Humanitarian solution to Gaza war is urged

Member for Parkes Mark Coulton is a long-time supporter of the people of Palestine, and been co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine.

“My thoughts remain with all those impacted by the devastating war in Gaza, as I continue my calls for an urgent ceasefire,” Mr Coulton said in his regular column this week.

“Last week I met representatives from Caritas Australia who updated me on the humanitarian crisis on the ground, which is terribly concerning.

“Food is critically low and people have a lack of access to the most basic of needs – clean water, safe shelter and medical care.

“I also spoke in Parliament about my support for the people of Palestine, having spent eight days in the West Bank a number of years ago, seeing first-hand the suffering as a result of this decades-long conflict.

“I never wanted to see this situation become a topic of political division in Australia, but unfortunately, it has become just that. All I ask is that we don’t take sides.

“We must not forget our humanity and we must look for a solution.”

“A lot of people in this place and elsewhere know that I have been a long-time supporter of the Palestinian people,” Mr Coulton said in his earlier address to Parliament.

“Some years ago, I spent eight days on the West Bank. One of my former mayors, Al Karanouh from Coonamble, his family left their homes in the Nakba in 1948, and his siblings are scattered across the globe from a refugee camp in Lebanon, so, through Al, I’ve had a bit of an insight into what’s going on.

“Unfortunately, Hamas’s attack in October of last year has made it incredibly difficult to see a solution for that part of the world.

“One of the reasons that I have been a co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine is I desperately didn’t want this to become a political division in this country.

“Sadly, I’ve completely failed in that attempt.

“What I call the protest classes—the extremists—who might think they’re helping the Palestinian people are also doing enormous harm, because it’s an excuse not to worry about the deaths of nearly 30,000 people if the people that are speaking up for them and the ones that get the attention don’t have the credibility with the broader community.

“All I ask is that we don’t take sides, we look at a resolution for that area and that we understand that a child that is being killed by stray bullets, a child that is suffering from malnutrition and illness, is an innocent person regardless of whether they’re Israeli or Palestinian.

“And we must not forget our humanity and become a cheer squad for one side or the other in this country.

“We are not doing the people of the Middle East any favours. We need to have a measured approach. We need a ceasefire so that this can be sorted through.

“This is one of the most frustrating times in my 16 years in this place.

“I know it’s a long way away but, when you’ve been there and you’ve seen through your own eyes the conditions on the ground in that part of the world, you have a responsibility as a human being and as a Member of Parliament to try to do what you can to make a difference.

“I know I’m outnumbered on this issue, but I’m just asking people to think of the humanity rather than just taking sides.”