Sydney’s Hands off Jerusalem Rally for Palestine

By The Hon. Shaoquett Moselmane

The Protest was organised by The Solidarity Committee with the Palestine in Sydney and the Palestine Action Group.

This was an open invitation to all to participate in the protest against the Trump Declaration.

This is my speech at the rally:

• Good afternoon to you all and I acknowledge each and every one of you who are here and I want to give special thanks to the Solidarity committee and Palestine Action Group for organising this rally. 

• My name is Shaoquett Moselmane and I am a Labor member of the NSW Legislative Council.

• It is an honour and a privilege for me to speak at this rally.

• Before I begin though, I would like to acknowledge the traditional Owners of this land and Pay my respects to their elders Past and present. 

• And I would like to extend that acknowledgement to any member of the Indigenous community that may be here with us today.

• I state at the outset, that we reject Trumps Jerusalem declaration.

• We reject it because it violates the right of the Palestinian people to their eternal capital

• We reject it because it opens up yet another chapter in a century of colonialism.

• Let us make it absolutely clear and declare that Jerusalem was, is and will always be the capital of Palestine. 

• Join me in making that declaration…..Jerusalem is… was… and will always be the capital of Palestine.

• No one has the right to give away what is not theirs.

• Not the President of the United States not the United Nations.

• In fact the United Nations has since 1980 condemned Israel’s attempt to annex East Jerusalem.

• I am proud to say today that even Australia along with all nations around the globe, have taken a clear and unambiguous stance against the Presidents declaration.

• Trumps declaration has meant that the United States, under this President, can no longer be seen as the honest broker. 

• No longer a mediator.

• What Trump has done is trash decades of peace negotiations.

• To many around the world, He has exposed the peace process as a complete charade and the US role for what it is, neither honest nor fair. 

• Today we condemn the Trump Declaration as we continue to condemn the Balfour Declaration.

• The Palestinians have suffered Al-Nakba of 48 must not suffer a second Nakba in 2017.

• Ladies and gentlemen,

• No matter how hard the occupation tries, they will never eradicate Palestine from the Palestinian consciousness.

• Those who think that Palestinian outrage will die down once the “days of anger” are over, are mistaken,

• The Palestinians are a people with a fighting spirit.

• They are a strong willed people.

• They’ve endured 70 years of occupation they will endure 70 years more but will never give up.

• Justice is on their side and justice will prevail.

• We salute them for their tenacity.

• We salute them for their perseverance.

• No one has a right to force a people off their land.

• No people should be made to forfeit, surrender or relinquish their right to their land. 

• Because land is identity.

• Land is survival. 

• Without their land the Palestinians as a people will cease to exist.

• As a member of the Australian Labor party, I affirm Labor’s support for a just two-state solution, based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the Capital of Palestine. 

• For me any agreement must provide a solution to the Palestinian Refugees and ensure their right of return.

• Peace must not be at the expense of the Palestinian People in Israel, in the occupied territories and in the diaspora.

• For Peace to happen, the occupation force must abide by international law,

• It must abide by UN Security Council resolutions

• It must stop settlements and it must come to the table with clean hands.

• The people of the Middle East have never cowered to their authoritarian governments - In fact, they’ve never trusted their governments. 

• That is why forces of resistance are today on the rise and they are on the rise right across the Arab world.

• And so Israel must now heed the calls for peace.

• Once again we reject and condemn the Trump declaration.

• And we declare that Jerusalem is… was…and will always be the eternal capital of Palestine.

• We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people

• And we continue to stand with them in their struggle for their right to an independent Palestinian State. 

• To Trump and to Netanyahu we say : 

• Hands off ….Hands of Jerusalem ….Hands off Palestine.

…………………