boot into the side of a car, of Hamas militants holding young children and a baby in a pram, all to terrorise the world all over. These Hamas monsters will continue to use them as human shields. Hamas’s attack on the people of Israel was unprovoked, it was unjust and it is totally unacceptable. Hamas has no desire for a peaceful solution to differences. They want to remove Israel from the map and drive people of Jewish faith into the sea – their own words. We, in joining with the government without reservation or qualification, condemn the reprehensible and indiscriminate attack on Israel by the terrorist organisation Hamas. Israel has a right to exist. Israel has a right to defend itself. Israel has a right to take such action to deter future attacks and acts of aggression on its people. Hamas is not only an enemy of Israel, it is an enemy of the people of Gaza. The world and the Palestinian people will be better off when Hamas is completely removed, root and branch.

Many Victorians have close ties to Israel and Palestine and may have friends and family who have tragically been caught up in this horrible conflict. However, the events abroad do not now and nor will they ever justify persecution or vilification here at home. It has been deeply shocking to see some of our fellow Australians publicly celebrate Hamas’s attack on Israel and the slaughter of innocent Israeli children, women and men. Others chanted antisemitic slogans during a rally in front of the Sydney Opera House on Monday 9 October, words that we should never hear in our country or anywhere else in the civilised world, words that have been rightly condemned by both sides of politics. We explicitly condemn the vile, antisemitic, terror-endorsing rhetoric heard at these protests.

Let me say again to our Jewish community here in Victoria: you are not alone; we stand with you. You have an absolute right, like all people, to feel safe in our state and to freely express that faith and culture I spoke of. Victoria is home to the largest Israeli-born community in Australia. Since becoming opposition leader and Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs it has been my great pleasure to meet with multicultural groups across our great state, principal among them Victoria’s Jewish community. I have done that alongside the member for Caulfield, a titan of our Jewish community and a great personal friend. The passion and resilience of Victoria’s Jewish community in the face of this adversity has been deeply moving, including last week when I visited the Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre and heard amazing stories of generosity, resilience and unyielding determination to secure peace for the people of Israel and, by extension, people across the region, because it is Israel’s security that is the key to that.

When I was there I saw outpourings of support from people right across our state, Jew and non-Jew, all coming together in support of this cause. Despite this, however, there is a high level of anxiety amongst members of our Jewish community. We have heard stories about parents concerned about sending their children to school wearing their Jewish school uniforms. They are concerned that their faith and culture have made them targets. Many voiced concerns about attending the United with Israel rally in Caulfield Park last Friday, at which I was very honoured to speak, organised by Jewish community organisations. Despite this anxiety from some, the community turned out in their thousands, and it was a great privilege to join them and so many who share in the cause of peace. Hurt but not broken, as strong as ever, our Jewish community in Victoria stood up and said forcefully to those who look to cause terror, ‘We are not afraid; we will not bend to their will’. I would like to take a moment to thank the Premier and the government, and Victoria Police, for being able to work together in this important endeavour.

With Israel undertaking military operations in Gaza in response to Hamas’s blatant acts of terrorism, it is likely we will tragically see further civilian casualties. As Hamas has taken Israeli civilians hostage, they effectively hold the Palestinian people in Gaza hostage. These civilians bear the consequences of Hamas’s decision to hide their military infrastructure under residential homes, medical clinics and other facilities that communities depend upon. We know Israel will do everything it can and is doing everything it can to minimise casualties and forewarn civilians of actions necessary to bring Hamas to its rightful end. There is no moral equivalence in the actions that are necessary to secure Israel’s borders and its people and Hamas’s terrorism.

I join with the government in supporting this motion and join in the bipartisan efforts we will need to maintain in the days and weeks ahead. This endeavour is very important, as I said, not just for Victoria’s Jewish community and Jewish people all across the world; if Hamas’s modus operandi is to become an accepted means of pursuing political ends, then no-one is safe. No-one is free. No-one can be protected. So this statement by this house today has importance beyond our immediate surrounds. No matter what people’s backgrounds, no matter what their faith, no matter what their religion, no matter who they love or who they may worship, if anyone at all, this battle is important for all of us. We must stand for an international order where people can rely on civility and basic humanity, and if that is to be lost and forfeited to terrorists like Hamas, then we all stand to lose more than we could imagine. I support the motion.

Ben CARROLL (Niddrie – Minister for Education, Minister for Medical Research) (12:26): I join the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition on this important condolence motion. We stand here in this chamber under very sad circumstances. Through this motion and these contributions we seek to send a message – a message of empathy, of solidarity, of compassion and of sorrow, a message that we have seen, heard and been told over the last 10 days since terrorist group Hamas launched an assault on southern Israel that has shaken the world to its core. We have seen the deaths of many innocent people – women, children, the elderly, babies. The death of any innocent civilian is a tragedy, whether they be Israeli or Palestinian, whether they be Jewish, Muslim or Christian. Through this motion we mourn every one of them. We send our deepest sympathies to their loved ones.

