Australia blasts Israel in joint statement demanding aid for starving Gazans
Australia has joined a coalition of 23 countries demanding the full resumption of humanitarian aid into Gaza and accusing Israel of politicising the delivery of essential food and medicine to Palestinian civilians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that Israel would allow some aid to enter Gaza after a two-month blockade, but international aid organisations say this will not be nearly enough to meet the needs of the local population and will risk the lives of aid workers.
Netanyahu has said that Israel will take full control of the strip as he ordered the Israeli military to intensify ground operations in the ravaged strip, including by instructing civilians to leave the southern city of Khan Yunis.
Penny Wong and the foreign ministers from 23 other nations said in a joint statement they cannot support the limited model of aid delivery that the Israeli government has proposed.
'It places beneficiaries and aid workers at risk, undermines the role and independence of the UN and our trusted partners, and links humanitarian aid to political and military objectives,' the foreign ministers said.
'Humanitarian aid should never be politicised, and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change.'
However, Australia has not gone as far as Canada, France and the United Kingdom, who threatened to impose sanctions against Israel in a separate statement unless it halts the renewed military offensive in Gaza and lifts aid restrictions.
Alongside Wong, the foreign ministers who signed the 23-nation joint statement include representatives from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
'As humanitarian donors, we have two straightforward messages for the Government of Israel: allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza immediately and enable the UN and humanitarian organisations to work independently and impartially to save lives, reduce suffering and maintain dignity,' the foreign ministers said.
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