Senator Fatima Payman said in a news conference earlier on Thursday that she was resigning from Australia’s governing party “with a heavy heart but a clear conscience”, after it had indefinitely suspended her for pledging to rebel against the party line and support any motion recognising a Palestinian state.
Payman, who represents the state of Western Australia, voted at the end of June in support of a motion put forward by the Greens recognising Palestine, going against the will of the Labor party and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“We have all seen the bloodied images of young children losing limbs, being amputated without anesthetic, and starving as Israel continues its onslaught, livestreamed across the world,” Payman said in her Thursday news conference.
Payman, who was born in Afghanistan and arrived in Australia as an infant, said that her own personal history had inspired her choice to not back down on the Palestinian issue, despite pressure from party leaders.
“My family did not flee from a war-torn country to come here as refugees for me to remain silent when I see atrocities inflicted on innocent people,” she said.
Payman will continue to sit in the Senate as an independent.
Australian senator resigns from Labor party, refuses to compromise on Palestine
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