But we also acknowledge that the events of these past days began with a choice – a choice by Hamas, an entity which Australia recognises as a terrorist organisation – to murder innocent civilians. As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in the federal Parliament yesterday:

… the evil committed by Hamas in Israel has chilled every Australian heart.

This was not an act of war against the army of an enemy. It was a slaughter of innocent people. It was an act of terror. Underneath the death tolls we have heard stories of unimaginable horror, of vile barbarity, of crimes designed to desensitise and dehumanise. We owe it to the victims to bear witness so that we can unite against terror and do everything we can to ensure this is never repeated. We owe it to the 260 young revellers murdered at a music festival, dozens abducted as hostages, unarmed civilians who just wanted to have fun, young people at the time of their lives coming together to dance in peace to celebrate music and unity. Instead, Hamas made it the deadliest concert attack in history. While the insurgents were attacking the festival, Hamas militants were also infiltrating kibbutzim in the north and in the south. From house to house, innocent civilians would answer a knock at the door only to be gunned down. Parents murdered in front of their children, children murdered in front of their parents, innocent people seeking refuge in safe rooms only to be burnt alive, the kidnapping of the young and the elderly – it defies comprehension. There can be no excuse for these actions. There can be no mitigating circumstances. There is no moral equivalence. There should be zero attempt to justify this evil. These were evil acts by a terrorist organisation – an organisation which had its founding charter and mission statement to obliterate Israel, to fight Jews and kill them; an organisation which on Saturday 7 October, the day of the Jewish holiday of Simhath Torah, inflicted a day in which more Jewish people died than on any other day since the Holocaust. The Victorian government condemns it. The Australian government condemns it. People of goodwill from around the world condemn it.

We recognise too that Hamas puts Palestinian lives at risk every day. The Palestinian people deserve peace and security. They deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. They have suffered immensely in modern history, and instead of easing their suffering, Hamas continues to compound it. The scenes we are witnessing in the Middle East are deeply distressing. They break my heart and the hearts of all Victorians, especially those in our Jewish and Palestinian communities. To our local Jewish people in Victoria: I stand in support and solidarity with you.

In these challenging times many Victorians have lost loved ones and are concerned for the safety and wellbeing of their families overseas. It is our collective responsibility as members of this Assembly to ensure that our communities feel safe, secure and supported. As individuals and leaders we must stand together against the rising tide of hate and safeguard the harmony of our multicultural society. True leadership shines during moments of adversity, when personal differences are set aside for the greater good of the entire community. This attack from terrorist organisation Hamas has led to suffering, the loss of innocent civilian lives and widescale devastation. We must recognise that tragic loss of life and the hurt being felt by communities right across our world. Last Monday night I was honoured and humbled to speak on behalf of the Victorian people at a Jewish community service in solidarity with the victims of terror. But more important than the privilege of being able to send our support was the opportunity to listen – to listen to local community members and leaders feeling anguish and heartbreak for their friends and families overseas, to listen to Rinat, an Israeli who lived in Australia for several years with her family. She Zoomed in to tell us about the tragic loss of so many members of her local community on a kibbutz in southern Israel. Her words were quite chilling. On Friday I had the privilege of joining the Premier and other colleagues, both state and federal, at Caulfield Park for a vigil where we once again heard stories of heartbreak and terror. But we also heard stories of hope for peace, for safety and for security.

When I visited Israel in March this year I witnessed firsthand the entrepreneurial spirit and warmth of the Israeli people. Victoria is the only state in Australia with a government business office in Tel Aviv. Last week I sent a message to the staff at the business office that I am thinking of them. They shared with me the realities of what is happening right now, at this very minute. One of them, one of our public servants, gave birth only seven weeks ago to her second child, a beautiful boy. Now she is home alone protecting her two children while her husband is on active duty on the ground dealing with some of the most horrific scenarios. She said to me:

My heart is broken and it is unfathomable to think of what has occurred here.

It is as if we woke up in the middle of a horror movie.

Spending time with the Jewish community of Melbourne over the past couple of weeks has highlighted to me that everyone knows someone caught up in this tragedy in Israel. After the vigil on Friday with the Premier, I went and visited some local families and had a Shabbat dinner with them. We had prayers, we sang songs, we had challah bread and we shared wonderful stories. The stories they shared with me were about family and friends dealing with ordeals, but they were not stories that were all negative. These were positive people celebrating life and not death. They were shining a light in the darkest recesses of evil, staring it down, getting on with life and not letting it consume them.

The ties between Victoria’s Jewish community at home and the Jewish state in Israel are incredibly strong, and the ties between our state of Victoria and the state of Israel are equally strong. We know that when conflict breaks out in Israel and Palestine it heightens the risk of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Australia. The actions of neo-Nazis over the weekend who approached train passengers to inquire about their Jewish identity must be unequivocally condemned. Such behaviour cannot be tolerated in Australia in the year 2023. We reject it as strongly and as forcefully as we reject all forms of racism, of vilification and of hate against others on the basis of their race, their religion or ethnic origin.

