Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

Firstly, I want to recognise all the speakers who have contributed to this very important motion moved by the member for Indi. I thank the member for Indi for moving this motion. I also thank the member for Mackellar, who seconded the motion, the member for Moncrieff, who just spoke, and, from the Labor side, the member for Barton—who is the shadow minister for foreign affairs—and the member for Melbourne Ports. We all come in here in unison, as this parliament is in unison, to pass this motion and to recognise that more needs to be done and that there is a need for a global voice and global action, particularly in this case with the three hostages that have been taken. I offer my deepest, heartfelt sympathy to Ehud’s father, Shlomo Goldwasser, who is here representing the three pairs of parents—who I know would be anxious and always awaiting news and hoping for the return of their sons. I convey to them my deepest sympathies and those of my party and the parliament itself.

The motion notes that Palestinian terrorists did infiltrate Israel’s sovereign border—and we have heard from many other speakers of the details of how that took place on the Gaza Strip on 25 June last year—and attacked an army post inside Israel’s sovereign territory. The three soldiers who were kidnapped were Corporal Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. These soldiers did not deserve what happened to them, nor was it something that was warranted under any act. In fact, it is contrary to a United Nations motion and contrary to many conventions. In particular, it is contrary to and in violation of international law and the laws of war, which prohibit the taking of hostages and also require parties to release detainees as soon as the reason for the detention ceases. It has never been lawful to take hostages for any reason. The taking of those hostages is also in violation of Security Council resolution No. 1701, which calls for the unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldiers. There is an opportunity here for the international community to speak up, as our parliament is doing and as a number of other parliaments around the world have done. The United Nations and the parliaments of France, Russia and Britain have also come forward.

What is particularly sad about this incursion and the taking of these hostages is that this happened at a time when there was truly some optimism about peace, when there was truly some chance of moving forward with recognition of the right of Israel as a state, movement towards a peaceful settlement and recognition of people in that area in the Middle East. There is no doubt in my mind—or in the minds of many others—that it was an act of terrorism and aggression that these hostages were taken and that it was an act that was meant to derail any decent processes towards peace or moving forward in that region. That deeply concerns me because, on so many occasions in the past, we have seen many efforts made by Israel to find solutions and to try to find peace for the Middle East, but terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah refuse to accept that a solution can be found.

I cannot imagine what the families or the people who live in the Middle East or in Israel would be feeling or how distressing this must be for them—not knowing but always holding on to hope. We all pray with you for the very swift release of these soldiers. I say on behalf of my party that we condemn the actions by Hezbollah and Hamas and we pray for the swift release of all three of the soldiers—Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev and Corporal Gilad Shalit. This parliament will continue to support any efforts made by Israel to find peace and we fully support this motion put forward by the member for Indi.

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