Australian Israel and Jewish Affairs Council labels Anthony Albanese's Gaza statement 'disappointing'
The Prime Minister on Friday issued his most firm statement yet on the conflict in the Palestinian enclave, amid growing international concerns of a starvation crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Mr Albanese called on Israel to "comply immediately with its obligations under international law" as Gaza is "in the grip of a humanitarian catastrophe".
The Prime Minister further claimed Israel's "denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored".
Speaking to Sky News Australia on Friday night, Australian Israel and Jewish Affairs Council executive manager Joel Burnie criticised Mr Albanese over his latest remarks.
"Obviously it's disappointing, but it's not unexpected, and it's been a continuation of the policy since essentially October 7 of 2023," Mr Burnie told Sky News host Danica De Giorgio.
"The first is that we all know that Hamas is watching. Hamas commented on the 28-member statement from Monday."
Earlier this week, Australia joined 27 other countries in issuing a joint statement to demand a ceasefire in Gaza, while also accusing Israel of "drip feeding aid" into the area.
The Albanese government has since come under fire for the move, with Ambassador of Israel to Australia claiming the joint statement "sends the wrong message to Hamas".
Mr Burnie expressed a similar sentiment, saying Hamas' role in the conflict cannot be denied.
"Hamas is a key and central player in the ending of this humanitarian catastrophe that's in Gaza. We cannot deny Hamas' role in this," Mr Burnie said on Friday.
"I will say … this war could have come to an end with the putting down of their arms and the surrendering of the hostages.
"It could have happened on October 8, 2023. It can happen today. So in terms of that, Hamas is in complete control as to the end of this conflict."
Mr Burnie claimed the Prime Minister's statement also failed to address the latest setback in ceasefire negotiations.
The United States and Israel recalled their negotiating teams from talks on Thursday, with Washington accusing Hamas of not acting in good faith.
Shadow Cabinet Secretary and Liberal MP Andrew Wallace claimed the Prime Minister's comments also "fundamentally misplaces the fact that Hamas started this war in the first instance".
"I think this latest statement by the Prime Minister is misplaced because it fails to recognise that Hamas is the problem," Mr Wallace told Sky News Australia on Friday night.
"Hamas are the ones that killed 1,200 innocent Israelis, they took 250 hostages, 50 of whom are still in captivity, and they seem to be unwilling to hand them over until their demands are met."
Mr Wallace acknowledged the current scenes in the war-torn enclave are "heartbreaking".
"Anybody with any kind of humanity would feel a great sense of sorrow and loss when we see what is going on," he said.
Earlier, Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash launched a blistering rebuke of Mr Albanese's statement, saying it "fails to place any blame" on Hamas for delays in aid into Gaza.
"Any moral outrage about the situation in Gaza should be directed at Hamas. Hamas and its allies have tried to disrupt the flow of aid into Gaza and have stolen humanitarian aid for their own purposes," Ms Cash said in a statement.
"This war began because of Hamas's abhorrent attack on Israeli civilians, where over 1,200 were murdered in cold blood, and they bear responsibility for the continuation of this conflict.
"Hamas are a listed terrorist organisation who have made it clear they do not believe Israel has the right to exist.
"Hamas could end the suffering of the people of Gaza by freeing the remaining Israeli hostages and laying down their weapons."
Ms Cash said the Coalition acknowledges the "delay in aid entering Gaza is unacceptable" and the Israeli government "needs to urgently work with international bodies to allow aid to flow freely to those that need it".
"However, the right system must be in place so that it can be distributed without Hamas intervening in the process," she said.
In recent weeks, both Israel and the United Nations have traded blows over who is at fault for delays in aid deliveries into the Gaza Strip, while Hamas has also rejected stealing the essential supplies, according to Reuters.
About 1,200 Israelis were killed while a further 251 others were taken hostage by Hamas when the terror group stormed into the Jewish state on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures.
Gaza's health ministry has claimed more than 58,000 people have been killed since Israeli launched its retaliatory strikes.
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