Andrew Barr says don’t take sides as it is revealed babies were beheaded by Hamas

Despite the atrocities committed on children in Israel, ACT Chief Minister refuses to condemn the pro-Palestine stance of his Greens coalition partner.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has refused to condemn his coalition government partner, the Greens, for backing a pro-Palestine rally in Canberra on Friday.​

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr says Australians should not take a side in the conflict between Israel and Palestine, as NSW Greens ­opposed a parliamentary motion condemning attacks by Hamas and showing solidarity with Israel.

Just hours after it emerged Hamas had beheaded Jewish ­babies and children, Mr Barr on Wednesday said “no one should be bombing anyone” as he refused to condemn his coalition government partner, the ACT Greens, for backing a pro-Palestine rally.

Mr Barr said that it was unwise to take a side in the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

“That’s a matter for the Greens political party, I don’t think this is an issue in which people should be taking sides, no one should be bombing anyone,” Mr Barr told ABC Radio Canberra.

Israeli officials on Wednesday outlined the full extent of the terrorist massacre unleashed on the kibbutz of Kfar Aza, which included the slaughter of as many as 40 babies and children.

As the ACT Greens endorsed a pro-Palestine rally scheduled for Canberra on Friday, NSW Greens upper house members opposed a motion from Labor’s Bob Nanva to support Israel and express the NSW parliament’s solidarity with the Jewish state.

The motion – supported across the state parliament with the exception of the Greens – had sought to move five things: condemning Hamas’s “horrific attacks”, “denouncing the killing of civilians”, “extending the house’s sympathy to those who died”, “calling for an end to the attacks” and – significantly – “recognise the right of ­Israel to defend itself”.

The NSW Greens had moved an amendment to alter the ­wording to instead: “to achieve peace the Palestinian occupation must end”, for point five, and changing point two to “denounce the bombing and air strikes of ­Palestinian civilians by Israel”, while retaining support for those that died and condemning Hamas’ attacks.

Federal Greens Leader Adam Bandt was forced to further clarify the party’s position, condemning violent attacks in Australia as he expressed concern over civilian deaths in Israel and Palestine.

“This war has brought pain and grief to so many, and there is no place to worsen that through hateful and violent racism and bigotry, including anti-Semitism and Islam­ophobia,” Mr Bandt said.

“For there to be a lasting peace there must be an end to the State of Israel‘s illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.”

The ACT Greens on Tuesday published a pro-Palestine rally organised by Palestine Action Group Canberra scheduled to be held in Canberra on Friday in a post on Facebook.

ACT Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury said the party’s sharing of the event on social media did not mean it was endorsing the views of the attendees.

“We support people’s democratic right to peaceful protest. We often share events and activities which may be of interest to our members,” Mr Rattenbury said, adding: “As we all seek peace and end to the war crimes and fighting, there is no place for anti-Semitism or racism.”

ACT Labor is a shared government with the ACT Greens, with members of the Greens holding significant cabinet positions.

Mr Barr’s refusal to condemn the ACT Green’s pro-Palestinian stance comes after two of the most senior federal ministers from ­western Sydney – Tony Burke and Chris Bowen – came under ­pressure on Tuesday for failing to full-throatedly condemn local anti-­Israel preachers and activists who led the two NSW rallies celebrating Hamas’s attacks.

Mr Bowen on Wednesday hardened his language and explicitly condemned the pro-­Palestine protests.