Jewish leaders condemn joint Gaza statement

Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) executive director Colin Rubenstein has described a joint statement co-signed by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong calling for an immediate end to the Gaza war as “badly misguided” and offering “nothing constructive to help resolve the ongoing conflict in Gaza”.

The statement, signed by foreign ministers from 28 countries, declared “the war in Gaza must end now”, called for “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” and condemned Israel’s aid delivery model in the Strip.

“The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths. The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” the statement read.

The signatories condemned “the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food” and said it was “horrifying that over 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid”.

The statement also called for the “immediate and unconditional release” of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza but then contradictorily said “a negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing them home”.