Ms Natasha Hausdorff:

Forgive me; it is Mr. Shatter. This is not simply symbolic. It gives succour to Hamas and worsens the situation the Deputy outlined earlier. Why would those Deputies and Senators who truly care about Palestinians or who at least profess to do so seek to extend their suffering and prolong this appalling situation by providing this sort of support to internationally proscribed terrorist organisations? It is not enough that Hamas celebrated the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion and other measures including those related to the South Africa's case at the ICJ. That speaks volumes as to the impact this sort of legislation will have, which is to worsen the situation both for Palestinians and Israelis. If that is the impact, then the only motivation for this can be antisemitic. It is not, as those proponents of the Bill profess it to be, to support Palestinians because it will only do the exact opposite.