Labor at odds on calls for ceasefire

Labor MP Josh Burns says it would be a mistake for Israel to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire ahead of all hostages being released by Hamas.

Labor MP Josh Burns, centre, says it would be a mistake for Israel to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire ahead of all hostages being released by Hamas. Picture: AAP

Labor MP Josh Burns says it would be a mistake for Israel to agree to a humanitarian ceasefire ahead of all hostages being released by Hamas, breaking ranks with Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Writing in The Weekend Australian’s Inquirer section, the member for the Melbourne electorate of Macnamara argued that a ceasefire would be akin to telling Israeli families “that they are giving up on bringing their loved ones home”.

Senator Wong has called for a humanitarian ceasefire for the past week, while US President Joe Biden on Thursday urged for a “pause” on military action to let aid into Gaza.

Mr Burns, a Jewish MP whose paternal grandfather migrated to Australia via Israel, wrote that “peace is not possible until we see the release of the more than 200 people currently being held in Hamas’s labyrinth of underground tunnels”.

“The pivotal move for de-escalation is for Hamas to free the more than 230 innocent children, women and elderly people they ripped from their homes,” Mr Burns wrote.

“I understand that people believe the simple answer to addressing the humanitarian situation in Gaza is to ask for Israel to cease its pursuit of Hamas.

“But I also understand that asking Israel for a ceasefire without the hostages would be akin to telling their families that they are giving up on bringing their loved ones home.

“No country would consider that. Nor would they consider putting down their defences if their citizens were still under threat of an indiscriminate attack like what we saw on October 7.

“When Hamas attacked Israel on the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah, they knew that Israel would retaliate, as any nation would. They attacked Israel knowing that any response would put innocent people at risk.”

Mr Burns’ contribution comes amid division within Labor over the Middle Eastern conflict, with Industry Minister Ed Husic accusing Israel of engaging in the war crime of “collective punishment” and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke refusing to repudiate suggestions of “genocide” against Palestinians.

The government’s formal pro-Israel stance on the conflict softened last week when Senator Wong called for a ceasefire and declared the way the Jewish state defended itself “matters”.

On Thursday, Senator Wong reiterated her call for “humanitarian pauses on hostilities”.

“We want humanitarian supplies of food, water, medicine, fuel to reach people,” she said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s language has also shifted since the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 terror attack, saying on Thursday the civilian death toll in Gaza was now causing “enormous concern” around the world.

“Israel has a right to defend itself but how it defends itself matters as well,” Mr Albanese told The Australian-Melbourne Institute Economic and Social Outlook conference.

“It must comply with international law and the rules of war (and) do all that it can to ensure that innocent civilians are not paying the price.”

Mr Burns wrote he was concerned about a “dramatic spike in anti-Semitic incidents”.

“Frankly, we need to ensure political contributions do not add to their anxiety. Our leadership and clarity matter in this darkness,” he wrote.