Opinion Piece – Ceasefire in Gaza must also be a turning point in Australia

I have visited Israel many times in my life, but last week I was present for an extraordinarily significant moment for Israel and the region.

After 15 months of war, hostages coming home. After 15 months of war, ceasefire.

After what began with the horrific atrocities on 7 October 2023, there is, finally, a glimmer of hope.

I saw and heard some deeply affecting things in Israel.

What happened on 7 October is visible everywhere – pictures of hostages greet you right from the arrivals terminal at Ben Gurion airport.

Walking through the streets of Kibbutz Be’eri where more than 130 people were murdered by Hamas is an experience that will never leave me.

I saw homes that were once full of life, streets and gardens that were peaceful, ripped apart on that day.

An Australian grandmother, Galit Carbone, was murdered in her home at the kibbutz that day. Danny Majzner, a survivor of the attack and Galit’s brother, generously shared his family’s story and hosted my visit.

At the Nova music festival Hamas murdered 340 people and took dozens of others hostage.

Shalev Biton guided us around the site and shared his story with me. Shalev had returned from a working holiday in Australia just before going to the festival. He narrowly avoided death after escaping the music festival and running for kilometres, sheltered by the selfless actions of a nearby farm manager. Shalev’s story is one of horror and hope.

The stories of the many lives lost, hostages taken and desire for the conflict to end was repeated in my meetings with senior Israeli officials.

It was an honour to meet the President of the State of Israel, Isaac Herzog. We reflected on our longstanding personal friendship which echoes the bonds of friendship between so many Israelis and Australians and our two great nations. I also had productive meetings with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice Yariv Levin.

I made clear Australia supports Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism.
I also restated our demand for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas, our support for a ceasefire as endorsed by the United Nations Security Council, increased humanitarian access to Gaza and for international law to be upheld.

In Ramallah I discussed the ceasefire – which was a matter of hours away when I was there – and shared hope for a positive future with senior officials of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

We know that long-term peace in the region involves a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Reform to the Palestinian Authority is required and there must be no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.

Australia’s focus right now is in supporting efforts to safeguard and build on the momentum of the ceasefire to achieve lasting peace.

After 15 months of war, the hope the ceasefire brings must also signal a turning point in the debate in Australia.

What I witnessed in Israel makes the seeking of partisan political advantage in Australia all the more grotesque.

Australia’s friendship with Israel has been deep and enduring, dating back to the founding of modern Israel when Doc Evatt helped introduce UN Resolution 181. That support continues from the Albanese Government.

It has been shocking to witness the very real distress amongst Jewish and Palestinian Australian communities used as a political plaything. It must end.

We must unite against antisemitism, and indeed any form of racial hatred, not use it for partisan political point-scoring. Our Government remains committed to tackling antisemitism at home.

I return to Australia with a sense of hope - hope for an end to antisemitism and hope for lasting peace in the Middle East.

This opinion piece was originally published in The Jewish Independent.