Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly said the email proved the Greens had politicised the conflict, echoing remarks from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week.
“This shows what the Greens have always been about – manipulating distress over Gaza for their own benefit,” she said.
Minister Anne Aly.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“They call for donations from people upset about the terrible plight of Palestinians and then use that money to advance their own careers.”
A spokesman for Waters said that “donations are a matter for the party”.
A separate spokesperson for the NSW branch said the email was about drawing people to a rally and “for those who couldn’t make it, people could support the Greens’ efforts to push Labor to end the two-way arms trade with Israel … via donation”.
“Labor is desperate to distract from the fact that Anthony Albanese’s government continues to profit off the two-way arms trade with Israel, sending F-35 parts that support the IDF’s genocide, and have billions of dollars of contracts with Israeli weapons manufacturers,” the NSW Greens spokesperson said.
“While the Greens are happy to be supported by people who want to see peace, Labor continues to accept donations from weapons manufacturers, including those profiting off Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
Labor has repeatedly stated the Greens’ claims about weapons trading with Israel were based on falsehoods.
The Greens and Labor have been in a bitter dispute over the government’s response to the Gaza war for much of the two years since Hamas’ incursion into Israel.
Under former leader Adam Bandt, the Greens frequently claimed Labor was “complicit in genocide”, placing the Middle East conflict at the centre of its campaign against the government.
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The Greens lost three of its four lower house seats at the May election, including Bandt’s seat of Melbourne. Commentators attributed the losses to a collapse in the Liberal vote assisting Labor in some seats, a co-ordinated right-wing campaign against the Greens, and emphasis on Gaza instead of the housing crisis.
Labor gradually shifted its position as public opinion drifted away from Israel, placing sanctions on far-right Israeli ministers and joining a global push to recognise Palestinian statehood. Labor claimed this push added momentum to the US-brokered peace plan.
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