SYDNEY: The leader of Australia’s opposition party was told to “stop being racist” by another lawmaker during a debate on Thursday in which he stated that Australia should not take in any refugees from the Gaza Strip.
Independent parliamentarian Zali Steggall expressed these remarks during a speech criticizing centre-right Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton for his call this week to ban refugees from the Gaza Strip.
The heated talks in parliament mirrors how disagreements over Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip are spilling into society.
Since October 7, Israel has launched a brutal bombardment campaign in the Gaza Strip killing more than 39,965 Palestinians, mostly women and children, Gaza’s health ministry said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani emphasized the need for restraint from all parties involved in the Gaza conflict during a phone call on Wednesday.
The two leaders warned that no regional actor should take actions that could jeopardize the upcoming ceasefire talks set to take place in Qatar.
