Gaza Speech

(1.14 p.m.)—I move:

That this House:

(1)

congratulates the Israeli government on its disengagement from the Gaza and parts of the Northern West Bank;

(2)

recognises the ongoing conflict and unrest in the region;

(3)

calls upon the Palestinian authority to collect arms and munitions from terror groups operating in the Gaza, such as Hamas; and

(4)

urges continued United Nations assistance for the humanitarian and security situation.

In July this year I visited Israel for the first time. I was impressed by the development of the country, the lushness of its valleys around the Sea of Galilee, the deserts leading to the Dead Sea and the indescribable beauty of this ancient land. I was also impressed by its democracy in an area where Israel is surrounded by non-democratic countries. At the time of our visit, across Israel cars and buses displayed flags and people wore either blue or orange T-shirts to indicate their support for, or opposition to, the withdrawal from Gaza—orange if you were in opposition or blue if you were in favour.

Within the Knesset, where we met with various politicians, there was much debate. Within the Likud, the governing party, there were a variety of opinions. In former years, Sharon, their leader and Prime Minister, had encouraged the Israeli settlements in Gaza. Now he was asking them to withdraw. He knew how painful this was to the settlers and he publicly expressed his sorrow at the heartbreak of those involved, but still he pressed on. Despite fiery opposition from within his own party and major protest rallies, he never wavered and the withdrawal was achieved. This is why today we honour Sharon’s commitment to this important step.

Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, a key element of the peace process, was completed successfully by 23 August. While there was extensive media coverage given to settler protests against the withdrawal, there was no major incidence of violence or disruption by the Palestinians. There was an outbreak of violence on 24 September, including rocket attacks by Palestinian militants into Israel and reprisals by Israel against militants and their infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank, but Hamas has since vowed to halt attacks against Israel ahead of its participation in Palestinian legislative elections, scheduled for January 2006—and we certainly hope that that eventuates.

A confidence vote by the Likud central committee in favour of Prime Minister Sharon on 26 September has bolstered, for the time being, his leadership of the party and has quashed, for now, former finance minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s challenge to oust Sharon from the premiership and the Likud leadership. Netanyahu has accused the Prime Minister of caving in to terrorism by relinquishing the Gaza Strip without getting anything in return. But we believe that it was a significant step forward in the process to achieving peace. The withdrawal of 7,000 Israelis in an area surrounded by 1.5 million Palestinians is important in the road map to peace and, despite the incursions into the territory by the militant Hamas, the Israelis recognise the significance of this move.

One of the places I visited in Jerusalem was the Holocaust museum. It was a very challenging visit. I saw the graphic record of the Jewish people who were so oppressed by Nazi Germany during World War II, which resulted in the horrendous loss of six million innocent Jewish lives. As the Jews returned to Israel to reclaim their land—a land free of the oppression they had experienced in Europe—they have had ongoing challenges as they have fought to establish an independent nation, a democratic nation, in a country where they could pursue their way of life without fear.

The Australian government considers Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza as a positive step toward the goals of the peace map. The passing of responsibility for the Egypt-Gaza border to Egyptian security forces is also important. We urge both sides to use disengagement as an opportunity to carry the peace process forward. We hope the eruption of violence in Gaza and the West Bank which started on 24-25 September will not derail the progress that has been made. The commitment of President Abbas to stop terrorism and the incitement to further bloodshed will be pivotal to maintaining the momentum of the peace process.

Conflict in the region will continue. The Australian government’s commitment to the disengagement process has been evident with the secondment of an Australian Defence Force officer to the International Security Sector Working Group, which includes US, British and Canadian personnel. It is also important that, with our $16 million aid commitment in the 2005 budget to the Palestinian Authority, we urge the authority to make moves against terror groups such as Hamas and disarm them. We also urge the United Nations to continue to assist in the humanitarian and security situation.

No doubt the best prospect for peace remains a two-state solution that will ensure the security of Israel and provide for a viable and stable Palestinian state. It is important that the United Nations is called upon to assist immediately with the humanitarian crisis and in working towards a secure solution for both parties involved. Once again, I congratulate the Sharon government on the successful withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and pray that this will form a vital building block in the road map to peace in the Middle East. (Time expired)

Interjection

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Hon. IR Causley)—Is the motion seconded?

Interjection

Mr Turnbull—I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.