Nationals whip calls for Gaza ceasefire as Labor ministers accuse Israel of collective punishment

Two federal government ministers say civilians in Gaza are being subjected to collective punishment by Israel, exposing tensions within the Albanese government over its position on the war, as a federal Labor senator called for landmarks to be lit in the colours of the Palestinian flag.

Industry Minister Ed Husic and Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly, who are the only Muslims in the federal ministry, on Thursday called for Australia to step up support for Palestinians facing a humanitarian crisis. They said Palestinian-Australians felt their lives mattered less in the unfolding political reaction to the Israel-Hamas war.

Early Childhood Education Minister Dr Anne Aly and Minister for Industry Ed Husic during question time on Thursday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

While the Coalition said the ministers’ comments showed Labor was divided over the conflict, Nationals whip Mark Coulton also departed from the opposition’s stance that Israel should show no restraint in retaliating to Hamas attacks.

“There should be greater focus on the plight of Palestinians who are caught up in this conflict,” he told this masthead. “My greatest concern is for the civilians and children being killed or maimed, and that there are so many people in danger. I am of the belief that there should be a ceasefire until a plan for a humanitarian solution can be worked out.”

In a day of escalating rhetoric over the deadly conflict, in which more than 1400 Israelis and 3000 Palestinians have been killed, Labor senator Fatima Payman said Australia needed to show that it cared for equally for all.

“Given yesterday’s catastrophe, the destruction of Al Ahli Baptist Hospital in Palestine and the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians, it would be empathetic and prudent to light up Australian landmarks with the colours of the Palestinian flag,” said Payman, who is of an Afghan Muslim background.

Labor senator Fatima Payman.Credit: James Brickwood

Husic suggested that the government had only paid lip service to a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, as both he and Aly called for de-escalation amid a blame-game over an explosion at a Gaza hospital which killed hundreds of civilians and a looming Israeli ground assault.

Husic made a passionate plea for Australia to step up support for Palestinians as they faced what he described as a humanitarian catastrophe.

“I feel very strongly that Palestinians are being collectively punished here for Hamas’ barbarism,” he said in an interview on ABC’s RN Breakfast.

“Israel has described what happened on October 7 [as] Israel’s equivalent of 9/11. The number of Palestinians that have been killed so far equates to the number of people who lost their lives in 9/11. We don’t see any public landmarks in Australia that are being lit up in red, black, white and green.

“Now, there’ll be people that are very uncomfortable with me making that remark. But it goes to the heart of what Palestinians and those who care for them in Australia [think], which is that Palestinian lives are considered lesser than.”

Aly, a professor of counter-terrorism and counter-radicalisation who was born in Egypt, backed Husic’s comments. “I feel the pain of Australian Palestinians, Muslim and Christian,” she said.

“I feel the pain of Australian Muslims, and I know that Palestinians have for a long time felt that they have not been seen and have not been heard, that they have been forgotten by the international community, and I want to acknowledge that to them.”

She said it was “hard to argue that this is not a form of collective punishment” and called for a ceasefire. “The idea of war crimes is something that needs to be investigated,” Aly said.

Labor MPs Julian Hill and Maria Vamvakinou agreed that Palestinians were being collectively punished by Israel. Vamvakinou, whose constituents are among the 46 Australians trapped in Gaza, also supported her senior colleagues’ comments about community sentiment among Palestinian-Australians.

“That’s why you see people hitting the streets,” she said. “I’d like to see our government take initiative towards avoiding a military incursion … and I hope we get to a point where everyone in this country, including the political leadership, is emphasising the equal value of innocent lives.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese repeated Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas but acknowledged the MPs’ contributions in a respectful question time debate on Thursday.

“We mourn every single life that is lost, whether Israeli or Palestinian. The children who have been killed, the families torn apart. There is widespread suffering, no question about that,” he said.

Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou and Husic, who both spoke out about their concerns for Palestinians, in the lower house on Thursday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“I recognise the important role that members here are playing in their respective communities.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong also called for parliament to unify in its message about the conflict.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Albanese should visit Tel Aviv on his way to the United States next week, while deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said the prime minister should clarify whether he agreed with his cabinet ministers.

”There are obvious, and longstanding, consequences for division – cabinet ministers do not get the luxury of freelancing on foreign policy,” Ley said.

Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said Husic and Aly were rightly concerned about the loss of civilian life, but he defended Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza.

“She [Aly] is concerned for human suffering on all sides, and this is perhaps an emotional reaction to that, which I do understand,” he said. “But the way to ensure peace for both peoples is the destruction of Hamas.”

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