Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:35): Today, I want to digress from the normal things I talk about in grievances. Normally, I talk about my electorate and champion some cause or, alternatively, reflect on some of the great work done by people or community groups in my electorate. Today, I would like to talk about an international issue because of the symbolism of the day and because it is an issue that I think, unfortunately, has gone a little bit under the radar in recent times, that is, today is Palestine National Day.

On this day in 1988, the Palestine National Council made a declaration of independence after decades of frustration in trying to attain a homeland for the Palestinian people. The Palestine National Council made the declaration with the hope of increasing international public awareness about their plight. In addition to the declaration itself, some other documents were released on this occasion and it also mentions UN Security Council Resolution 242 which is, if you like, the ground-breaking resolution that talks about the warring parties in the Middle East going back to the pre-1967 boundaries. It is interesting to note that that particular United Nations Security Council resolution has not been implemented and has been ignored not only by the State of Israel but also its allies around the world.

The other reason I raise this issue is that in this place over the last few months and over the 10 years I have been here we have talked about and apologised to individuals who have experienced discrimination, yet every day the people of Palestine experience injustice, discrimination and great hardship but around the world we barely batter an eyelid about that so their plight goes continually unnoticed. As I mentioned, there are a number of UN resolutions regarding the Palestinian or Middle East conflict, and when you look into it there are literally hundreds of resolutions which come and go but are not implemented.

Just as importantly, decisions are made by the International Court of Justice, probably the most recent of which was in 2004, when the International Court of Justice found that the wall Israel built between Israel and Palestine, mostly on Palestinian land, was illegal and against international law. What has happened since then? Very little has happened since then and the people of Palestine continue to lead very difficult lives.

There has been a whole range of agreements around the world trying to move the parties to a lasting peace. Unfortunately, the reality is that most of the discussions over recent times have been about a two-state solution: in other words, that the two states, the State of Israel and the State of Palestine, would live side-by-side. Personally, I believe that is now a very difficult objective to achieve. The Jewish settler movements into Palestine over many decades, with the support of the Israeli government, has made that two-state solution much more difficult to attain. That occupation, ruled illegal by various courts and international bodies, continues today.

What are the possibilities for a just and peaceful settlement for the people of Palestine? The two-state solution is probably unrealistic not only given the amount of settler areas that have been taken over by Palestine but also that the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are probably economically not of a size that can actually be economically sustainable.

In more recent times, there have been discussions about having one state, somehow acknowledging the two different cultures and communities within the one state, some sort of unified democratic state that has one person one vote. We have been able to achieve this in other parts of the world.

I would just like to quote from a 2004 New Yorker article, entitled Two Peoples, One State. The article states:

The one-state solution, however, neither destroys the Jewish character of the Holy Land nor negates the Jewish historical and religious attachment (although it would destroy the superior status of Jews in that state). Rather, it affirms that the Holy Land has an equal Christian and Muslim character.

For those who believe in equality, this is a good thing.

Time expired.