Lydia Thorpe has come under attack after publicly voicing her support for Palestine as the brutal Israel-Hamas conflict in the Middle East continues.
The controversial senator made her stance on the violent clash clear in a post on social media platform X on Sunday night.
“I stand with Palestine!” she wrote.
The post featured a disputed map of Israel, which appears to show the gradual dispossession of ‘Palestinian land’ over more than 60 years.
“Unprovoked they said (sic),” Ms Thorpe wrote in the caption.
Senator and non-activist Lidia Thorpe supported Palestine in a post on social media platform X on Sunday
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas launched its biggest attack on Israel in years early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets from Gaza and sending fighters across the border.
Israel said it was on a war footing and launched its own attacks against Hamas targets in Gaza, with Israeli media reporting gun battles between Palestinian militant gangs and security forces in southern Israel.
The death toll from the conflict has soared past 1,000, with officials reporting at least 413 deaths in Gaza and thousands more injured across the war zone, while at least 100 have been taken hostage.
Many social media users were quick to condemn Ms Thorpe, pointing to the horror unfolding overseas.
“Most appalling public statement you’ve ever made, and that’s saying something,” wrote Sky News columnist Will Kingston.
“You are a despicable terrorist sympathizer,” said another.
Others pointed out that women had been ‘abducted and raped and brutalized’ in the conflict.
“You stand in front of rapes and murders of women. You are foul”, wrote one.
“Stand with Palestine, but not with Hamas,” said another.
The outspoken senator came under fire online for her stance and for sharing what many have said is a fake map of Israel.
Others weighed in on comments to point out that the map shared by Senator Thorpe was inaccurate.
An article by Australia’s Israel and Jewish Affairs Council notes that maps similar to those shared by Thorpe were ‘riddled with misinterpretations and omissions’.
“Their overall narrative is a complete lie,” it said.
While small portions may correspond with reasonable accuracy to the land then privately held by the Jews, the rest of the map is a lie.
The entirety of the remaining area was not in any sense ‘Palestinian’, whether this refers to ownership, control, or even mere habitation.’
The tweet is not the first time Senator Thorpe has voiced her support for Palestine.
In a speech to the Senate last month, she called on Australia to recognize the sovereignty of the Palestinian people.
“I rise to condemn the violent occupation of Palestine, the brutality of the colonial power that is Israel and their state-sanctioned killing of the Palestinian people,” she said.
“In 2022, Israeli forces killed more than 170 Palestinians, including 53 children. Since the beginning of 2023, 160 lives have been taken, including 35 children.
The death toll from the conflict has risen above 1,000, with officials reporting at least 413 deaths in Gaza and thousands more injured across the war zone.
She urged the Australian government to call on Israel to end its illegal occupation.
“This government must recognize sovereignty abroad and domestically, recognize the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over all land taken since 1967, and call on the Israeli government to end the illegal occupation.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Sunday condemned Hamas attacks against Israel, describing the conflict as a ‘very dark 24 hours’.
“This is a despicable attack on Israel. This is without distinction. Civilians are being targeted, killed and killed, and also, many of them have been taken hostage,” he told the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.
“Of course, people are worried about escalation, but Israel has the right to defend itself and will do so.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the nation was in for a ‘long and difficult’ struggle.
(tagsTranslate) daily mail(s) news(s) Australia(s) Palestine(s) Israel