Peter Dutton ‘won’t be silenced’ on Gaza ban; Israel wipes out over half of Hamas as truce talks start
Peter Dutton has said he won’t back down on his push for a total ban on Gaza refugees, and declared he is “not a racist”, as Israel touted it killed more than half of Hamas as truce talks began.
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Peter Dutton has said he won’t back down on his push for a total ban on Gaza refugees and declared he is “not a racist”.
The Opposition Leader told Nine’s Today Show that Australia has to be “very careful”.
“They brought people in on tourist visas like if you’re coming from New Zealand or from the UK, it’s without precedent,” Mr Dutton said.
“It’s another decision of Andrew Giles, who since has been sacked.
“I just think we need to be very careful. We’re a generous country and we’re a great country because of migration, but you need to manage our migration program well.”
He also told Sky News he would not be silenced by Zali Steggall, who told federal parliament he should “stop being racist” on Thursday.
“I’m not a racist and I’m not going to be standing here as a punching bag for people like Zali Steggall. I think, ironically, them calling out people unjustly … and unnecessarily is racist,” Mr Dutton said.
Ms Steggall defended her description of Mr Dutton as racist, despite recent wanrings from ASIO for all Australians about the language used around such issues.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie also clashed with Ms Steggall over whether Australia should be granting visas to Palestinians from Gaza.
“For Zali to seed violence and hatred by her comments and stir up that type of discord at this particular time shows that she’s completely ignoring the director general of ASIO’s admonishment to us as leaders to actually take the temperature down,” Senator Bridget McKenzie said.
“The reality is they only go to ASIO, these (Palestinian visa) applicants, if there’s a trigger in the process, and the government is refusing to guarantee that every applicant has been through an ASIO process.”
Ms Steggall said: “Even just the words that Bridget just used around the idea that we would be importing terrorists, that infers (and) paints an incredible aspersion on people seeking support.”
“It’s not inflammatory to call out behaviour that is divisive. Peter Dutton is dangerous.
“It is outrageous to suggest that it is okay to behave in a racist manner, or support a racist policy, but not okay to call it out.”
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ISRAEL SAYS IT’S WIPED OUT MORE THAN HALF OF HAMAS
The Israeli military has declared it has killed more than 17,000 Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip since the war began, with US officials saying the Jewish state has achieved “the vast majority” of its goals.
IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said about 56 per cent of Hamas’ estimated 30,000 forces have been wiped out since the October 7 massacre, impacting the terror group’s ability to regroup and recover.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the US will continue to assist Israel to stop and wipe out Hamas.
“Hamas is not just a military organisation. It is also an ideology, which still does not believe in the existence of the State of Israel, an ideology which continues to persist in the warped idea that what happened on the 7th of October ought to be able to happen again,” Kirby said.
“So we’re going to continue to make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against that threat.”
TRUCE TALKS CONTINUES WITHOUT HAMAS
It comes as Hamas said any Gaza ceasefire deal must involve the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from the embattled territory.
Truce talks involving CIA director William Burns opened in the Qatari capital Doha, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
Hamas official Osama Hamdan said the movement did not take part in the meeting but stood ready to join the indirect negotiations if they produced new commitments from Israel.
“Any agreement must achieve a comprehensive ceasefire, a complete (Israeli) withdrawal from Gaza, (and) the return of the displaced,” Badran said in a statement after truce talks resumed in Doha.
“Today is a promising start,” Kirby told reporters in Washington, who downplayed Hamas’ withdrawal, adding: “There remains a lot of work to do.” The talks were expected to continue on Friday local time, he said.
“In the past, it has worked very similar to how it’s working in Doha today, where mediators will sit and discuss, work things out, and then those mediators will be in touch with Hamas, and then Hamas leaders in Doha communicate directly with Mr Sinwar for final answers,” Kirby said.
The Palestinian Islamist group has demanded the implementation of a truce plan laid out in late May by US President Joe Biden.
The latest diplomatic push comes as the health ministry in Gaza said the death toll in the besieged Palestinian territory had surpassed 40,000.
‘STOP BEING RACIST’: DUTTON GAZA BAN SPARKS FURY
Mr Dutton’s call for a total ban on arrivals from Gaza has sparked fury among federal parliament MPs as the Albanese government plans to create a new visa scheme for Palestinians refugees.
Independent MP Zali Steggall attacked Mr Dutton after he repeatedly interrupted her as she spoke about a Palestinian man in her electorate, who come to a Australia as a refugee under the former Coalition government, when Mr Dutton led home affairs.
“He had come to Australia under a visa approved by the Morrison government under the same systems,” she said.
