Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Foreign Minister Penny Wong has not called for a ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hamas.
On Nov. 12, Ms. Wong told ABC insiders that a ceasefire “must be agreed between the parties,” and that Israel should stop attacking hospitals, in accordance with international law.
“I think the international community, looking at what is occurring at hospitals, would say to Israel, these are facilities protected under international law, and we want you to do so,” she said.
“How Israel defends itself matters, and when we affirm Israel’s right to defend itself what we are also saying is Israel must comply and observe international humanitarian law.”
The Coalition and Jewish groups criticised her remarks, saying they go against the Labor government’s strong support for Israel.
On Nov. 14, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton questioned Mr. Albanese during Question Time asking if her statements aligned with the government’s position.
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In response, the prime minister said Ms. Wong “did not” ask Israel for a ceasefire, and that her comments were perfectly consistent with “the motion that was moved in this parliament that was supported by the opposition on the floor of this parliament.”
He referred to the motion he moved in the House last month condemning Hamas, which received support from all federal MPs except the Greens.
Mr. Albanese also said he supported “a principled way of moving forward” while condemning Hamas’ attacks on Israel.
“[The motion] asserted Israel’s right to defend itself. It also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. It condemned anti-semitism,” he said.
“It acknowledged the devastating loss of Israeli and Palestinian life and that innocent civilians on all sides are suffering as a result of the attacks by Hamas and the subsequent conflict.”
“This was backed up by the foreign minister yesterday,” he said.
Dutton Pushes Albanese on Consistency
However, Mr Dutton criticised the prime minister for answering about the motion rather than Ms Wong’s “reckless comments.”“The question was: Is this the government’s position? Can the prime minister provide a straight answer?” he said.
In response, Mr. Albanese defended Ms Wong’s call to protect civilian lives and observe international law.
“The opposition voted for that a few weeks ago. Is that not their position now?” he said.
The debate comes after the Israeli government formally declared war against the terrorist group Hamas following a deadly coordinated strike against Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 that resulted in 1,200 deaths, according to Israeli forces.
Since then, the Israeli military has launched counterstrikes that have allegedly killed 11,240 Palestinians, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women.
“Humanitarian ceasefire, fuel supplies—all of these should be happening now. We are running out of time before really facing major disaster,” UN Humanitarian Affairs Head Andrea De Domenico said.
‘Very Dangerous and Inflammatory,’ Shadow Minister Says
The Question Time debate sparked calls for the government to lead responsibly.Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Patterson said the comments were “dangerous.”
“For the foreign minister to accuse Israel of attacking hospitals and for other ministers and the government to leave open the possibility that Israel is guilty of genocidal war crimes is a very dangerous and inflammatory thing to do when we should be urging calm,” he told Sky News.
Further, he was concerned the government’s lead would mean “something terrible happening in this country” and “all the signs are there” for that to happen.
Meanwhile, Zionist Federation Bren Caril called for more decisive government action.
“I want to hear from the Australian government clear, unambiguous support for Israel’s right and obligation to remove Hamas from power,” he said.
He said the “horror and outrage” should be directed at Hamas, who are “legally and morally” responsible for the conflict’s impact on civilians.
Some Support a Ceasefire
There is brewing support for Australia to back a ceasefire from some quarters of society.Australia, among 45 countries other countries, has abstained from voting for a ceasefire because the motion did not directly condemn Hamas for the Oct. 7 attacks.
However, the Refugee Council asked the government to back an immediate ceasefire on Nov. 10.
The council also asked for the release of all hostages, for humanitarian corridors to open and for aid to the people suffering in Gaza.
The Australian Greens agreed the government must back the United Nation’s call for an immediate ceasefire.
Greens Deputy Leader Mehreen Faruqi said, “Supporting the United Nations call for a ceasefire is one of the most basic steps the Australian government could take. Why has it not happened already? The violence, the war crimes and the illegal occupation must end.”
However, former Prime Minister Scott Morrison told SBS News a ceasefire could allow Hamas to take control.
“Do we allow a pause in a ceasefire to allow Hamas to regroup?” he asked. “I mean, this is the play from Hamas, and we’ve got to be careful not to be suckered into it,” he said.
