Penny Wong: Israel condemnation channels Australians' ‘distress' over Gaza
She noted that several other US allies had signed the statement.
A group of about 15 pro-Palestine protesters were detained inside Parliament House on Tuesday afternoon following a larger protest where hundreds gathered on the lawns of Federation Mall outside the building.
Police collected details from the protesters, who were shouting chants as Governor-General Sam Mostyn addressed the Senate, before removing them from the building.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke described Israel's behaviour in Gaza as 'indefensible' and called for 'the slaughter to end' in a stark escalation of the government's language on the conflict.
'We're all hoping that there'll be something that'll break this. We've seen too many images of children being killed, of horrific slaughter, of churches being bombed. The images that we've seen have been pretty clear that so much of this is indefensible,' Burke said on ABC News Breakfast on Tuesday.
Loading
'None of this changes the fact that the hostages need to be released.'
Israel's ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, attacked the joint statement, arguing it is 'disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas'.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley said the return of hostages still held by Hamas was a priority. 'There are still hostages hidden in tunnels, and a way to end the situation is for those hostages to be released by the terrorists, Hamas, who control so much of the activity there,' Ley said.
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash called the statement 'disappointing', and said the 'Albanese government's decision to blame Israel for Hamas's disruption of the flow of aid is appalling'.
Greens leader Larissa Waters called for the government to sanction the Netanyahu government. 'The Israel regime isn't listening to stern words,' she said.
Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler said ending the war unilaterally would fail to achieve the return of the remaining Israeli hostages or the surrender of Hamas.
'The Australian government, and international community, must come together to put maximum pressure on Hamas to surrender, and to ensure aid deliveries are not misused to embolden Hamas' grip on Gaza,' he said.
Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni called for extensive sanctions on Israel and an end to any military co-operation.
'The time for these statements has long passed,' he said. 'People are starving to death because Israel refuses to allow aid into the hellscape it has created in Gaza. Families are being bombed and gunned down while trying to access water.'
The international community has criticised the replacement of established NGOs with the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. According to UN Human Rights Council figures published last week, almost 900 people were killed in Gaza while trying to get food, including 674 near aid delivery sites.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah, an area of Gaza that had been largely untouched by the conflict and where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians had sought refuge. The incursion has led to speculation that Hamas is holding large numbers of hostages there.
The statement from the 28 nations also called out soaring settler violence against Palestinians on the West Bank, and hit out against the Israeli proposal to build a 'humanitarian city' in Gaza, which former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert recently condemned as a 'concentration camp'.
Loading
'Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law,' the joint statement said.
In a fiery response posted on X, Israel's foreign ministry rejected the joint statement, saying it 'fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas' role and responsibility for the situation'.
The joint international statement reaffirmed the nations' support for those involved in brokering a ceasefire deal, including the US and Qatar.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
‘Smart ass' Penny Wong under fire for ‘dismissing' Jacinta Price in the Senate
Verve Communications' Prue MacSween slams 'smart ass' Foreign Minister Penny Wong for dismissing Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's opposition to Welcome to Country ceremonies. Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash accused Ms Wong of dismissing Ms Price's objection to the ceremonies. Ms MacSween described Ms Wong's actions as 'sanctimonious' and 'daring' by talking down and dismissing Ms Price. 'I'm just so glad we've got some liberals with some balls and fortitude and IQ, let's hope it kicks in,' Ms MacSween told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio.
