Displaced Palestinians receive food aid at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
Displaced Palestinians receive food aid at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees AFP

In a major break from the Labor Party stance, Senator Fatima Payman urged the government to put sanctions on the Israeli government and denounced Israel's conduct in Gaza as genocide.

Speaking to an audience in Canberra on Wednesday, Payman said the government representatives were making "performative gestures" that, in her opinion, put oppressors' rights ahead of the oppressed.

In her address, Payman called for sanctions and divestment from Israel. The phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" was a political declaration that she made to demonstrate her support for the Palestinian cause further and has garnered criticism from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, The Guardian reported.

"This is a genocide and we need to stop pretending otherwise. The lack of clarity, moral confusion, and indecisiveness is eating at the heart of this nation," SBS News quoted her, as saying.

The International Court of Justice has recognized the gravity of the situation in Gaza by upholding the veracity of accusations of Israel's genocide. The court ordered Israel to take action to safeguard the Palestinian people, even though it did not rule definitively on the issue.

This occurred amid increased criticism of Israel's policies, especially in the wake of events like the tragic death of Australian humanitarian worker Zomi Frankcom from an Israeli attack.

Payman called on her colleagues to "stand up for what is right" and supported Australia's imposition of sanctions, divestment from Israel, suspension of commerce, and promotion of a permanent ceasefire.