Under questioning,Burke avoided a debate about language used to describe the conflict – such as genocide or apartheid – but did not reject those terms,instead saying he would focus on what was happening to individuals. He referenced Israel’s defence minister declaring a complete siege on Gaza and using the term “human animals”.
The arts and employment minister,who has represented the western Sydney seat of Watson since 2004,said people in his electorate were receiving images of death and destruction from overseas family members over WhatsApp every day.
“I had a professional woman say to me the other day,she has never seen so many images of dead babies in her life. Often the images they’re seeing turn out to be of people they know,” he said.
“If I go through the suburbs,across from Belmore,Lakemba,where I live in Punchbowl,through to Bankstown – pretty much everybody knows somebody who has lost someone.”
He said there was nowhere in Australia where the colours of Palestinians had been acknowledged as worthy of grief until Canterbury-Bankstown Council in his electorate chose to fly the Palestinian flag – a decision he supported.
On Friday night,nine Palestinian flags were raised in Melbourne’s Federation Square,ahead of a vigil.
“It’s a flag that gives people the chance to know that there is recognition and not selective grief,” Burke said. “We can’t say we only grieve for certain people who are slaughtered.”
As public debate and protests erupted over the lighting of monuments in Israeli colours,Burke said he “absolutely respected” there being places where people could grieve with the Israeli flag and colours. But he saidthe Opera House in particular was an arts and cultural precinct,“and it’s sensible for us to start getting back to that”.
Fellow cabinet minister Bill Shorten told Sky News it was really important that “Australia’s political leaders build social cohesion”.
“I’m very clear,and the government’s been very clear,Hamas’s attack 20 days ago against Israel was atrocious. It was barbaric. It was unjustified in the extreme.”
“I think I know that colleagues have been expressing sympathy for the plight of Palestinian citizens. I have too. Whether or not a particular flag flies at a particular council,it doesn’t worry me.”
Burke’s comments sparked fury among Israeli and Jewish groups. Alex Ryvchin,of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry,said his remarks were “irresponsible and inflammatory and put him out of step with his own cabinet”.
“Every human life has equal value. But not every death is equal,” Ryvchin said.
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“The deliberate slaughter of families in their homes,sexual torture followed by execution,and burning alive of children cannot be compared to the tragic but unavoidable civilian casualties which occur when the army of a civilised country is trying to free 220 captives and defeat a sadistic terrorist force.”
National security agencies remain concerned that angry rhetoric around the war risks heightening domestic tensions. They have also warned that an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza and increased brutality will harden attitudes in Australia and raise the risk of spontaneous violence both domestically and overseas,in Muslim-majority nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia,as well as in Europe and the Middle East.
There has been no increase to the local threat level,which remains “possible”:authorities have seen examples of low-level defacement and graffiti but have not detected any plans for violence,and have advised there would have to be sustained tensions and multiple incidents before they lifted it to “probable”.
But in background briefings conducted off the record to provide context,they say that could quickly change and their concerns about social cohesion are focused on cities on the eastern seaboard,including,but not limited to,western Sydney.
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Officials at a national security briefing said the international effort to evacuate foreign citizens through the Rafah border crossing remains exceedingly difficult. Egypt was concerned about Palestinian refugee camps,Israel did not want aid making its way to Hamas,while Hamas saw an opportunity to exploit the situation with 7000 foreign nationals unable to leave.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong on Friday repeated her call for more than 15,000 Australians in Lebanon toleave as soon as they can.
“The Australian government has serious concerns over the volatile security situation in Lebanon and the risk of the situation deteriorating further,” she said. Only about 500 Australians had registered with the government on Friday,and about a quarter want to leave.