'How many children?' Israel's ambassador insists there is 'no starvation policy' in fiery interview
Just hours after unleashing on Australia's decision to recognise the Palestinian state, Israeli ambassador Amir Maimon fronted up for an interview on 7:30.
He was promptly taken to task over whether Israel was deliberately starving families in Gaza.
'Now, do you accept that Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to listen to both friends and allies about the conduct of Israel's war in Gaza, the unending killing and the starvation of civilians, has led to this decision by Australia and like-minded countries to recognise Palestine?,'' host Sarah Ferguson asked.
'Well, the Israeli government is determined to accomplish all the objectives that were set by the government right after October 7,'' