Australia’s each-way bet
"The Australian government cannot have it both ways," says ZFA president Jeremy Leibler and ECAJ president Daniel Aghion.
Australia has “created uncertainty and confusion” after voting overnight on Tuesday for a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all remaining hostages, communal leaders said this week.
The non-binding vote was passed with 153 in favour, 10 against and 23 abstaining.
The vote came in the wake of a joint call for a humanitarian ceasefire by the PMs of Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Palestinian Authority envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour called it a “historic day” in terms of the “powerful message that was sent from the General Assembly”.
“And it is our collective duty to continue in this path until we see an end to this aggression against our people,” he said.
While supporting it, Australia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, James Larsen told the world body that the resolution should have gone further, by condemning Hamas.
“Australia unequivocally condemns the ongoing acts of terror by Hamas; its use of human shields and its use of civilian infrastructure to launch attacks on Israel.
“Australia reiterates our demand for Hamas to release all remaining hostages, immediately and unconditionally,” he said.
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said he finds 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.
“This war can only end with Hamas being totally defeated and the liberation of all our hostages,” he said.
A joint statement from the Zionist Federation of Australia and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the vote has created uncertainty and confusion.
ZFA president Jeremy Leibler and ECAJ president Daniel Aghion said the earlier joint declaration with Canada and New Zealand recognised that Hamas needs to be removed, but the UN vote lets them remain in power. “The Australian government cannot have it both ways,” they said.
Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham criticised the move, saying that despite supporting Israel’s right to self-defence, the government is now undermining Israel’s position.
“How does the Albanese government expect Hamas to be defeated if Israel isn’t allowed to defend itself against the terrorism it faced? A premature and one-sided ceasefire will only leave Hamas in place, able to rearm, reorganise and repeat the deliberate murders, rapes, beheadings and kidnapping of innocent people,” he said.
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubinstein noted the joint statement with Canada and New Zealand called for the release of all hostages, the end of the use of Gaza civilians as human shields, and Hamas being disarmed.
“This is why it is so disappointing that Australia then followed up the above statement by voting in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that contradicted any efforts to achieve an end to the Israel-Gaza conflict that is genuinely sustainable,” he said.
“A ceasefire which leaves Hamas in control of Gaza and able to rebuild its military capabilities guarantees two things. Firstly, war will soon resume, causing even more suffering to both the civilian residents of Gaza, as well as Israelis. Secondly, advancing the negotiated two-state Israeli-Palestinian peace that Australia has long supported will be completely impossible.”
Liberal Party Senator and former Australian ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma said Foreign Minister Penny Wong “has capitulated to Labor’s noisy and activist base and has abandoned principle and our strong relationship with Israel”.
He said the joint statement from the Australia, Canadian and New Zealand leaders recognised the reality that the conflict can only end when Hamas releases all hostages, stops using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lays down its arms.
“Unfortunately, Albanese’s ministers, such as Ed Husic and Tony Burke, seem to be speaking from a different script entirely. This is unacceptable. Albanese should bring his ministers into line.”
Wong told The Australian she would have preferred if the motion mentioned the October 7 Hamas attacks, but said, “Australia shares the grave concerns that I’ve articulated previously about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
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