Middle East conflict
Bronwyn HALFPENNY (Thomastown) (09:52): I am speaking today on behalf of more than a thousand residents and community leaders in my electorate who have contacted me in extreme distress. They are asking why they are not hearing any condemnation of Israeli action against civilians in Gaza. Many have families there. One man has already lost 11 members of his family. Others are concerned about human rights. I believe every life is precious. I condemn the senseless killing of Palestinians and of Israelis, and I am appalled by Hamas’s heinous attacks and kidnapping of innocent people. The onslaught on Gaza has now taken more innocent lives. No-one is being spared, including children under the age of 15, who make up 40 per cent of the population. Residents tell me their loved ones are being subjected to relentless bombardment, with hospitals shut down and basic necessities denied. This is wrong. In the words of one United Nations representative, not one drop of water, not one grain of wheat and not one litre of fuel was allowed into Gaza in the first eight days. In fact Gaza is being strangled, and it seems the world right now has lost its humanity. This is a human tragedy. All of the exits from Gaza are closed. Residents fear the worst is yet to come. As Martin Luther King said, this is ‘the ultimate weakness of violence’. It multiplies evil in the universe. It does not solve any problems.