Cr Seema Abdullah put forward a motion with the following recommendations.
That council resolves to acknowledge that sections of the Greater Shepparton community are deeply impacted and grieving due to the human rights abuse of Palestinians and write a letter to the Federal Government to take the following actions:
- Condemn the indiscriminate bombing and attacks on hospitals, schools and refugee shelters that have resulted in the killing of thousands of civilians, including women and children, in Gaza
- Advocate for all Palestinian and Israeli hostages to be released
- Call for an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire and an end to incursions onto Palestinian land
- Recognise the State of Palestine
- Call for Israel to comply with its obligations under international law
- Call for the immediate lifting of the siege on Gaza to allow Palestinians in Gaza to have unlimited access to food, water, fuel, electricity, medical supplies and construction materials to repair damaged homes and civilian infrastructure.
- Increase funding to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and contribute generously to UNRWA's calls for emergency funding.
The recommendation was signed by Deputy Mayor Sam Spinks and Cr Dinny Adem as well as Cr Abdullah.
Cr Abdullah said the meeting was held after community members reached out to her regarding the conflict in Gaza.
“They (the community) expected the council to stand with them in condemning the renewed escalation of violation of human rights and this live-streamed ethnic cleansing,” she said.
“My responsibility is to listen to the community and bring forward issues that affect its wellbeing.”
Cr Ben Ladson said a prayer during his time.
“Dear Lord, I wish there was peace around the world. Amen,” he said.
Throughout the meeting, councillors shared feelings of sorrow for those in conflict, or affected by conflict.
However, a common theme was that it is not the jurisdiction of local government to make decisions related to international conflicts.
The motion was lost, with five councillors abstaining from voting, namely Cr Sali, Cr Brophy, Cr Ladson, Cr Dobson and Cr Summer.
Cr Greg James was absent from the meeting.
Cr Abdullah, Cr Spinks and Cr Dinny Adem voted for the motion.
Cr Brophy put forward a simplified version of the motion on the day of the meeting.
It recommended that the council acknowledge that sections of the Greater Shepparton community are deeply impacted due to events taking place in Gaza and Israel and note the Prime Minister of Australia’s joint statement that calls for an immediate ceasefire.
The joint statement from Anthony Albanese was signed on July 26 and was signed alongside the prime ministers of New Zealand and Canada.
The motion was carried, with all present councillors except Cr Abdullah voting for the recommendation.
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