Greens in Senate walkout over Albanese government’s Israel response

The Greens have accused the Albanese government of ‘being complicit in the massacre of innocent Palestinians’ in an attack the Jewish community said showed the party to be the enemies of peace.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi leads a walkout of the Australian Greens senators during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Greens have accused the Albanese government of “being complicit in the massacre of innocent Palestinians” and “aiding and abetting Israel”, after the party staged a free Palestine protest in the Senate chamber.

Attempting to ratchet up pressure on the government to “show some guts” over the Middle East conflict, Greens deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi demanded Labor endorse the United Nations’ call for Israel and its allies to agree to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and “condemn Israel for its war crimes”.

In an attack the Jewish community said showed the Greens to be the enemies of peace, Senator Faruqi said: “History will judge the Labor Party and the Labor government for staying silent, or even being complicit in the massacre that is happening in Palestine at the moment. History will remember them as warmongers, history will remember them as aiding and abetting Israel in the massacre of Palestinians. And the people will not take kindly to it.

“What we are seeing now, we have not seen for many years, the way that thousands of innocent people are being killed indiscriminately, the way that families are being blown up to bits, whole families are being blown up to bits by the bombing of Israel. That’s what we want to stop.”

Trade Minister Don Farrell, who represented Anthony Albanese in the upper house on Monday with Senate leader Penny Wong in Beijing, said innocent civilians should not pay for the horrors perpetrated by Hamas.

“Of course we have all witnessed devastating loss of innocent life in the Middle East that all started with the attack by Hamas on innocent civilians in Israel. We as a government have affirmed Israel’s right to defend themselves after that horrific attack,” Senator Farrell said.

“We also said this, I saw the Foreign Minister (Senator Wong) reiterate that this weekend, that it also matters how Israel responds to this completely unjustified attack by Hamas. This means that Israel must observe international law and the rules of war.

“Nobody wants to see innocent lives lost in this terrible set of circumstances. And it matters that innocent civilians should not pay for the horrors perpetrated by Hamas. And it also matters for Israel’s own security, which faces grave risk if this conflict spreads and I think we’ve already seen over the weekend the potential that it’s spreading in the north and in the east.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the Greens’ inability to condemn the mass atrocities of October 7 “without attempting to justify crimes that no decent person would ever justify, destroyed what little human rights credentials they had”.

“The Greens have shown themselves to be the enemies of peace and launderers for antisemites at home and murderous thugs abroad,” he said.

“Their continued patronage of anti-Israel rallies with their genocidal chants and incitement to violence has endangered Australian Jews and our society. They pose as pacifists but they know that a ceasefire will hand victory to Hamas and encourage more jihadism in the West.”

Greens foreign affairs spokesman Jordon Steele-John said his party had repeatedly condemned the acts of terrorism perpetrated by Hamas last month because of a “shared commitment to humanity”.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

During Senate question time, Senator Faruqi made a statement about the government’s “heartless, gutless, powerless” response to what was happening to Palestinians before raising her fist and declaring: “Today, we bring the people’s protest into parliament. Free, free Palestine.”

She then left the chamber, followed by her colleagues.

Greens senators walk out. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said at least 9770 people, mostly civilians, had been killed in more than four weeks of war, sparked by a terrorist attack in Israel on October 7 that left more than 1400 dead.

The Prime Minister has endorsed Israel’s right to defend itself while also expressing concern for Gaza civilians.

Six of Australia’s former prime ministers - every living leader except Paul Keating - co-signed a letter last week affirming their joint stance on the war, expressing their support for Israel and condemning Hamas for the October massacres.

The letter called for an end to anti-Semitic hate speech and endorsed a two-state solution as the basis for “long-term lasting peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples”.