We know that the coming weeks will continue to be difficult for all who personally are affected by this generational conflict. We pray the hostages will make it home safely. We pray the innocent civilians will endure and survive the bloodshed. We pray that this war ends soon and that it will be the last we ever see in the region. We pray that there is no more terror. We pray there is a path forward for Israelis and Palestinians to coexist side by side in peace and security. I acknowledge that this never felt so far from reality, but we do realise from our belief that peace is the best way forward. Today and always, Victoria stands with our friends in Israel. Victoria stands with our Jewish community. Victoria stands with victims of terror and war. Most importantly, Victoria stands for peace. Shalom. Salaam.

Peter WALSH (Murray Plains) (12:34): I rise to speak on the motion moved by the Premier and supported by the Leader of the Opposition. Can I say, on behalf the Nationals, that we utterly condemn the attack on Israel by the terrorist organisation called Hamas. Hamas is the enemy of all peace-loving Palestinian people and all Jewish people, and there should no longer be any sympathisers for these murderous terrorists who try to call themselves freedom fighters. Despite what some may say, that the debate should be nuanced, you cannot nuance terrorism. They are terrorists, they are murderers and what they have done is abhorrent to every peace-loving person in the world. For those that say the debate should be nuanced, can I say it cannot be – they are all terrorists, and what they have done is horrendous. Hamas’s charter calls for the eradication of all Jews worldwide. If for nothing else, that should stand them condemned, even without the events that have happened over the last 10 days.

The attack was unprovoked, it was an act of brutality and it has shocked the world. To see Israeli babies slaughtered, to see Israeli babies beheaded and to see entire families murdered inside their homes is just abhorrent, and it cannot be supported by anyone in the world. To see women raped, stripped naked and dragged through the streets is just horrendous. We all have families, we all have children, and we just cannot imagine how bad that would be for those people that have been affected in Israel and those in Victoria and in Australia who have relatives and friends in Israel and are worried for their safekeeping.

The attack on Israel is an unequivocal reminder as to why Hamas is designated a terrorist organisation across the Western world. To use Israeli hostages and their own Palestinian civilians as human shields is a further reminder of why they are such a dangerous terrorist organisation. How someone could use an innocent civilian to protect themselves I just cannot imagine. In blocking Palestinians from fleeing Gaza and using them as human shields it is Hamas who is forcing Palestinian civilians to pay such a heavy price, it is not Israel defending itself. As I said, there should no longer be any sympathisers for Hamas anywhere in the world.

The fact that there have been 1100 Israelis killed, nearly 300 soldiers at this stage that have tragically lost their lives and 199 people abducted and used effectively as human shields and as negotiating tools is just so wrong. There have been more than 6000 rockets fired on Israel over that particular time. These are things that we just cannot comprehend in the peace-loving state that we live in here in Victoria, and we are so thankful for what we do have here in Victoria. I come back to the fact that Hamas is blocking their own citizens from fleeing south. I think it is just abhorrent what they would do to their own citizens in this particular case.

We unreservedly support Israel’s right to defend itself and protect Israeli citizens and the Jewish people from further brutal attacks. Israel is a longstanding ally of Australia and Victoria and a dedicated partner with us as a country. Our prayers go out to not only the Israeli Jewish community here in Victoria but particularly the Israeli community and what they will face over coming weeks. We see it on the news, but they actually have to live it. I think it is hard to comprehend those particular situations into the future.

Edmund Burke had the saying ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.’ We commend the Israeli government, the Israeli people and the Israeli armed forces for being the good people that are actually standing up to evil. We know the sacrifices that they will make and the sacrifices that the population of Israel will make through this ongoing conflict, but it has to be done to stop evil people prospering. That is the tragedy of what is happening in this particular part of the world at the moment.

As I said, our prayers go out to the Jewish community here in Victoria and the Jewish community in Israel, and we wish them the best for whatever happens in the future. But please, let us make sure that evil does not prosper anymore.

Paul HAMER (Box Hill) (12:38): I rise today in this place to condemn the horrific terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel on 7 October and stand with Israel and those who have been affected by this tragedy. I mourn those whose lives were ended so violently. I pray for those whose whereabouts remain unknown. I call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages – hostages that include children, women and the elderly who were taken and abducted from their homes. I grieve with the families in Australia whose loved ones have been so severely impacted by this incident, and I offer my condolences to all those who have been touched by this tragic event.

At the outset I want to say thank you for and acknowledge the tremendous support provided to me and the broader Jewish community by the Premier, Deputy Premier and my colleagues through what has been a very difficult week. I would also like to acknowledge the Leader of the Opposition and his team for the bipartisanship that they have shown and particularly acknowledge the efforts of my friend and fellow co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Israel, the member for Caulfield, who has so many people in his local community directly affected by this tragedy.

The 7th of October was meant to be a day of great celebration in Israel, the annual festival of Simhath Torah, which marks the completion of the reading of the Jewish Torah and is traditionally marked in many communities with a day to celebrate Jewish identity. However, it ended with the death of more Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. Looking back to the time before the Holocaust and all the terrible pogroms and expulsions that have been committed against the Jewish people over the millennia, there have been few days in Jewish history that have had such a tragic end. There can never be any excuse or justification for the murder, torture and abduction of innocent civilians. There can never be any equivocation that somehow the Jews of Israel are deserving of this treatment simply because of their nationality and their religious beliefs. We cannot be accepting of different levels of brutality and terrorism based on the cause it purports to support, and it is the right if not the duty of every state to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks such as those we saw on 7 October.

