Australian lawmaker says she was denied right to introduce names of slain Palestinians in parliament

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) — An Australian opposition lawmaker on Tuesday claimed that the Labor government blocked her attempt to introduce the names of slain Palestinians in parliament.

Mehreen Faruqi, deputy leader of the Australian Greens, said she attempted to introduce the names of people killed by the state of Israel in Gaza in the Senate.

"I have been denied the right to table these names by the Labor government," she said on X.

"These are people whose lives, dreams and hopes have been extinguished by a brutal occupying force and Labor won't even let me table these names on to the Parliamentary record. We will not let them forget the Palestinians who have been massacred," said the senator.

Faruqi also urged a cease-fire and said there must be an end to this abhorrent violence.

Over a month into Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Australia’s Labor government has walked a tightrope, condemning Hamas, and backing a two-state solution, while also seeking an end to settler violence in the West Bank.

As the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip near their 40th day, at least 11,180 Palestinians have been killed, including over 7,700 women and children, and more than 28,200 others have been injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings including hospitals, mosques, and churches have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel's relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave since last month.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid