STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Mr ZAPPIA (Makin) (13:31): Yesterday I visited the Wall of Tears banner that was on display on the front lawns of Parliament House. The banner lists the names and includes some photographs of the 18,457 Palestinian children killed between October 2023 and July 2025 by the Israeli attacks on Palestine. Around 300 more children have died since then.

These were innocent children who had no role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and whose lives were cut short in such a brutal way—just as were the 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas on 7 October 2023. Other Palestinian children who survived the bombings and shootings have undoubtedly been left with lifelong psychological and even physical injuries. The banner is a sad reminder of the levels of Palestinian human loss, suffering and daily violation they endure while much of the world looks away, perhaps weary from decades of conflict.

Palestinians continue to live as oppressed people, having their homes and land taken from them by ever-encroaching illegal Israeli settlements. Around the world, people are increasingly condemning the Netanyahu government and calling for international responses. A two-state solution is the best prospect for peace between Palestine and Israel, but there will be diminishing hope of achieving that if the Palestinians are driven from their homes or left with no land to call home.