The past week has taken a great personal emotional toll, and while the initial shock has subsided, my overwhelming feeling has been one of sadness – my sadness for the people of Israel who were victims of these terrible acts of violence, my sadness for those who were taken hostage and whose whereabouts remain unknown, my sadness for all innocent lives that have been taken in this conflict that has lasted too long and my sadness for all the innocent lives that may be lost in future rounds of the conflict.

I also want to talk about my sadness for the Jewish community experience in Melbourne over the past few days. Many families are grieving, but the thing that leaves me raw is the extra precautions that members of the community must take to ensure that they and their families are kept safe. At a community level, events have needed to be held behind closed doors with venue information only provided at late notice. With the tremendous support of Victoria Police and the Community Security Group a more open and public show of mourning could only occur with everyone contained within a secure fence surrounded by our police force. I understand and fully support the need for safe protection, but that even Melbourne, one of the most successful multicultural places on earth, requires Jews to be kept behind barricades to hold a mourning vigil lest they be targeted themselves saddens me greatly.

The freedom to peacefully protest is an important and cherished right for Australians, but the grotesque displays of antisemitism and antisemitic vilification that we saw at a rally in Sydney last week and the threatening behaviour of Nazi thugs roaming our trains on the weekend searching for Jews bring shivers to me and many Jewish Australians in scenes that I could never have believed we would see in Australia. There is no room for any antisemitism in Australia, just as there is no room for any form of vilification against any people regardless of their race, colour or creed.

At an individual level many families are feeling vulnerable at this time. Some Jewish schools have asked their students to not wear their school uniform or not wear the uniform when they are in public. Jewish parents of children at state and independent schools are quietly removing signs of Jewish identity that the children may display for fear of being targeted simply for being Jewish, and some Jewish families have felt abandoned by their usually firm friends who cannot bring themselves to check in on their Jewish friends because of their differences or even perceived differences of opinion on Israeli politics.

Finally, I feel sad that the hope for a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians feels further away than ever before. Thirty years ago was a time of great optimism. In September 1993 two historic enemies, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin met on the White House lawn to sign the Oslo accords. The normalisation of relations between Jordan and Israel followed, and it appeared that a new dawn was breaking. But there have always been enemies to peace, and Hamas has always been an enemy of peace. Hamas rejected the Oslo accords, celebrated Rabin’s death and has been committed to the destruction of Israel. But let us not let this horrific event keep the voices of peace silent. In the words of the late King Hussein:

Let our voices rise high to speak of our commitment to peace for all times to come. And let us tell those who live in darkness, who are the enemies of light … this is where we stand.

David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (12:45): Am echad, lev echad – one people, one heart. When one of us is attacked, we all bleed. Our community is broken, the Jewish community is broken, but we stand together as we need to to ensure terror does not win, terrorism does not win, terrorists do not win.

I wanted to begin by acknowledging the Premier, the opposition leader and all of my colleagues that have reached out to both the member for Box Hill and me and expressed their good wishes at this really, really tough time. I wanted to acknowledge many of those that are in the chamber today, and I am going to do it now before I get into the details so I have got a clear head. If I could recognise the member for Macnamara as well, Josh Burns; the member for Box Hill, my follow convener of the Victorian Parliamentary Friends of Israel; the Community Security Group, which has done an amazing job just keeping the community here in Melbourne safe; the Zionist Federation of Australia; the Jewish Community Council of Victoria; Zionism Victoria; Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council; the Jewish National Fund; the United Israel Appeal; the Australasian Union of Jewish Students; the Australian Zionist Youth Council; Habayit, which has done an amazing job for Israelis that are living here; the Rabbinical Council of Victoria; the Union for Progressive Judaism; Hamerkaz; and the broader Jewish community. I know I have missed some, but everybody here stands united.

Saturday 7 October will never be the same. It will be a date that we will never, ever forget. September 11 is effectively a date that we do not forget, and 7 October is the Jewish community’s September 11. We have heard what Hamas did at 6:30 am when sirens were sounded near the Gaza border. In areas like Sderot a lot of kibbutzim would have heard those sirens. Thinking it was rocket fire, they would go into safe rooms, thinking more rockets were going to be shelled on their homes, not knowing the horrific things that were going to confront each and every one of them, because it was something that we simply never, ever thought was possible. Many have asked what has changed in terms of Hamas. Why now? Nothing has changed. Hamas, as many have said, are an evil regime. Their doctrine is to kill Jews, annihilate Jews, no matter who they are, no matter what their background is. That is what they are.

