Australia urges return to “diplomacy”

Australian Jewish leaders have supported Israel’s military actions to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, amid the Australian Government’s calls for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy.

Speaking in Canada outside the G7 summit on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he discussed the conflict with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, and remarked, “Both of us, I think, share a view wanting to see a de-escalation of conflict, wanting to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy.”

Similarly, acting Prime Minister Richard Marles commented on Monday, “We’re all deeply concerned about the potential for where this now goes in terms of escalation and broadening out into a wider conflict, and that’s why we are urging for diplomacy and dialogue in this moment.” Marles acknowledged that Israel has a “right to self-defence” but said, “We understand the risk that the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile program represents, but right now the focus has to be on diplomacy and dialogue.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong also said that Israel had a right to self-defence but urged restraint on ABC Insiders on Sunday.

“Israel has a right to self-defence… The question here is what do we do now? We know Iran is a threat. We know that its nuclear program poses a threat to international peace, and obviously to Israel. What do we do about it, and how do we respond in a way that lessens the risk of more civilians particularly in the region being brought into this conflict.”

Wong added that she has spoken to Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urging restraint. “I directly put to the Iranian Foreign Minister – we are saying to you, exercise restraint, return to diplomacy and dialogue, because continuing to escalate this has consequences for all peoples of the region,” she said.

Wong later reportedly spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar in which she urged de-escalation and restraint, as well as a return to dialogue and diplomacy.

Israel’s Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon criticised calls for “diplomacy” at this time, stating on Sunday, “Through its pursuit of nuclear arms, Iran has turned this into an asymmetric conflict, between a democracy seeking to defend itself and a regime bent on destruction. Yet some still urge diplomacy, as if words can stop warheads.”

Meanwhile Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Opposition Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash released a joint statement on Saturday condemning Iran for “targeting of Israeli population centres” calling it “deeply troubling.” They added, “Israel is exercising its sovereign right to defend its people and ensure the security of future generations. The world can never accept a nuclear-armed Iran.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion remarked, “Although war carries significant risks, allowing Iran to continue on its path to producing weapons-grade enriched uranium and developing its missile program has never been an option for Israel, or for the rest of the world.“Any de-escalation of the current hostilities that is not matched by a clear and verifiable process for dismantling the components of Iran’s militarisation of its nuclear program will be short- lived, and likely to produce a far more destructive war in the future.”

Zionist Federation of Australia CEO Alon Cassuto welcomed Australia’s recognition of Israel’s right to self-defence.

“We welcome the Foreign Minister stating unequivocally yesterday that Israel has the right to self-defence. We also welcome the Prime Minister’s firm understanding that Iran’s nuclear capabilities pose a threat to security in the region.

“No one, including Israel, wants to increase the risk of regional escalation, but the biggest threat to regional escalation is Iran being able to obtain nuclear weapons. For the sake of global security and stability, Israel is at the front line of ensuring this does not become a reality.

“The Iranian regime is not only an existential threat to Israel, but to the entire world. The regime has made it very clear it will stop at nothing to wipe out the State of Israel.”

While Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein explained why he believes diplomacy on Iran’s nuclear ambitions had failed, and why Israeli action is justified.

“Foreign Minister Wong has been correct in her repeated comments noting that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs represent a major ‘threat to international peace and security.’ Sadly, however, it has become clear in recent weeks that the hope she also repeatedly expressed that ‘dialogue and diplomacy’ should be the way resolve this threat was just not going to succeed. The Prime Minister’s comments urging ‘de-escalation of conflict… to prioritise dialogue and diplomacy’ are similarly misguided at this time.
“It had been our hope too that the urgent Iranian threat could be addressed through diplomacy plus economic and political pressure, but the US Trump Administration tried dialogue with Teheran, and Iran’s fundamentalist regime completely rejected the only possible basis for a diplomatic deal given the advanced stage of Iran’s nuclear capabilities as confirmed by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] – an end to uranium enrichment in Iran.

“Given this, Israeli military actions against Iran’s nuclear program are thoroughly justified by both the IAEA finding of Iranian breaches of its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations last week, and Iran’s blatant aggression against Israel. The latter includes not only longstanding calls to destroy Israel, but the creation of a ‘Ring of Fire’ strategy, incorporating Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Syria and Iraqi groups violently targeting the Jewish state, as well as the two large-scale attacks Iran launched directly against Israel last year, employing hundreds of missiles and drones,” he said.