Key Points
- There's a perception "Palestinian lives are considered lesser", Labor frontbencher Ed Husic says.
- Husic said Australia's decision to not light up landmarks in Palestinian colours had contributed to this.
- He also called for a de-escalation in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Israel's response to is collectively punishing innocent Palestinians, a Labor frontbencher has claimed.
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic says there must be "a more strategic and precise way to hold Hamas to account" as Israel continues to , saying Australia’s decision not to light up landmarks in Palestinian colours left the perception that "Palestinian lives are considered lesser".
International law deems collective punishment - the punishment of a group for acts allegedly committed by a member of that group - a war crime, and it can also include the forcible transfer of a civilian population.
As a minister, Husic is bound by cabinet solidarity. Speaking at Parliament House on Thursday, Treasurer Jim Chalmers did not answer directly when asked whether the comments .
Israel has ordered more than a million civilians to evacuate northern Gaza and is expected to launch a ground invasion in the near future.
It also cut off water, electricity, and fuel to the region, with Israel's energy minister Israel Katz saying: "We will continue to tighten the siege until the Hamas threat to Israel and the world is removed."
Husic told ABC Radio on Thursday: "I feel very strongly that Palestinians are being collectively punished for . I really do feel that."
"There is an obligation on governments, particularly the Israeli government as we have said, to follow the rules of international law and to observe in particular that innocents should be protected.
"I am very mindful of the words of our prime minister in saying that protecting innocent lives is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength."
With rallies being staged across the country by pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament it was important to ensure Australia remained a "microcosm" of different faith and cultural groups living together in harmony.
"There's no place for hate here," Albanese told parliament. "There's no place for antisemitism, as there's no place for Islamophobia in this country."
While Husic said he was concerned a two-state solution wouldn't eventuate in the Middle East when the violence ended, the prime minister said a two-state solution remained government foreign policy.
Following Husic's comments, however, Albanese, who has sought to take a broad approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict, faced accusations from the Opposition he was leading a divided cabinet.
Fellow frontbencher backs Husic's comments
Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have repeatedly called for innocents to be protected where possible, but have not accused Israel of collective punishment.
Husic called for a de-escalation in the conflict, saying an occupation of Gaza served neither Israeli nor Palestinian interests in the long term.
That must include the unconditional release of hostages taken by Hamas during its attack, he said.
"There has got to be a more strategic and precise way to hold Hamas to account, but not affect innocent Palestinian families," he said.
"Israelis paid a terrible price for the barbarism of Hamas … but I'm also worried about the price Palestinians are paying.
"The rest of us will go on with our lives, but people in that part of the world in the Middle East will have to have to carry those scars. We are seeing a humanitarian catastrophe unfold before our very eyes in Gaza, and there are choices that can be made to avoid that."
Fellow Labor minister Anne Aly said it was "hard to argue" with Husic’s comments, saying more than 3,000 Palestinians, including 1,000 children, had been killed over the last fortnight.
"It is hard to argue that children are Hamas, and therefore deserve to pay the price with their lives for the actions of Hamas," she told reporters on Thursday.
"When you look at the human situation in Gaza - a lack of water, no water, no food, no energy, no way out - it is hard to argue that it is not a form of collective punishment."
Aly called for an investigation into war crimes allegedly committed during the conflict.
"I would be loath to claim war crimes without a full investigation. That is how international law operates," she said.
"But I would say and I would urge Israel to abide by international laws on the rules of engagement. They are there for a reason … and that reason is to protect innocent civilians, including children."
Anne Aly says it's 'hard to argue' with Husic's comments. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
Chalmers says he won't 'parse' language, Coalition says Labor is divided
Treasurer Jim Chalmers claimed Husic’s comments were "identical" to those made by Albanese, before clarifying that both had stressed "that all human lives matter".
Neither Albanese nor Wong have accused Israel of collective punishment.
Chalmers did not answer directly when asked whether the government believed Israel was carrying out collective punishment, saying: "I'm not going to get into parsing the language used by our colleagues".
Treasurer Jim Chalmers. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
"We can't see innocent lives on one side of this as worth any more or less than innocent lives on the other side of this."
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said Husic's comments had exposed Labor's "deep division".
"[They have] raised serious questions about whether these comments reflect a new official position of the Albanese government ... Anthony Albanese must immediately clear up the confusion and explain whether he agrees with his cabinet minister or not," she said.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said Labor is divided on the issue. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
This weekend, of comments on the plight of Palestinians, which spanned for over a decade.
That included Ley quoting a former Israeli soldier, who said Israel's "continued occupation of the West Bank eroded the country morally, democratically, and in the esteem of the international community".
Last week, Ley described labelled calls for restraint in Gaza as "disgraceful".
Landmarks decision makes Palestinian feel 'lesser', says Husic
Hamas' indiscriminate attack this month killed 1,400 Israelis, the largest loss of Jewish life on any single day since the Holocaust.
But more than 3,000 Palestinians have been killed, and that number is expected to rise as Israel launches a ground invasion.
Husic insisted politicians had a role in "bringing people together" to maintain social cohesion, but warned Palestinians were being subjected to dehumanising language.
The Sydney Opera House was lit up in the Israeli colours. Source: AFP / David Gray
"Now, there'll be people that are very uncomfortable with me making that remark, but goes to the heart of what Palestinians and those who care for them in Australia … think, which is: Palestinian lives are considered lesser."
Last week, a number of landmarks across Australia were lit up in the colours of the Israeli flag to mourn the victims of the Hamas attack.
A pro-Palestinian protest outside the Sydney Opera House, which was lit up, was marred by a number of participants chanting antisemitic calls for violence. The protest organisers condemned the chants, and said they had asked NSW police to intervene.
