Moving Forward Means Letting Go of the Past

Commentary The last week has seen a rare bipartisan approach to condemn a phrase that denotes hatred and incites violence. On May 15—Nakba Day, which commemorates the start of the war between Israel and its Arab neighbours in 1948—Western Australian Senator Fatima Payman described Israel’s military operation in Gaza as a “genocide.” She used the phrase, “From the river to the sea,” associated with the Palestinians’ desire to destroy Israeli statehood. This was widely condemned by, among others, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who pointed out that it was incompatible with the government’s two-state policy. The senator’s outburst may have relied, impliedly, on a report released by Amnesty International on Feb. 1, 2022....