Labor senator rebuked over pro-Palestine call
The Senate has rebuked a Labor senator who broke ranks with her party and branded Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide” before using a controversial pro-Palestine phrase.
Anthony Albanese
A motion moved on Thursday by opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham called for senators to avoid “inflammatory and divisive comments”, and singled out a phrase used by senator Fatima Payman the day before.
It passed with the support of the government but was opposed by the Greens.
West Australian senator Fatima Payman on Wednesday issued a strong rebuke of the government’s stance, saying: “I must call this out for what it is – this is a genocide and we need to stop pretending otherwise.”
She also ended her statement by saying, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, a phrase that conservative politicians and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have taken issue with.
The prime minister has previously said the phrase goes against a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine co-exist side-by-side.
Asked if Senator Payman’s use of the phrase was appropriate, Mr Albanese said: “No, it’s not”.
“What is appropriate is a two-state solution, where both Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live in security, in peace and prosperity,” he told ABC radio on Thursday.
“It is not in the interests of either Israelis or Palestinians to advocate for there to just be one state that is a fore runner of enormous conflict and grief.”
While the motion did not name Senator Payman, it said the phrase “from the river to the sea” was one that was “frequently used by those who seek to intimidate the Jewish Australians via acts of anti-Semitism”.
The Labor senator used the phrase and added “Palestine will be free” at the end of remarks on Wednesday that called Israel’s actions a genocide.
She also called for sanctions and a trade embargo against Israel, a permanent ceasefire and the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Actions in Australia had fuelled hatred and “spurred a most horrific rise in anti-Semitism”, Senator Birmingham told the chamber on Thursday.
“Anti-Semitism manifests itself in many ways, attacks are often made via expressions of hatred, via threats, via intimidation,” he said.
“These include the use of chants and phrases like calls for ‘Intifada’ and the chant ‘from the river to the sea’.
“Let us be very clear – they call for violence, they stand against the existence of the State of Israel.”
Senator Payman was not in the chamber for the motion.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denounced the use of the phrase, saying it went against the prospect of a two-state solution, where Israeli and Palestinian states would exist side-by-side.
There was no room for any hate speech of any form, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, Senator Wong said.
“We all need to acknowledge the trauma on all sides, we all need to respect each other’s humanity,” she said.
“We gain nothing by reproducing the conflict here, by talking past each other, by shouting each other down and by insisting on respective absolutes.”
Palestinians and Israelis have used the river phrase to denote a single state but “Palestine will be free” has been added and used by protesters to call for the end of Israeli occupation.
Liberal frontbencher James Paterson criticised Senator Payman’s remarks and branded them “extreme”.
Dr. Colin Rubenstein, Executive Director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, has commented:
“Senator Fatima Payman’s baseless accusation that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians, and her repetition of the chant ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free’ – which clearly calls for the destruction of Israel – represents an embarrassment to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and is a stain upon the Labor party. Not only is she ignoring the genocidal intent that Hamas has openly expressed against Israel and its Jewish citizens – the motivation for the mass pogrom of October 7, which Hamas promises to repeat again and again until Israel is destroyed – she is effectively endorsing it with her ‘River to the Sea’ slogan.
“We appreciate that the Government has distanced itself from Senator Payman’s extremism and implied endorsement of the Hamas agenda, labelling her comments ‘inappropriate’. However, this does not seem sufficient consequence for her actions, given the effects they will have on Australia’s social cohesion at a time when it is already under severe threat. We call on the Government to consider additional measures to make it clear that Senator Payman’s call for the destruction of Israel is both contrary to ALP policy and completely unacceptable.”
Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, tweeted on X: “The Australian Jewish community is grateful for this motion and to the vast majority of senators who had the decency to vote for it. The Greens stand in shame but that’s nothing new. But it is sad that motions setting the record straight on racist, annihilationist and violent slogans are even needed. Those who chant it are the enemies of peace. How do they propose to establish an Arab Palestinian state from the river to the sea? Only through more war, more misery and suffering. If they cared a jot for peace and the future of the Palestinians they would join us in calling for the end of Hamas and the resumption of the peace process.
AAP with J-Wire
She has a lot of lessons to learn……and just grateful to the status quo.