Australia angers Israel with surprise UN ceasefire vote

The federal government has angered Israel and delighted Palestinian advocates by breaking with the United States to vote in favour of an immediate ceasefire in the war in Gaza at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, in a surprise shift to its previous stance.

Ahead of a trip to Israel and the wider Middle East in January, Foreign Minister Penny Wong insisted that Australia had not changed its fundamental position on the war and that it wanted to see more negotiated pauses to allow for the return of hostages to Israel, and the entry of additional aid into Gaza.

Australia has backed the non-binding resolution for a ceasefire in Gaza.Credit: AP

The decision – which did not go to cabinet for approval – came as a shock to several senior ministers and was tightly held by a small group including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Wong.

Prominent Jewish groups, who were briefed by the government in advance, accused the government of creating “uncertainty and confusion” on the issue, while the opposition accused Labor of chasing votes from the Greens in inner-city seats.

Labor MPs have been coming under increasing pressure to toughen their stance on Israel from the party’s progressive base and voters of Middle Eastern descent amid increasing community concern about the soaring number of civilian deaths in Gaza.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said on social media: “I find it difficult to understand how Australia can support Israel’s right to defend its people from terrorist aggression, while also voting in support of a ceasefire that will embolden Hamas and enable it to resume its attacks on Israelis.”

“Australia’s vote comes a day after Israel [was] returned the remains of two murdered hostages from Gaza, and rocket fire continued to rain down on southern Israel. This war can only end with Hamas being totally defeated and the liberation of all our hostages.”

Australian officials briefed the Israeli and US governments on its decision ahead of the vote.

Australia abstained during a previous ceasefire vote in late October because the resolution did not recognise Hamas’ responsibility for the October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in 1200 deaths.

On Wednesday, Australia supported a reworded resolution demanding an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and expressing “grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population”.

It also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and that all parties comply with international law.

With the US voting against the resolution and the United Kingdom abstaining, the move put Australia on the opposing side to its closest security partners but in line with other democracies such as Japan, India and Canada.

Efforts by the US and Austria to amend the motion to include criticism of Hamas failed to obtain the two-thirds majority support needed to pass.

The vote came as disagreements between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spilled into public view, with Biden warning Israel that it was losing international support for its campaign against Hamas, and Netanyahu rejecting American plans for post-war Gaza.

Biden wants the Palestinian Authority, which has administrative control over parts of the West Bank, to govern Gaza, but Netanyahu has rejected this idea.

Australia has voted in support of a ceasefire in Gaza at the UN General Assembly.Credit: @UN_News_Centre/X

Australia was among the 153 nations to vote in favour of the ceasefire resolution, with 10 voting against and 23 abstaining.

The vote is non-binding, but will increase pressure on Israel to scale back its military campaign, which has led to over 18,000 deaths in Gaza.

Thirty-one other nations joined Australia in voting for the first time in favour of a ceasefire, compared to the vote on October 27.

Ceasefire or pause

Wong said Australia would have preferred that the resolution condemned Hamas’s attacks against innocent civilians, noting that Australia supported the failed amendment on this issue.

“Australia has consistently affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself and in doing so, we have said Israel must respect international humanitarian law. Civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, must be protected,” Wong told reporters in Adelaide.

“The resolution we have supported is consistent with the position we have previously outlined on these issues.

“We see the pauses as a critical step on the path to sustainable and permanent ceasefire. As I have said previously, such a ceasefire cannot be one-sided.”

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, urged member nations to vote against the resolution, saying: “I honestly don’t know how can someone look in the mirror and support a resolution that does not condemn Hamas and does not even mention Hamas by name.”

The top Palestinian representative in Australia, Izzat Salah Abdulhadi, welcomed the decision as “very important and good news for international law and the Palestinian people in Gaza”.

“I’m really surprised, I thought Australia would abstain,” said Abdulhadi, who received no hint of the shift during a meeting with Wong last week in Canberra.

“This sends a strong message that violence is not the way and that the only way to achieve a comprehensive peace is a political solution.”

Australian Palestine Advocacy Network President Nasser Mashni said the government’s change was “testament to the hundreds of thousands of Australians who marched, rallied and chanted demanding an immediate ceasefire”.

“A ceasefire is the bare minimum the Australian government must be calling for – the government must now strengthen its position further,” he said.

Labor cabinet minister Ed Husic, who is Muslim, said on social media that Australia’s UN vote was part of an “important step by the international community to protect and save innocent lives”.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham, who is visiting Israel in a cross-party delegation, said it was “weak and appalling” that the government had supported a motion that did not criticise Hamas.

“Despite initially stating its support for Israel’s right to self-defence, the Albanese government keeps changing Australia’s stance and undermining Israel’s position,” he said.

NSW Liberal Senator Dave Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel, blasted the resolution as “one-sided”, saying: “Penny Wong has capitulated to Labor’s noisy and activist base, and has abandoned principle and our strong relationship with Israel.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made a joint statement with NZ leader Christopher Luxon and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

The prime ministers’ joint statement

Earlier on Wednesday, Albanese, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon issued a joint statement supporting a pause in the fighting in Gaza and efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire.

The statement condemned Hamas’ October 7 attacks and recognised Israel’s right to defend itself, but went on to ask that Israel respect humanitarian law in doing so.

“The recent pause in hostilities allowed for the release of more than 100 hostages and supported an increase in humanitarian access to affected civilians,” it said.

“We want to see this pause resumed and support urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire. This cannot be one-sided. Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms.”

The leaders also recommitted to the push for a two-state solution, but said there was no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.

The Zionist Federation of Australia and Executive Council of Australian Jewry said in a joint statement they were “deeply concerned by the inconsistency in Australia’s decision to vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a ceasefire shortly after issuing a joint statement together with Canada and New Zealand that called for the removal and dismantling of Hamas”.

“The decision to vote in favour of this resolution has created uncertainty and confusion and is a departure from the clearly principled position that Australia adopted following Hamas’ attack on 7 October,” the organisations said.

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