Senator Lidia Thorpe says she ‘stands with Palestine’ as the Israel-Hamas conflict rages

Senator Thorpe made her stance on the conflict clear in a post on the social media platform X on Sunday night, writing “I stand with Palestine!”

The tweet was accompanied with a controversial map of Israel, appearing to show the gradual dispossession of “Palestine land” over several decades.

“Unprovoked They said [sic],” the caption of the map reads.

Many were quick to condemn the senator on social media, pointing to the atrocities unfolding after Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist militant group, attacked Israel on Saturday.

“The most appalling public statement you’ve ever made, and that’s saying something,” wrote Sky News columnist Will Kingston.

Others pointed out that women had been “kidnapped raped and brutalised” in the conflict.

“Stand with Palestine but not for Hamas,” said another.

Contentious map

Others on social media claimed the map shared by Senator Thorpe was false.

An article published by Australia Israel and Jewish Affairs Council notes similar maps such as those shared by Senator Thorpe, were “riddled with misrepresentations and omissions”.

“Their overall narrative is an outright lie,” it reads.

Pointing out the inaccuracies, the article claimed: “While the small patches may correspond reasonably accurately with the land then privately held by Jews, the rest of the map is a lie. “The totality of the remaining area was not in any sense “Palestinian”, whether this refers to ownership, control, or even simply habitation.”

‘Violent occupation of Palestine’

It’s not the first time Senator Thorpe has thrown her support behind Palestine.

Last month she called on Australia to recognise the sovereignty of the Palestinian people in a speech before the Senate.

“I rise to condemn the violent occupation of Palestine, the brutality of the colonial power that is Israel and their state-sanctioned murder of the Palestinian people,” she said.

“In 2022, Israeli forces murdered more than 170 Palestinians, including 53 children. Since the start of 2023, 160 lives have been taken, including 35 children.”

She added the Australian government must call on Israel to “end the illegal occupation”.

“This government must recognise sovereignty abroad and at home, recognise the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over all the land taken since 1967 and call for the Israeli government to end the illegal occupation.”

Israel formally declared war on Hamas Sunday following the surprise attack by Hamas militants.

The death toll from the conflict has surged above 1000, with officials reporting at least 413 deaths in Gaza and thousands more wounded across the war zone. At least 100 have been taken hostage.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the nation was in for a “long and difficult” war.

“Israel was caught flat-footed by the unprecedented attack,” said Jonathan Panikoff, director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative. “I’ve heard multiple comparisons to 9/11, and many Israelis are struggling to understand how this could have happened.”