End Gaza war and then get hostages back, Penny Wong urges Israel
Labor has broken with its previous stance by urging Israel to end the Gaza conflict before securing the release of remaining Hamas hostages.
Labor is urging Israel to end the war in Gaza before the remaining hostages held by Hamas are returned, in a significant move away from its previous calls for the release of the Israelis to be the priority before a deal was struck to end the conflict and recognise Palestine.
In her strongest language on the conflict and the urgency of achieving Palestinian recognition, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said there would “be no Palestine left to recognise” should the global community wait much longer to do so.
The comments are part of growing momentum within Labor to recognise Palestine in the near future, with Anthony Albanese revealing on Tuesday he had spoken to the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, overnight and committed to meeting him on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly next month.
“Prime Minister Albanese reiterated Australia’s call for the immediate entry of aid to meet needs of people of Gaza, a permanent ceasefire, and the release of all hostages,” a readout of the call stated.
“Prime Minister Albanese also reinforced Australia’s commitment to a two-state solution because a just and lasting peace depends upon it.”
While Senator Wong has previously listed the return of hostages as being among the most-pressing priorities since the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023, the senior Labor senator said Israel needed to end the war before that outcome was achieved, not after.
Senator Wong declared Australians were “all horrified to watch the depraved spectacle” of Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski “paraded” around by Hamas, but said the onus lay with Israel now to end the war.
“What I would say is the government’s view is the same as the 600 former Israeli security officials, who have written publicly, urging Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu to end the war and making the very important point that the end of the war is the only way to save the hostages,” Senator Wong told the ABC.
She added that the Albanese government was clear in its view that it was a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which she said “was the decision Israel made in March”.
Senator Wong did not rule out further sanctions on Israeli officials, but said her government would “prefer to move with other (countries)” in taking such action in order for the move to have “more effect”.
The Foreign Minister’s comments add to speculation that Australia will likely recognise Palestine in September, given other countries such as France and Canada have already committed to doing so.
“There is a risk there will be no Palestine left to recognise if the international community don’t move to create that pathway to a two-state solution,” Senator Wong said.
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash accused Senator Wong of using “hyperbole to justify the Albanese government’s premature rush to recognise a Palestinian state before there is a pathway for it to be viable”.
“Hyperbole is not foreign policy, and this is not a solution,” Senator Cash said.
“It’s reactionary symbolism without substance. That may suit Labor politically but it is a deviation from Australia’s longstanding foreign policy of a two-state solution.
“Australian foreign policy should not be being used to advance the domestic political priorities of the Labor Party.”
The comments come amid some disquiet in Coalition ranks over the language used by the opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman, with concerns that the messaging was not palatable in some electorates.
Ahead of his call with Mr Abbas this week, Mr Albanese submitted a request to speak directly with Mr Netanyahu.
The request was made before Sunday’s court-approved protest on the Sydney Harbour Bridge by pro-Palestinian supporters, which forced the closure of Sydney’s largest road crossing for about five hours.
Senator Wong said she had “anticipated” would attract as many as it did, given “the distress of Australians on what we are seeing unfolding in Gaza”.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin took a swipe at Senator Wong’s calls for the war to end before hostages were released and said Israel had “a moral obligation” to bring its people home no matter the cost.
“Israel has a moral obligation to do everything it can, diplomatically and militarily, to bring its starved and tortured people home,” Mr Ryvchin said.
“We would demand no less of our own government.
“We agree with the Foreign Minister that a permanent end to the war offers the best hope of saving the remaining hostages.
“But Israel accepted the internationally-brokered ceasefire that would have seen the unfettered flow of aid, the phased return of hostages and a pathway to a permanent end to the war.
“Hamas has rejected it since May. It is unsatisfactory for this material fact to be omitted, giving the false impression that Israel is the barrier to the ceasefire and not Hamas.”
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