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Sarah Hathway gave the following speech to the on April 26. She is the .

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The genocide in Gaza did not begin on October 7, 2023

Israel’s theft of land, its destruction of culture, the separation of families and a range of human rights abuses have been ongoing for more than 70 years — since the creation of the state in 1948.

Palestinians were driven off their land, entire villages destroyed in what is known as the Nakba or catastrophe.

In 1967 more than 300,000 Palestinians were forced out and more villages destroyed in what is known as the Six Day war.

But this is not a war, and it has gone on for more than 6 days. This is a 77-year long genocide that has escalated significantly in the last 18 months. More than 50,000 people have been murdered by US and other Western nations-backed Israeli violence that does not discriminate between, hospitals, schools, universities, places of worship, women, children or military targets.

The Israeli state is in the process of carrying out its on final solution — to wipe Gaza off the map; the West Bank will likely be next. It has made no secret that total annihilation of Palestine is its aim.

Just in the last week, I was accused publicly of advocating the annihilation of the only Jewish state in the world. So in return I asked: “Do you mean like Israel’s annihilation of Palestinians in the 1948 Nakba or the six day war or the 18-month intense genocide bombing of Gaza?”

Let’s be clear: There is a difference between calling for the Israeli state to be abolished, and the annihilation of a people. I have never heard any Palestinian or pro-Palestine solidarity activist call for the annihilation of Israeli citizens. However, the settler colonialist state of Israel should be abolished, with the land and reparations given to Palestinian families who have been displaced.

The Labor government is complicit, our local federal MP and Minister for War is complicit, Victorian Labor is complicit and Geelong City Council is complicit.

Local educational institutions, local manufacturing and supply lines are complicit because they support, give cover to, manufacture and supply the defence industry.

Why, in a housing affordability and cost-of-living crisis, am I so focused on the ongoing genocide in Gaza? Because every major institution is complicit in it.

Because despite a housing affordability crisis and cost-of-living crisis, there is bipartisan support for the $368 billion AUKUS nuclear submarine deal.

All of us have a moral imperative to oppose genocide using whatever platform and by whatever means we can. We cannot, and will not address, the existential threat of runaway climate change when we’re investing in genocide and war.