As Mr Dutton interrupted her, she said: “We heard you in silence. You can hear me in silence. Stop being racist!”
Senator Jacqui Lambie also lashed him for showing “bad leadership”.
“Peter Dutton, that is really bad leadership. All you’re doing is heightening the tempo here and you will trigger events here that we don’t want,” she said.
“I now believe the way he has handled this in the last few days has heightened the situation here in Australia. He’s been a part of that.”
She said the Coalition went “too far”, adding “we don’t want to see terrorists here, and we don’t want to see sympathisers to those terrorists”.
“The government needs to know that if they’re not vetting properly because they’re also under the pump, because if something does happen here, it’s going to be the Labor Party (that has to deal with it) who people already believe is soft on national security.
“So lift your game, lift your vetting, and make sure that people here are feeling secure.”
Mr Dutton moved a motion to suspend standing orders and debate Palestinian visas instead when the debate got heated.
Nationals Leader David Littleproud was also interrupted by Greens environment spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young who walked by and said: “Why don’t you say something about the children being slaughtered?” in the parliamentary press gallery while he was facing questions from reporters.
Mr Dutton told Sky News on Wednesday: “I don’t think people should be coming in through that war zone at all at the moment. It puts our national security at risk.”
New figures obtained by Sky News revealed there were 10,033 applications by holders of a Palestinian Authority travel document for visas into Australia since the October 7 attacks, and 7,111 applications have been refused.
Coalition MPs on Tuesday wrote to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke demanding he ensure no known supporters of Hamas could enter Australia.
Currently, any evidence of financial or material support for Hamas would affect a refugee’s visa application.
But the Coalition wants to go further and ensure any rhetorical support for the terrorist organisation should also be considered.
Anthony Albanese has dismissed the call by saying: “This bloke always seeks to divide – even on a morning like today,” Mr Albanese told the ABC.
“We take our advice from the Director General of ASIO and the security agencies, not from someone always looking for a fight, always looking for division.”
FEARS AUSSIE WAR GRAVES IN GAZA DAMAGED
The RSL said it is looking into reports of Australian war graves damaged in Gaza amid Israel’s war on Hamas.
The Gaza War Cemetery has around 260 Australian soldiers buried in the Commonwealth Gaza War Cemetery and over 3600 of other soldiers from across Britain, Canada, India and New Zealand, casualties from two world wars.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), an international consortium of which Australia is a member tasked with ensuring the graves of soldiers are maintained.
However, there have been reports of damage to the graves during Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
The RSL said the situation in Gaza is tragic, and it wishes to see the release of hostages and an end to the fighting as soon as possible.
“There have been unverified reports of damage to some graves, however the current conflict between Israel and Hamas makes it impossible to confirm this,” RSL said in a statement.
“The RSL will continue to monitor the situation and maintain liaison with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Australian Government.”
Last month, a series of images produced by Canadian geospatial firm SkyWatch showed the Gaza War Cemetery and its surrounds had been heavily damaged.
“When the Albanese Labor Government exerts no pressure on those who commit war crimes, they just continue committing war crimes. The desecration of war graves by Israel is another example of this,” Greens Senator David Shoebridge said last month.
“When you look at these pictures it is important to zoom out and see the surrounding damage with homes, farms, workplaces, in fact entire communities destroyed.
“Make no mistake, the State of Israel hit these war graves because it could, because there would be no punishment from Australia or the UK. It has made Gaza into a gravesite for the same reasons.”
Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials say Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip and into Wednesday killed at least 17 people, including five children and their parents.
The strikes came on the eve of new talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the 10-month war. The United States, Qatar and Egypt are hoping to broker an agreement, but the sides remain far apart on several issues after months of indirect negotiations.
A top Hamas official has told media the group is losing faith in the US as a mediator in the Gaza ceasefire talks.
The negotiations between Hamas and Israel are set to resume on Thursday local time in Qatar, with top diplomats scrambling to avert wider conflict after Iran and Hezbollah vowed revenge for recent high-profile killings.
It was not clear late Wednesday if Hamas would attend the talks.
The overall Palestinian death toll in the war has almost reached 40,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
FAMILIES KILLED IN ISRAELI STRIKE
One strike hit a family home late Tuesday in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, which dates back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.
It killed five children, ranging in age from 2 to 11, and their parents, according to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Hezbollah said it launched “volleys of Katyusha rockets” at Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel in response to the Abbassiyeh strike.
The Iran-backed group claimed a number of other attacks on Israeli troops and positions on Wednesday, including with “explosive-laden drones”.
ISRAEL UNDER FIRE
Hezbollah has fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel from Lebanon prompting sirens to sound.
