Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says it was not appropriate for one of his senators, Fatima Payman, to use the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” in a statement in which she labelled what was happening in Gaza as genocide.
The WA senator told reporters on Wednesday a lack of moral clarity was eating away at the heart of Australia and urged Mr Albanese to take stronger action against Israel including sanctions and stopping trade.
“I ask our Prime Minister and our fellow parliamentarians how many international rights laws must Israel break for us to say enough?” she said.
“What is the magic number? How many mass graves need to be uncovered before we say enough? How many images of bloody limbs of murdered children must we see?”
Her comments were originally intended as a speech to a rally out the front of Parliament House to mark Nakba Day — the anniversary of Israel’s 1948 establishment — but she instead delivered them to a small media contingent.
Mr Albanese said on Thursday morning he had not spoken to Senator Payman since she made the comments, but that they spoke regularly.
“She’s a young senator from Western Australia,” he told ABC radio.
“But we speak for the Government’s policy and the Government’s policy has been very clear from our opposition, unequivocal, to the terrorist activity of Hamas on October 7, our call for the release of hostages, our call for humanitarian ceasefires, our call for humanitarian aid to be delivered to the people of Gaza, our opposition to any ground offensive in Rafah.”
Asked whether it was appropriate for Senator Payman to have finished her statement with the rallying cry, Mr Albanese said it was not, and reiterated support for a two-state solution.
He has previously said the phase should not be used in Australia.
“It is not in the interests of either Israelis or Palestinians to advocate there just be one state. That is a forerunner of enormous conflict and grief,” he said.
“We are seeing enormous grief in Gaza that is having a significant impact on people who have relatives and friends in Gaza. And that is a very traumatic occurrence, just as a lot of trauma is being experienced by Jewish Australians due to the rise in antisemitism that we’re seeing here, where people who happen to be Jewish are being held responsible for actions of the Netanyahu Government.”
Independent senator David Pocock said it took a lot of courage for Senator Payman to speak up against her party’s line.
“This is one of the things that people find frustrating about the party system is that you have people in there who are listening to the communities they represent and they are not allowed to say something,” he said.
“I don’t know what it’s like to be in the party but I imagine there’s a lot of disincentives to breaking ranks, and I’m sure those backbenchers pay a price for it.”