Unfortunately Israel was asleep when this happened. Now Israel has woken, and the Israeli government must do whatever it can to protect itself. It has an obligation to protect itself, just like we would have an obligation if we had a similar attack happen here in Australia, so to any questioning about what is happening now, I just say this is a terrorist attack. We have 199 hostages that are still being held by those terrorists. We must call on the whole world, no matter who they are, to bring those hostages home. They must come home. We need them home – no negotiation, no terms. Just bring them – babies, children and women – home. When Hamas killed those 260 people at the music festival and went into kibbutzim they did not distinguish between a sympathiser, a non-sympathiser, a woman, a child or who you were, religious or not religious. If you were a Jew, you were killed. You were raped. You were murdered. You were taken hostage. You were killed.

Keryn, who is here today, had family in one of those kibbutzim, Kibbutz Kfar Aza. By a miracle her family was saved, but hundreds were attacked – 40 we know of were killed. For 16 hours her family had to hide in that room waiting for the soldiers to come and save them. They are just too familiar, the stories. That kibbutz spent a lifetime working with Palestinians, working together across the border to ensure they worked on ways to support them with agriculture, with health. The former mayor of that area, mayor Ofir, is dead. He dedicated a decade of his life to work hand in hand for peace. The irony of all of this is those people in the kibbutzim that were targeted were the very people that were living there to work with peace. Their whole life was about peace, and the first thing that these murderers did was target the very people that support peace.

So there is no question about what we are talking about today. It is about terrorism and it is about a group, Hamas, that use innocent Palestinians as human shields – innocent Palestinians that have also been murdered. We all value human life, and that is why this motion is so important – because it is about valuing human life. It is the difference between one lot of people and another lot of people, like the Premier has eloquently said. Israelis value human life. Hamas takes human life. Hamas has one doctrine – to kill, to destroy and to do whatever it can to oppress people, for one aim. They do not use the money that they get from the world to feed people, to keep them healthy. They use it to build tunnels, for concrete. They take water pipes and they use them as rockets. That is what Hamas does. That is why Israel needs to do what it has to do. This is not about Israel. This is not about the Jewish community. This is about all of us. It is about the freedoms that we all absolutely cherish. President Biden so eloquently said that this is an attack on all of us – and that is why we have got to stay strong.

The member for Box Hill and others have stated the flow-on effect of what we have seen in this horrible war being portrayed here in Australia. Only 24 hours after, we saw people supporting Hamas saying the horrific words ‘Gas the Jews’. We remember this horror movie. We remember it from the Holocaust. It is happening again. We saw the Nazis who were parading up and down a train trying to identify Jews. Someone pulls out a blue and white handkerchief, and they are asked if they are Jewish. That is not the Australia I know. That is not what we need. I join with the Premier in bringing those laws as quickly as we can to hold those people to account, to take off their masks – these gutless cowards – to take off their balaclavas and put handcuffs on them, to lock them up. Because at the moment we see so many people that have been targeted innocently in fear.

The Jewish community in Melbourne has been in fear. We mentioned about the rally which the Premier and the opposition leader spoke at. I had so many calls, as did others – strong Jews, people actually who were former Israel defence forces soldiers – ringing and saying, is it safe to attend? We have got principals having edicts saying ‘Don’t wear school uniforms’ in fear of attacks on the way to and from school, kids staying away from school. That is not what we need right now. My message to everybody, knowing the work that Victoria Police does, is that the Jewish community are safe. We will be safe, and people need to go about their lives, because no matter who you are, no matter what religion you practise, no matter where you come from, we are as one.

The Nazis tried to separate people off according to their race, and as the Holocaust museum use as part of everything they do, there is only one race, and that is the human race. Do not let people try to divide and conquer. Do not let Hamas try and target and say ‘You are a Jew; you are killed’. No, we stand together – with the Palestinians, with the Jews, with the Muslims, with the Christians, with whoever you are – as one, as one race, to overcome evil.

There are two things that I want to finish with: firstly, a letter which I want to read from Rochel Bendetsky, who is in the gallery today, who is a 14-year-old girl from Beth Rivkah – a Beth Rivkah student. I want to give this from her eyes.

This war has gotten to a point where it’s not about Israel, it’s about Jews, all Jews of the world, which neo-Nazis are wanting to wipe out. The Holocaust was meant to be “never again”?

WAKE UP!

It’s happening right before our eyes. history repeats itself. As an Australian Jew who has no genetic connection to Israel or the war, is wanted dead by people protesting about the war?

No, these people have been waiting for this moment to spread their baseless hatred towards Jews when neutral people are gullible enough to believe them.

My heart goes out to all my innocent brothers and sisters and Israel, and I’m praying for their survival. However, I, a Jew in Australia, as long as the rest of the 8 million Jews not living in Israel are targeted with overwhelming amounts of hate towards our religion, dm’s being sent to me about my race?

Who are the people being racist and inhumane? not us, it’s them.

But, am I proud to be a Jew even after all these events? 100%.

I will be supporting my brothers and sisters UNTIL THE DAY I DIE. Even though times are rough and it’s easy to just shut your eyes on this blatant antisemitism, we must not let them get the best of Us.

WE ARE STRONG. WE HAVE WON BEFORE AND WILL AGAIN. AM YISRAEL CHAI

Finally, my colleague and good friend Josh Burns, who has been wonderful in supporting the community, as we know, during this time, in his conclusion used words which I am going to use as well. I am very proud to wear my yarmulke today to identify as being Jewish, as we should all be. Jews should not be afraid and hide during these times. You say the mourner’s Kaddish when you have lost a loved one. These are the words that you say, which are all about peace:

Oseh Shalom Bimromav, Hu ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu ve’al Kol Yisrael, ve’imru Amen.

