Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has not spoken to Labor senator Fatima Payman after she accused Israel of conducting a genocide in Gaza – the most strident criticism of Israel by a government MP since the war in Gaza began.
Labor senator Fatima Payman.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Yesterday, Payman also used the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which Albanese today said was not appropriate.
“No it’s not. What’s appropriate is a two-state solution, where both Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live in security, in peace and in prosperity,” Albanese said in an interview on ABC’s RN Breakfast.
“I speak to her all the time, and the last conversation I had with her was very, very pleasant,” Albanese continued.
“We speak for the government’s policy and the government’s policy has been very clear. From our opposition … to the terrorist activity of Hamas on October 7 [20230, our call for the release of hostages [and a] humanitarian ceasefire.”
The prime minister condemned antisemitism, that he said was on the rise in Australia.
“A lot of trauma is being experienced by Jewish Australians due to the rise in antisemitism that we’re seeing here, where people who happen to be Jewish, are being held responsible for actions of the Netanyahu government. I don’t believe that it is appropriate, the targeting of people because they happen to be Jewish.”
Read our original reporting on this story here.
Watch the video explainer on the two-state solution below.
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