The Australian Labor Party – now in government – indefinitely suspended Senator Fatima Peyman from her seat in the chamber for announcing her support for a Green Party motion to recognise a Palestinian state.
According to the information received from ABC News AustraliaReleased this Sunday (30), Peyman’s support for efforts to recognize Palestinian independence has provoked controversy within his own party.
Prime Minister and party leader Anthony Albanese then decided to revoke the rights of Peyman – the elected congresswoman – to participate in the plenary discussions.
Penman described her departure from Parliament as the “hardest thing” she had faced in her life: “Every step is like a kilometre, but I know I’m not alone.”
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“I have walked among my fellow citizens of Western Australia who have stopped me in the streets and told me not to give up,” the senator remarked. “I have spoken to ordinary members of the Labor Party who have told me we need to do more.”
He said, “I have always acted in accordance with the core values of my Labour Party – equality, justice and protection of the voiceless and oppressed”.
The Green Party’s proposal to recognise the State of Palestine – in line with a global wave that has reached Europe – was rejected by the Senate after being presented for a second time on 25 June.
In 2022, Peyman became the first Australian senator to wear the Islamic veil (hijab), when she defended the recognition of the national rights of the Palestinian people in her own party, until then in a solitary manner.
