A Labor frontbencher has thrown her support behind Senator Fatima Payman, who broke ranks with her party to label Israel’s war in Gaza “genocide” and concluded a statement with the slogan; “From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free”.
Assistant Health Minister Ged Kearney was in Perth on Monday to announce an urgent care clinic in Armadale when she defended the WA Labor Senator as “a great contributor” and a “wonderful senator”.
Last week Senator Payman gave a speech calling on her colleagues, including Anthony Albanese, to “stand for what is right”.
“This is a genocide, and we need to stop pretending otherwise,” she said of the war that had claimed the lives of about 35,000 Palestinians following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
The Senator concluded her statement to the media with the “River to the Sea” slogan, which she has defended as a support for equality for Palestinians but others view as a call to wipe out the Israeli state.
The Prime Minister said the slogan — referring to the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea, with the space in between encompassing the Palestinian territories and Israel — was inappropriate and counter to the Government’s aim of a two-state solution.
But when asked her view on Senator Payman’s use of the slogan, Ms Kearney said the phrase was peaceful.
“I can tell that she’s incredibly passionate about this and she has since made statements about her understanding of that phrase, which is purely about peaceful coexistence,” the Victorian MP said.
“I think we get caught up in things like these phrases, when… it’s a distraction from the absolute dire situation of the Palestinians in Gaza.
“We need to make sure that we have a permanent, endurable ceasefire. And right now we are all about getting food and aid and medical care and sustenance to the people who are caught up in this terrible conflict.”
Ms Kearney said the Government was committed to a two-state solution.
Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic — who is the first Muslim cabinet member — last week told Sky News that Senator Payman’s speech “took guts,” but said he would not use the “river to the sea” phrase.
The controversy comes as Israel’s emergency war-time government is on the verge of collapse, with centrist Benny Gantz demanding Benjamin Netanyahu outline a clear plan for Gaza — where a majority of housing in the densely populated enclave has been destroyed — and threatened to quit the coalition.