Anthony Albanese rejects Israeli claims over ‘false’ images

Anthony Albanese says Israeli claims there is no starvation in Gaza are ‘beyond comprehension’.

Anthony Albanese in question time on Tuesday. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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Labor Friends of Israel co-­convener and former minister Mike Kelly has slammed Education Minister Jason Clare for claiming there was mass starvation in Gaza, saying there was no proof and Australian forces in Iraq had conducted very similar exercises to Israeli forces.

Anthony Albanese on Tuesday, however, blasted Israeli claims that there was no starvation in Gaza as “beyond comprehension”, as he invoked Nelson Mandela to reassure Labor MPs Palestine would one day be independent and free of Hamas control.

The Prime Minister used a caucus meeting in the second week of the post-election parliament to dismiss allegations by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the country’s embassy in Canberra that images of starving children in Gaza were Hamas propaganda.

“While there is a caveat on any information provided by Hamas, it is Israel that has prevented any journalists getting in,” Mr Albanese said. “Those claims that there is no starvation are beyond comprehension.”

Mr Clare went further later on Tuesday, and told Sky News that Israel must answer for images of emaciated children that he compared to the 1980s pictures of ­people starving in Ethiopia.

Mr Kelly on Sky News on Tuesday night said Mr Clare’s declaration was “ridiculous” and the world standard body for declaring famines had not done so in the Hamas-controlled territory.

The former defence material minister said the Australian Defence Force had also had to fight enemies similar to Hamas in Iraq, and the reality of warfare had to be understood by Labor ministers.

“It’s the most ridiculous statement I have ever seen … this is what warfare looks like, it’s horrifying and we should be distressed by it, and this is why you don’t start them in the first place,” Mr Kelly told Sky News. “(Hamas and Iran) are guilty of starting a war of aggression. (The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) have not declared this a famine.”

While the IPC has not declared a famine, it has said 47,000 people in Gaza are at risk of ­famine.

Mr Kelly also condemned former foreign minister Bob Carr’s claims that Israel was breaking international law. “He’s not an investigator, he’s not on the ground … nobody who’s not on the ground will be able to make judgment about this,” he said.

“The Israeli system is incredibly robust to investigate claims and allegations. Israel’s fighting a war (against) a terrorist organisation that respects none of that and is using the civilian population as a weapon.

“(Hamas) have been the ones shooting their own people, stripping their food.”

Mr Albanese also addressed concerns among his MPs, articulated in a question from former cabinet minister Ed Husic, that the government would stop short of recognising a Palestinian state because of the difficulty of ridding the territory of Hamas.

“Things seem impossible until they happen,” he said, referring to a quote attributed to Mandela on the importance of perseverance to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Reports on starving children in Gaza in recent days have focused on shocking images of an emaciated 18-month-old boy, Mohammed al-Mutawaq, but it’s unclear how representative the image is, with CNN reporting the boy’s mother said he had a pre-­existing muscular disorder, while pro-Israeli journalist David Collier said he had cerebral palsy.

Mr Netanyahu insisted on Monday there was “no starvation in Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza”.

Donald Trump rubbished the claim, saying he was convinced by the images coming out of the Palestinian enclave. “That’s real starvation stuff,” the US President said. “I see it, and you can’t fake that. So we’re going to be even more involved.” He said Israel had “a lot of ­responsibility” for limiting aid in the territory, but again called for Hamas to release the hostages still held in Gaza to ease negotiations.