Just days after the United States used its veto power to scuttle a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, the prime ministers of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada have issued a rare joint statement saying all three countries are in favour of the proposal.
Australia has also voted in favour of a ceasefire in the UN General Assembly, after abstaining from voting on the issue in October.
In their joint statement issued on Dec. 13, Anthony Albanese, Christopher Luxon, and Justin Trudeau said they regretted the pause in fighting last month.
“We want to see this pause resumed and support urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire,” they said.
“This cannot be one-sided. Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms.
Hamas Has ‘No Role to Play’ in Gaza Governance
The statement also condemns Israeli settler violence and supports the right of Palestinians to self-determination.
However, the three leaders are clear that they believe Hamas has no role to play in the future governance of Gaza. The Australian and Canadian governments both consider Hamas a terrorist organisation, while New Zealand authorities have applied that designation only to the group’s military wing.
The leaders went on to say they “recognise Israel’s right to exist and right to defend itself” but added, “In defending itself, Israel must respect international humanitarian law ... The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa that he had “a very long conversation” with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Dec. 12 about Canada’s position on the Gaza conflict, and its commitment towards a two-state solution for the region.
Opposition Parties: Goes Too Far; Doesn’t Go Far Enough
Australian Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Birmingham said the statement was “in some ways, [trying] to be all things to all people” and that Israel was undertaking a military operation, and that “came with a loss of life.”“We all want to see an end to human suffering, but nobody should want to see a situation where there is a premature end, and ultimately, Hamas simply regroups, rearms, and recommits the types of atrocities that happened on October 7,” he told the ABC.
New Zealand opposition leader Chris Hipkins welcomed the statement but expressed that, “there’s still room for New Zealand to go further.”
New UN Resolution
Following the release of the statement, Australia and Canada joined New Zealand in voting in an emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly in favour of a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.This represented a change in position for both Australia and Canada.
The three countries were among 153 nations which voted in favour of the resolution, with 10 voting against and 23 abstaining. The vote is non-binding but is seen as an expression of the views of the international community and will increase pressure on Israel to scale back its military campaign.
For Canada, the move represented a reversal of its long-standing position of voting with Israel on major UN resolutions.
Back in October, Australia abstained during a vote on a similar motion, arguing the language was “incomplete” because it did not mention Hamas as the perpetrator of the Oct. 7 attack.
Australia’s ambassador to the UN, James Larsen, characterised today’s vote as an “evolution” of Australia’s position.
Biden Cautions Netanyahu
However, President Joe Biden has recently begun taking a firmer stance toward Israel over the conflict, telling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel risks losing international support because of “indiscriminate bombing.”Mr. Biden expressed doubts about whether the country’s staunchest conservative leaders fully comprehend the message.
Speaking at a fundraiser for his re-election campaign recently, Mr. Biden said “Israel has a tough decision to make. Bibi has a tough decision to make.”
He even went as far as to suggest that Mr. Netanyahu “has to change his government. His government in Israel is making it very difficult.”
Pointing out that Israel receives support not just from the United States but also from the European Union and “most of the world,” Mr. Biden warned that “they’re starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place.”