Let there be peace. Shalom.

Nina TAYLOR (Albert Park) (12:57): I do rise in support of this motion, and I will commence by unequivocally condemning the attacks on Israel by Hamas. Terrorism of course cannot be vindicated under any circumstances and hate clearly surpassed reason. To see the sheer speed and scale of destruction is nauseating and devastating. My heart goes out to all those who have been directly impacted and also to our Victorian Jewish community, who no doubt have been absolutely devastated by the impact of this terrible assault on their community.

It really has been wonderful to see the personal stories shared, as upsetting and as impactful as they are. You do feel deeply moved. I think it is really important that those stories are shared from those who are suffering. Inevitably there is an ongoing trauma from all that has been experienced and a diabolical domino effect. On that note, I did want to acknowledge the devastating loss of Israeli and Palestinian life and that innocent civilians on all sides are suffering. Hamas is absolutely accountable for the evil that they have been committing and continue to commit. This is resulting in a deepening humanitarian crisis which is just excruciating to watch, and I can only imagine what those who are experiencing this in Israel and Palestine respectively are feeling.

I have visited both in the past. I did a tour of Israel and Palestine, and I remember going into some of the bomb shelters, because when you go to Sderot you are warned that you have to be ready to run in the event of rocket fire. I did hear on the radio an Israeli commenting that it was one thing to prepare for an air raid but another thing to prepare for a ground assault. They were not prepared for that because the unthinkable happened, and I can only imagine how deeply frightening that must have been, and dehumanising – deeply dehumanising. This is what happens when hatred takes hold. I know so many here in our Victorian Jewish community are hurting deeply, and of course the Palestinians who live here as well. It is deeply distressing to see such pain and suffering, and I think it does engender a sense of helplessness, because collectively here we would all love to see this resolved as quickly as possible. Daughters, sisters, sons, cousins, colleagues, friends – a grandmother taken hostage; what is going on? I mean, this is unfathomable, and as humans we cannot reason through that. We are not meant to be able to reason through that, because that is simply inhuman behaviour. And again, when we allow hate to triumph over reason, this is what happens.

Having said that, it has been really inspiring to see community members coming together in such a beautiful way and sharing love and support and kindness. I have been to a number of vigils, and they were all deeply honouring experiences. I did want to speak to the rally on Friday in particular, and I know that many colleagues here on both sides, the Premier and Deputy Premier and others, were there. It was just wonderful again to see those heartfelt stories being shared. They must be shared. The truth must be shared broadly and widely. We have to know the facts; we have to know what is going on. It is the only way. We have to acknowledge the truth to create a better future. There were beautiful, soulful songs; prayers; the lighting of candles; and love and support. It was pleasing to see multifaith representation there as well, fundamentally praying for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. I am really proud of the beautiful multicultural community we have, and I think now more than ever we have to continue with that shared respect and love for each other – and I say love; it does have to stem from love. And to the member for Caulfield’s point that we are all one: we absolutely are, and the minute we start seeing the ‘other’, that is where things do not unfold as they should.

On that note, I will say, just to reiterate: there is absolutely no place for antisemitism of any kind, hate speech, violent extremism or Islamophobia. No good will come. It never has and it never will when we vilify another. No-one wins from that, and clearly no-one is winning in this situation, absolutely no-one. But the indomitable human spirit is something that gives me hope on a personal level, and I hope collectively as well, and to see the resilience of those directly impacted is truly magical. It is funny, I was thinking – it is not funny, but I follow an Israeli cook on Instagram, and she shares these beautiful recipes. Anyway, I happened to be flicking through and I saw that there she was, leading all these people packing rations. She had immediately flipped to help her local community, and I thought, yes, this is exactly what we need to see. We need to see the best of human behaviour and to shun the worst that we have seen in recent days.

I know that it does shake us all to the core to see human beings descend to the level that we have seen with what Hamas has undertaken and is continuing to undertake. It does shake us, because it unfortunately causes doubt about the world in which we live, but we must not let that doubt seep in. We must remember the collective strength of goodwill and kindness and I think just continue to work together. I know that, having been to the events that I have been to and having seen the incredible resilience in spite of such horror – seeing the love and the care and the support. We are here for you – I just want you to know that we are unequivocally here for you.

Every Victorian deserves to be safe. Further to your point, member for Caulfield, I do not want anyone to feel they cannot wear their uniform or their kippah or cannot be absolutely who they are. Everyone should be able to be absolutely who they are in our beautiful state of Victoria every day.

