Gaza vote ‘risks US trust’ in Australia, Scott Morrison warns

Scott Morrison warns Anthony Albanese’s failure to side with the US on Israel risks Australia’s standing in Washington at a time when the nation’s strategic future depends on AUKUS.

Scott Morrison says Australia’s decision to break with its closest ally in a UN ceasefire resolution on Gaza had undermined US diplomacy, threat­ening Australia’s standing in Washington.

Scott Morrison has warned Anthony Albanese’s failure to side with Joe Biden on Israel risks eroding American trust in Australia at a time when the nation’s strategic future depends on ongoing US support for the AUKUS submarine partnership.

The former prime minister said Australia’s decision to break with its closest ally in a UN ceasefire resolution on Gaza had undermined US diplomacy, threat­ening Australia’s standing in Washington.

“I think the way that we have isolated the United States on Israel as both an AUKUS and Five Eyes partner is concerning,” Mr Morrison told The Australian.

“To put the US in a more weakened position, and to make it even more difficult for them to carry that position, I just don’t see how that aligns with any of Australia’s objectives at the moment. It ­potentially undermines US confidence in Australia’s outlook.”

The warning came as the US Senate passed legislation to enable the transfer of three nuclear-powered submarines to Australia under the AUKUS partnership.

The bill, which still needs to pass the US House of Representatives, has multiple get-out clauses for a future US president to scupper the agreement if it is deemed at the time to degrade US submarine capabilities or weaken the nation’s foreign policy or security.

Mr Morrison – the instigator of the AUKUS partnership – commended congress members for backing the submarine plan, and the Albanese government for its dedication to the pact.

He said the AUKUS partnership was “never a blank cheque” and there would be many hurdles to clear in the future. But he cautioned: “We also have to maintain our standing as a trusted and reliable partner more broadly.

“Relationships are added to and, potentially, subtracted from every day. All issues are related.”

His comments came as Jewish Australian MP Josh Burns blasted the Australian-backed UN resolution that demanded an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza without mentioning Hamas, underscoring the growing split within Labor on the government’s position on the issue.

Speaking from Israel during a visit by a bipartisan delegation, the member for the Victorian seat of Macnamara said the UN vote was meaningless to those on the ground because the terrorists remained in charge of Gaza.

“It’s ludicrous to not include Hamas in this picture,” he told the ABC. “Honestly, (the resolution) couldn’t be more unimportant to the people here on the ground.

“It was not relevant in the sense that the fighting is going to continue. Hamas is not laying down its weapons. Hamas is not returning hostages. Hamas is still in control of the Gaza Strip.

“Israel is still committed to removing Hamas from power and Israel is still committed to the ­return of hostages.”

Mr Burns said he did not want to diminish the “devastating” loss of civilian lives in Gaza, but argued wiping out Hamas was the only way to guarantee the safety of non-combatants.

Labor MP Josh Burns (far right) on a bipartisan trip to Israel this week with (L-R) an IDF soldier, Andrew Wallace (LNP), Joel Burnie (Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council), Michelle Ananda-Rajah (ALP), Zoe McKenzie (Lib), Simon Birmingham (Lib), and David Fawcett (Lib).

A day after the UN vote, a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to crush the terrorist group.

“We’re continuing until the end, until victory, until Hamas is annihilated,” he told soldiers in Gaza in a radio broadcast. “I say this in the face of great pain but also in the face of international pressures. Nothing will stop us.”

Jewish groups attacked Australia’s position on the non-binding resolution as inconsistent with the government’s calls for a “sustainable peace”, while the Coalition condemned it as a cynical ploy for inner-city votes.

But Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles said the government’s position had been “completely consistent” since the October 7 attack by Hamas.

“We want to see humanitarian concerns obviously placed front and centre. And might I say that’s part of the American advocacy in this space as well. But we’ve also been really clear that any ceasefire cannot be one-sided,” he said.

The resolution called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, the “unconditional release of all hostages”, and for “all parties” to comply with humanitarian law.

Labor has in the past called for humanitarian “pauses” and a “sustainable ceasefire” that must involve Hamas.