Victorian Liberal leader's SOFT Hamas stance raises eyebrows

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Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto will face another tough day of questioning during his third day in the witness box in the defamation case brought by Moira Deeming.

The case took an unexpected turn yesterday when Pesutto was asked about his views on the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, resulting in a response that left many viewing the livestream on YouTube puzzled.

John Pesutto told court he wouldn’t kick someone out of the parliamentary Liberal Party for advocating “Oct 7 was a legitimate form of resistance”

But he kicked Moira Deeming out because her women's rights work made the party look bad

Pro Hamas✔️
Pro Women❌

Let that sink in

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) September 25, 2024

While under cross-examination by Sydney Senior Counsel Sue Chrysanthou, Pesutto was asked whether he considered the Hamas attacks, which led to the killing of Israeli civilians, as “legitimate acts of resistance.”

Instead of condemning the view outright, Pesutto's answer appeared bizarrely uncertain for a Liberal Party leader.

“It depends what disposition you bring to a sensitive issue,” he said, stressing the need for civility in debate.

When pressed further, Pesutto did not immediately agree that such views would warrant disciplinary action within the Liberal Party.

“It’s not a statement I agree with... But it doesn’t mean it’s outrageous or heretical or worthy of some kind of referral to the disciplinary processes,” he told the court.

Hamas is less offensive to Pesutto than Keen.

— Jessiemac aka Gargoyle of Beelzebub. 🇮🇱💛 (@emwijessie) September 25, 2024

This unexpected response drew attention, particularly given the controversy surrounding Deeming’s expulsion from the party earlier this year.

Pesutto's hesitation to condemn extreme views left many observers questioning his leadership approach on serious political issues. His rationale at times being seemingly more aligned with left-wing Labor positions than that of a conservative party leader as he continues to testify on his goal to 'reform' the state Liberal party, which is at odds with much of the party's loyal base.

It was a rough day for Pesutto, who was also grilled over failing to condemn violence against Deeming, a female MP in his own party, at the Let Women Speak rally where she and other women were assaulted on the steps of the Victorian Parliament.

Pesutto instead told the court of the evidence gathering he undertook in the aftermath of the rally, ahead of producing a dossier that was used to oust Deeming from the party room.

The trial continues in Melbourne today.