James NEWBURY (Brighton) (13:05): Almost 100 years ago an Israeli poet immortalised two words: ‘Never again’. The phrase was a call cry to Israelis at the fall of the ancient kingdom of Masada. The poem and those words commemorated the Jewish struggle against the darkest adversity. Only two decades later the Jewish people would suffer the darkest stain on our global history, and as they did, those two words were used again. Liberators of concentration camps found survivors with handwritten signs, with those two same words written on the signage: ‘Never again’. Many Holocaust survivors today still speak of their responsibility to pass on the atrocity they witnessed in an effort to prevent future genocide. It is why survivors and Jewish people more broadly use those two words to this day. As one survivor wrote, ‘It is a prayer, a promise, a vow.’ Two simple words carry the voices of Jews and millions who were murdered. Those two words have haunted me for 10 days, because 10 days ago we witnessed the worst act of atrocity borne upon the Jewish people since the Holocaust, a coordinated Hamas terrorist attack on the most vulnerable Israelis.

In many cases the communities that were targeted had been the first to show compassion towards Palestinians. It was an attack that saw people hiding in their homes, scrambling to survive, children and the elderly slaughtered – atrocities committed in a way reminiscent of the horrors of the Holocaust. There are reports of Israelis like 90-year-old Gina, a Holocaust survivor who had survived the Nazi atrocities only to be shot in her head in her lounge room last Saturday after terrorists attacked her kibbutz. As we know, the most unspeakable evil attacks last Saturday were committed on babies and on children. On behalf of my community, I say the relationship between Australia and Israel is deep – we are family. An attack on Israel is an attack on our country. An attack on you is an attack on me.

The attack last Saturday saw 1300 Israelis massacred and 3300 injured. Mothers, fathers, grandparents and children were shot point-blank, burned alive or abused and then murdered by the terrorist organisation Hamas. Of those that were not murdered, almost 200 were kidnapped and taken to Gaza to a fate we cannot imagine – a fate spoken of by Israeli father Thomas, who said he felt blessed on finding out that his eight-year-old daughter had not been kidnapped but that she had died. As a parent myself, his words will stay with me. Many will have seen footage of the terrorists parading two kidnapped babies yesterday. I am sure I speak for every member in this place when I call for the release of all hostages. The world community is praying for the safe return of those children to their families and of all hostages to their homes.

As we come to terms with the atrocities committed 10 days ago, we must accept that those crimes were not just committed on Israelis, they were atrocities targeted at Jews. That is why the words ‘Never again’ haunt me. The crimes of 10 days ago committed on the Jewish people are crimes that repeat those crimes we hoped we would never see again, crimes that are rooted in unspeakable evil – the evil of denying Jews a right to exist, evil that aims to instil fear in a good people. The truth is that antisemitism is a deep-rooted disease. It is a disease that exists in all parts of the world, but at its most deadly it was in the hearts of the terrorist attackers on 7 October, just as it is in the hearts of the Hamas movement, which calls for the eradication of all Jews.

We must accept that the disease of antisemitism is not confined to the Middle East. In recent days we saw it in Melbourne at our iconic Flinders Street station, where a troop of black-hooded militants marched onto a train and demanded to know whether passengers were Jewish. We saw it most openly on the steps of our country’s most iconic building, the Sydney Opera House, where rallyers called for the gassing of the Jews.

Our world needs to be reminded of the words ‘Never again’ as much today as they ever have been, because the disease that is antisemitism is spreading. It is spread every time an activist chants ‘From the river to the sea’, a chant that calls for the eradication of Israel. Make no mistake, antisemitism is founded in hate – hate in the heart of Hamas and hate at the heart of Nazism. We must all stand against that hate. We must stand with Israel in its mission to act on Hamas. Hamas are terrorist cowards who are refusing to let Palestinian civilians evacuate; cowards who have built tunnel systems under Gaza, underneath their own civilian buildings and homes; and cowards who are using their own people as human shields. Israel will never be safe while Hamas exists, peace-loving Palestinians will not be safe while Hamas exists and our world will not be safe whilst the terrorist organisation Hamas exists.

The peace-loving people of both Israel and Gaza are victims of the evil, hate-filled terrorist organisation Hamas. In the names of all victims, we cannot be silent. And if we are to honour the profound words ‘Never again’ and honour the millions of Jews murdered, we must not be silent. I stand with Israel, and I share the grief of the Jewish community at this time. Acts of atrocity must not stand – 80 years ago, 10 days ago or any other day: never again.

Sam HIBBINS (Prahran) (13:13): I rise to speak on behalf of the Victorian Greens to the motion put forward by the Premier. Ten days ago we all watched – the world watched – in horror at the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, which saw innocent unarmed Israeli citizens killed and taken hostage, people attacked in their homes and children and families killed. What was particularly shocking was the massacre at the Supernova music festival, a rave party with young people – some of them peace activists, coming together, as so many young people around the world do, in what is a global community: the dance music industry – targeted, with hundreds killed. Overall it was the biggest loss of Jewish life in a day since the Holocaust. Whether they are seen on their own or in a wider context, these events are shocking, they are unjustifiable and they are to be condemned without qualification. We join with the calls for the unconditional release of hostages taken by Hamas.

We are also now watching a humanitarian catastrophe unfold in Palestine, with water, food and power being denied to civilians; mass displacement; hospitals on the brink of shutdown; sick and injured unable to evacuate at risk of death; and attacks by the Israel military claiming the lives of Palestinian civilians. We call for a ceasefire. We call for an end to the war in Gaza so the lives of even more civilians are not claimed.

