Penny Wong’s ceasefire push raises new questions on Middle East policy

Penny Wong’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza has ignited deep concerns about the direction of Middle East policy and further alarmed the ­nation’s Jewish community as it struggles against a frightening new wave of anti-Semitism across the globe and within Australia.

The updated government position, which will have zero impact internationally and be ­ignored by Israel, also puts Australia in a different camp from the US and Britain and risks deepening fractures within the ALP over the conflict as parliament resumes on Monday.

Jewish community leaders and security experts responded to Wong by questioning what the implications of a ceasefire meant. Did it mean the government was now applying pressure for a solution that enabled ongoing terrorist control over Gaza?

Wong was not explicit on this issue in her ABC interview on Sunday morning, saying only that a ceasefire could not be “one-sided” and would need to be “agreed ­between the parties.”

But the caveat was not strong enough for the Jewish community, with two leading Jewish bodies ­advising the government that any ceasefire that did not involve the removal of Hamas was unacceptable to Israel.

Wong’s remarks were also branded as “idiot international posturing” by leading strategic analyst Peter Jennings who asked: “Leaving Hamas in charge of Gaza – is that what Penny Wong wants? I’ve never heard anyone from the government say what Hamas should do. Hamas should surrender.”

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton last week made a clear and powerful argument against a ceasefire in Gaza, warning that it would enable Hamas to rearm and reposition while failing to remove the terrorist threat to ­Israel.

Clinton issued a reminder that a ceasefire was broken by Hamas through its “barbaric assault on peaceful civilians” that resulted in the slaughter of about 1200 Israelis on October 7.

“There was a ceasefire. It did not hold because Hamas chose to break it,” Clinton said.

“Hamas is a terrorist organisation. It has made very clear it is committed to the elimination of the state of Israel, and it has consistently broken ceasefires over a number of years.”

US President Joe Biden has also described the chances of a ceasefire in Gaza as “none – no possibility” while, in Britain, ­Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer has, so far, resisted fierce internal pressure to back a ceasefire – despite more than 60 of his own MPs calling on him to do so.

The decision by Wong to push the case for a ceasefire – piggybacking on the advocacy of French President Emmanuel Macron – now risks turning the Middle East conflict into an even greater flashpoint for internal ALP divisions. Wong’s remarks will also guarantee the issue is elevated politically as parliament returns.

The risk for Labor is becoming embroiled in a renewed political debate over Middle East policy when it needs clear air to address the public’s fears over cost-of-living pressures amid growing concerns Anthony Albanese has spent too much time overseas.

Signposting the rifts within the government, the Labor MP for Macnamara in Melbourne, Josh Burns, told The Australian that he stood by his comments last week in which he said that asking Israel for a ceasefire without the return of hostages “would be akin to telling their families that they are giving up on bringing their loved ones home.”

The Coalition will focus a large part of its political attack for the week ahead on divisions within Labor over Israel.

Liberal leader Peter Dutton ­argues that the government support for a ceasefire is “not consistent with our allies”.

The latest positioning by Labor also risks reinforcing suspicions that the government’s Middle East policy is now being partly driven by domestic political considerations – the very criticism Labor levelled at Scott Morrison when he was prime minister.