The Australian
2 hours ago
- The Australian
Taiwan's opposition protests ahead of recall vote
Taiwan's main opposition protested on Friday ahead of unprecedented recall elections targeting its lawmakers that could tip the balance of power to President Lai Ching-te's party. Supporters of Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are seeking to unseat 31 Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers who they accuse of being pro-China and a threat to national security. The KMT, which advocates closer ties with Beijing, controls parliament with the help of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and has slammed the recall effort as undermining the self-ruled island's democracy. Two dozen KMT lawmakers could lose their seats on Saturday in a legal process that allows the public to oust elected officials before the end of their term. Another seven face recall elections on August 23. Thousands of KMT supporters waving Taiwanese flags rallied in the rain on Friday night in a last ditch effort to oppose the recall. The vote was a chance to "express the strongest protest" against Lai, former president Ma Ying-jeou told the crowd. Started by civic groups this year, the recall campaign has dominated politics, headlines and social media feeds for months. The DPP lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 elections that swept Lai, who is detested by Beijing, to the presidency. Since then, the KMT and TPP have joined forces to stymie Lai's agenda and cut the government's budget. A series of opposition bills, including reforms expanding parliament's powers, sparked brawls in the legislature and massive street protests. - 'Unprecedented' - The DPP needs at least 12 KMT lawmakers recalled to give it a "short-lived legislative majority", risk analysis firm Eurasia Group said, giving that outcome "a 60 percent probability". Lai's party would then need to flip six seats in by-elections this year to secure control of the 113-seat parliament, which Eurasia Group said would be an "uphill climb". If it succeeds in the recalls, the DPP would likely use its temporary control of the purse strings to reverse the opposition's budget cuts and increase defence spending, analysts said. The scale of the recall campaign was "unprecedented" in Taiwan, Dafydd Fell, a Taiwan politics expert at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies, told AFP. For a KMT lawmaker to lose their seat, the number of votes in favour of recalling them must exceed those against and also be more than 25 percent of the total number of registered voters in the electorate. A KMT bid to have 15 DPP lawmakers recalled failed. With turnout critical, DPP supporters have been standing outside subway stations, in public parks and at food markets for weeks urging people to vote "yes". Thousands of people gathered in the rain near the Presidential Office Building on Thursday in support of the recalls. KMT legislators fighting for their political lives have also taken to the streets to persuade voters to oppose the recall. "We... sincerely ask all our fellow countrymen and friends to vote tomorrow and use our votes to oppose the recall and restore Taiwan to normal," KMT lawmaker Hung Mong-kai, who faces potential recall, said Friday. With many recall votes happening in KMT strongholds, Fell said it would be difficult for the DPP to win control of the parliament. "Even if some of the KMT legislators are recalled, other KMT politicians might win the seats back in the resulting by-elections," he said. - China looms large - National Taipei University political scientist Liu Chia-wei said the vote had become an "ideological duel" between the DPP and KMT, as China loomed large. Taiwan's top policy body on China said this week there was "visible evidence" Beijing was trying to "interfere" in the election process. China insists Taiwan is part of its territory and has ramped up military and political pressure on the island to press its claim of sovereignty. Lai's government has repeatedly warned of the growing threat from Chinese espionage, disinformation and cyberattacks. Public opinion on the recalls is divided. Aaron Yu, 32, said he supported the campaign because "most of the bills passed by KMT lawmakers are pro-China". But restaurant worker Sharon Chen criticised it as a waste of money, saying voters had already made their decisions in last year's elections. "Just because a certain party lost, they can't accept the result and now want to recall someone the people chose, I think that's just senseless," the 65-year-old said. joy-aw/amj/dhw
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Polls open in Taiwan's high-stakes recall election
Taiwanese voters turned out at schools, churches and community centres on Saturday to cast their ballot in a high-stakes recall election that could give President Lai Ching-te's party control of the parliament. Supporters of Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) are seeking to unseat 31 lawmakers belonging to the main opposition Kuomintang party, who they accuse of being pro-China and a security threat. The KMT, which wants closer ties with Beijing, controls parliament with the help of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) and has slammed the unprecedented recall effort as a power grab. Polling stations opened around Taiwan at 8:00 am (0000 GMT) with 24 KMT lawmakers facing potential recall. Elections for another seven KMT lawmakers will be held on August 23. Both major parties held rain-soaked rallies in the days leading up to the critical vote, which has dominated Taiwanese politics, newspaper headlines and social media feeds for months. While Lai won the presidential election in 2024, his DPP party lost its majority in parliament. Since then, the KMT and TPP have joined forces to stymie Lai's agenda, and slashed or frozen parts of the government's budget. Contentious opposition bills, including an attempt to expand parliament's powers, sparked brawls in the legislature and massive street protests -- and spurred civic groups to launch the recall campaign. The DPP needs a minimum of 12 KMT lawmakers recalled to gain temporary control of the parliament, with risk analysis firm Eurasia Group giving that outcome "a 60 percent probability". Lai's party would then need to flip six seats in by-elections later this year to cement its dominance in the 113-seat parliament -- which analysts say would be a formidable challenge. Whatever the result of the recall and by-elections, analyst Lev Nachman said political divisions in Taiwan were certain to deepen. "The way that the recalls have played out have been perhaps some of the most divisive language used towards both camps that I think I've ever seen," Nachman, a political scientist and longtime observer of Taiwan, told AFP. - China looms large - In recent months, KMT chairman Eric Chu has compared Lai's government to Hitler's Nazi regime, while Lai has spoken of "removing impurities" to defend Taiwan's sovereignty. Beijing has loomed large over the recall vote, with Taipei warning of "visible evidence" that China was trying to interfere in the process. Communist China has never ruled Taiwan, but Beijing claims the island is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring it under its control. For a KMT lawmaker to lose their seat, the number of votes in favour of recalling them must exceed those against and also be more than 25 percent of the total number of registered voters in the electorate. Turnout will be critical and both sides have been lobbying their supporters for weeks to get out to vote before polling stations close.