At home I know this conflict is of grave concern to so many here in Victoria, particularly those who have families, friends or compatriots in Israel and in Palestine. We are deeply disturbed by the vile acts of antisemitism, of bigotry and of hate that have occurred recently – particularly by a report of one occurring in my own electorate. There is no place for this. We pride ourselves on being a tolerant multicultural state, but this demonstrates the need for this sort of hate and extremism to be tackled head-on here in Victoria with bold, multifaceted and immediate action, something that we the Greens have been very vocal on.

Now to the motion before us. We do recognise that this is a sensitive time, and we are disappointed that the government did not adhere to what it originally told us, which was that this would be a shorter motion and allow contributions to speak for themselves and that we would be provided with a copy last week. Indeed we were only provided with a copy last night. With that said, we are supportive of the vast majority of this motion. But where the Greens disagree with this motion is that Israel’s right to defend itself must be within the parameters of international humanitarian law, which we do not believe is being adhered to in the current conflict. As a party with peace and non-violence as one of its core pillars, I move the following amendment, consistent with my federal colleagues and other Greens around Australia, and I ask that that amendment be circulated in my name:

That paragraph (2) be omitted and replaced with the following paragraph:

‘(2) condemns war crimes perpetrated by the state of Israel, including the bombing of Palestinian civilians and calls for an immediate ceasefire between all parties and an end to the war on Gaza, recognising also that for there be peace there must be an end to the state of Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories;’.

Whilst we may have differences on this motion, when I think of the community more broadly here in Victoria – Jewish and Muslim communities – and in Australia and indeed the international community I honestly see more that unites us than divides us; that there is the right for Israeli and Palestinian people to live in peace and security but the need for all people to have their inalienable human rights upheld; that international humanitarian law must be followed in any conflict, including laws against targeting of civilians and against collective punishment; that governments must recommit to long-lasting peace for Israel and Palestine and that that can only be achieved through an end to occupation and the creation of a viable and democratic independent Palestinian state; and that antisemitism, Islamophobia or any form of bigotry have no place in this country or anywhere for that matter. I call on Parliament to uphold these values, and the Greens would support through leave or any other means a moment’s silence for all victims.

The SPEAKER: The question is:

That the words proposed to be omitted stand part of the motion.

Members supporting the member for Prahran’s amendment should vote no.

Assembly divided on question:

Ayes (77): Juliana Addison, Jacinta Allan, Brad Battin, Jade Benham, Roma Britnell, Colin Brooks, Josh Bull, Tim Bull, Martin Cameron, Anthony Carbines, Ben Carroll, Darren Cheeseman, Anthony Cianflone, Sarah Connolly, Chris Couzens, Chris Crewther, Jordan Crugnale, Lily D’Ambrosio, Steve Dimopoulos, Paul Edbrooke, Wayne Farnham, Matt Fregon, Ella George, Luba Grigorovitch, Sam Groth, Matthew Guy, Katie Hall, Paul Hamer, Martha Haylett, Mathew Hilakari, David Hodgett, Melissa Horne, Natalie Hutchins, Lauren Kathage, Sonya Kilkenny, Nathan Lambert, Gary Maas, Alison Marchant, Kathleen Matthews-Ward, Tim McCurdy, Steve McGhie, Cindy McLeish, Paul Mercurio, John Mullahy, James Newbury, Danny O’Brien, Michael O’Brien, Kim O’Keeffe, Tim Pallas, Danny Pearson, John Pesutto, Pauline Richards, Tim Richardson, Richard Riordan, Brad Rowswell, Michaela Settle, David Southwick, Ros Spence, Nick Staikos, Natalie Suleyman, Meng Heang Tak, Jackson Taylor, Nina Taylor, Kat Theophanous, Mary-Anne Thomas, Bill Tilley, Bridget Vallence, Emma Vulin, Peter Walsh, Iwan Walters, Vicki Ward, Kim Wells, Nicole Werner, Dylan Wight, Gabrielle Williams, Belinda Wilson, Jess Wilson

Noes (4): Gabrielle de Vietri, Sam Hibbins, Tim Read, Ellen Sandell

Question agreed to.

Assembly divided on motion:

Noes (4): Gabrielle de Vietri, Sam Hibbins, Tim Read, Ellen Sandell

Motion agreed to.

Jacinta Allan: By way of a point of order, Speaker, every contributor to today’s motion grieved. Every speaker grieved for the loss of life – Palestinian and Israeli loss of life. Every speaker spoke to that distressing fact and spoke of grief in our community. I would hope, Speaker, that members could be invited to stand for a moment of silent reflection, reflecting on that loss of life, Israeli and Palestinian alike.

The SPEAKER: I invite members to stand for a moment’s silence and quiet reflection.

Members stood in their places.

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (13:28): I move:

That, as a further mark of support, sympathy and respect, the house now adjourns until 2:30 pm.

Motion agreed to.

House adjourned 1:29 pm.

The SPEAKER took the chair at 2:31 pm.

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