Wednesday, 18 February 2026

 Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (09:51): Last week on Thursday I stood with thousands of Victorians on the streets of Naarm / Melbourne to protest Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s red carpet treatment by the Premier of this state Jacinta Allan. We were told by the Labor government his visit would foster peace and bring unity, and Herzog himself claimed he was here to ‘bring the relations between our nations on a new beginning and a better future’. These words ring hollow coming from a man found to be inciting genocide against Palestinians in Gaza by the International Court of Justice. Having him here in Melbourne last week begs the question: where is the commitment of this government to accountability for grave violations of human rights? Instead, those of us demanding justice for genocide are told by Labor leaders to turn the temperature down. The New South Wales Premier refusing to apologise for the police force’s brutal and disrespectful treatment of praying Muslims and peaceful protesters and the lean towards censorship rather than discussing the reality of what is really going on speaks to a lack of moral courage by Labor governments across this country. Let us not forget: regardless of how you feel, Israel has committed and is still committing a genocide against Palestinians.