David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Today we're asking this place to support something that millions of Australians want our government to do: to publicly support and formally intervene in South Africa's genocide case at the International Court of Justice, to do what we all have an obligation to do—not to be complicit in a genocide, not to be silent, not to be indifferent, and not to do what our government seems quite willing to do, to actually be complicit. But we have an obligation individually and collectively, under the genocide convention, to prevent genocide and to prevent a potential genocide. That's why South Africa, to their great credit, brought this case in the ICJ—to identify the evidence as to why any fair-minded observer believes that genocide is occurring in Gaza, being directed by the Israeli military.

Let's remember the evidence the ICJ had before them. I'll read from the judgement:

On 9 October 2023, Mr Yoav Gallant, Defence Minister of Israel, announced that he had ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza City and that there would be "no electricity, no food, no fuel" and that "everything [was] closed". On the following day, Minister Gallant stated, speaking to Israeli troops on the Gaza border:

"I have released all restraints . . . You saw what we are fighting against. We are fighting human animals. This is the ISIS of Gaza. This is what we are fighting against . . . Gaza won't return to what it was before. There will be no Hamas. We will eliminate everything. If it doesn't take one day, it will take a week, it will take weeks or even months, we will reach all places."

Since then, to the eternal shame of the Israeli military and to the eternal shame of those governments who have been willing to support it, that's what's been happening. It wasn't hiding; it was in plain sight. And when we called for an urgent ceasefire it was because we saw this happening. When the world called for an urgent ceasefire and Australia, the United States and the UK, in a tiny little club, refused it, it was because these statements were made, and then it was happening in real time.

I've spoken with NGOs like Doctors Without Borders. We keep hearing from the government about delivering more aid. Doctor Without Borders say aid is not the answer, because they can't run the hospitals, because their patients are killed by Israeli snipers shooting through the windows, because the Israeli military storm into hospitals and execute patients in their beds, because they get blown up by weapons platforms that are in part delivered by Australia. Doctors Without Borders aren't saying we need more aid. Doctors Without Borders are saying, 'Stop the war and the violence and the genocide and don't be complicit, and care about Palestinian kids.'

Many millions around the world have seen the images of what this war is doing to kids, and mums and families who are told that they should—what? Go where? Nowhere is safe in Gaza. Imagine having your kids in a place where nowhere is safe, where at any moment your kids could be killed by bombs or snipers or a tank. Imagine that was you and your family, and your government did nothing or, what's worse, was complicit. Join the case. Advocate to enforce the convention. Do what we all have an obligation to do—individually, collectively, through our government—and prevent a genocide. For the Albanese government to come in here and oppose this and, in their opposition, not even mention the word Palestine is shameful. Join the case.