Sirens had sounded in the Mount Meron area, including the towns of Hurfeish, Elkosh, Fassuta, and Beit Jann, The Times of Israel reports.
The Israel Defense Force says that the rockets struck open areas, and there have been no reports of injuries.
Footage posted to social media shows some of the rocket impacts.
A barrage of some 25 rockets was launched by Hezbollah at the Upper Galilee in northern Israel a short while ago.
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 13, 2024
Sirens had sounded in the Mount Meron area, including the towns of Hurfeish, Elkosh, Fassuta, and Beit Jann.
The IDF says that the rockets struck open areas,… https://t.co/E7oLakMACgpic.twitter.com/pZWbKb0otc
CEASEFIRE COULD DETER IRAN: BIDEN
Hamas has said it will not join ceasefire talks this week, which were due to take place on Thursday to discuss a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
However, a Hamas representative in Lebanon told Sky News that delegates from the militant group would no longer be taking part.
In a statement, Ahmad Abdul Hadi said Hamas was not against ceasefire talks “in principle” because Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is not interested in reaching an agreement that ends the aggression completely”.
US President Joe Biden has said a ceasefire deal in Gaza could deter Iran from attacking Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Amid reports Iran might delay its strike until after a critical ceasefire summit on August 15, Mr Biden was asked by reporters in New Orleans if a truce between Israel and Hamas could stave off a strike, Mr Biden said: “That’s my expectation”.
He told reporters in New Orleans that while negotiations were “getting hard” he was “not giving up”.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also postponed his trip to the Middle East over “uncertainty about the situation,” Axios reports.
US APPROVES $20B WEAPONS SALES TO ISRAEL
US President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday approved more than $20 billion in new weapons sales to Israel, brushing aside pressure from rights activists to stop arms deliveries over the death toll in Gaza.
The sale comes as Biden has pressed Israel and Hamas to reach a ceasefire after 10 months of bloodshed, although the weapons would take years to reach Israel.
In a notification to Congress, the State Department said it had approved a sale of 50 F-15 fighter jets to Israel for $18.82 billion.
Israel will also buy nearly 33,000 tank cartridges, up to 50,000 explosive mortar cartridges and new military cargo vehicles.
The F-15 aircraft, which will begin to be delivered in 2029, will upgrade Israel’s current fleet and include radar and secure communications equipment.
“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defence capability,” the State Department said in its notice on the F-15s, which are made by Boeing.
On the tank cartridges, the United States said the sale “will improve Israel’s capability to meet current and future enemy threats, strengthen its homeland defence and serve as a deterrent to regional threats.”
The US Congress can block weapons sales, but such a process is difficult. Human rights groups and some left-leaning members of Biden’s Democratic Party have urged the administration to curb or stop weapons sales to Israel, voicing revulsion at civilian casualties in the Gaza conflict.
BLINKEN’S WARNING TO NETANYAHU
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent further “provocative actions” after a far-right minister led prayers at the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound.
In a strongly worded statement after his spokesman already offered criticism, Blinken said that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir showed “blatant disregard” for the status quo at the site sacred to Jews and Muslims alike.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office has made clear that the actions of Minister Ben Gvir are inconsistent with Israeli policy. We will look to the government of Israel to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Blinken said.
“These provocative actions only exacerbate tensions at a pivotal moment when all focus should be on the ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire agreement and secure the release of all hostages and create the conditions for broader regional stability,” he said.
Blinken delayed a trip to the Middle East, planned for Tuesday local time over “uncertainty about the situation,” the news website Axios reports.
WONG URGED TO BAN AUSSIES FROM SOUTHERN LEBANON
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong has been urged by Parliament’s joint intelligence and security committee to consider designating Hezbollah-controlled territory in Southern Lebanon as a “declared area” under the Criminal Code.
This would make it illegal for Australian citizens to remain there.
In a report released on Tuesday, the committee stated “there would be merit in the Government proactively seeking advice from relevant security agencies regarding a declaration of Hezbollah controlled areas of Lebanon south of the Litani River.”
The committee was informed by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) that “conversations were underway in the government on the potential designation of new declared areas”, given the deterioration of security in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
Ms Wong has the power to declare an area of a foreign country as off limits to Australians, under counter terrorism laws.
Currently, Australia has no declared areas but Australians have been barred from travelling to Mosul in Iraq and Al-Raqqa province in Syria.
Australians who enter or remain in a declared area can face prosecution, and jail terms of up to 10 years.
– with AFP
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Originally published as Peter Dutton ‘won’t be silenced’ on Gaza ban; Israel wipes out over half of Hamas as truce talks start
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