Mr McCLELLAND (Barton) (1.39 p.m.)—I have pleasure in also supporting the motion by my colleague the member for Cook, whom I joined on that trip to Israel earlier this year. We met with representatives of the Israeli parliament, as he indicated, and also representatives of the Palestinian Authority. I would also like to acknowledge my electorate’s historical connection to the establishment of the state of Israel through Dr Evatt. When he was the leader of the Palestinian commission recommending the establishment of the state of Israel, he was in fact the member for Barton.

This parliament has perhaps a limited role in establishing peace in the Middle East, but what we can do is acknowledge courage. It is all too easy in politics to speak to an audience in terms of what the audience wants to hear. It is even worse—arguably evil—to attempt to exploit fear and prejudice for political advantage. To do that does not involve political courage; it is arguably political cowardice. In that context, I think we should acknowledge the leadership of the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. His was a tremendously courageous decision to undertake the process of disengagement from the Gaza region. As the member for Cook indicated, when we visited the Knesset we could certainly sense the extent of controversy that decision evoked, given the emotion and anger. Indeed, there was open talk of the prospect of civil war occurring as a result of that decision. Nonetheless, the decision was made and with leadership it was followed through and the process effectively undertaken. I have no particular affinity with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon but I must acknowledge the courage of that decision.

Equally, from the point of view of establishing a viable Palestinian state, encouragement must be given to the Palestinian leader Abu Mazen. It has been argued that the various roadblocks that existed in Gaza were an impediment to the Palestinian Authority security forces enforcing the rule of law, so the disengagement from the Gaza region now puts the weights very much on the Palestinian Authority in terms of what they can achieve in establishing the rule of law, which is absolutely essential to the progress of any modern nation. We note with encouragement that the Palestinian Authority has been prepared to take action against those militants who have insisted on carrying weapons in public. The next step must be a concerted effort to disarm the terrorist organisations.

We saw in our own region that peace could not be established in the Solomon Islands until there was a wholesale commitment to the process of disarming the groups in that country that would engage in acts of terror. Similarly, that has to be the situation in terms of the commitment of Abu Mazen to actually disarm the terrorist organisations. Unless and until that is done, his own security cannot be assured. Certainly the ability of Palestinian people to go about normal life and the ability of those people to develop as a nation and prosper depend very much on that commitment to establishing the rule of law. The international community can assist by providing particular expertise. We can also assist by providing encouragement. As my colleague Mr Turnbull indicated, the international community can also assist by saying that the language of violence, the language of intolerance and incitement to acts of terrorism must stop. They must stop as part of the wholesale effort to help the Palestinian Authority restore the rule of law and end these abhorrent terrorist acts, which we all condemn. Finally, I would like to join my colleagues, obviously as a result of my comments, in disociating myself from the member for Fowler’s comments earlier this month. (Time expired)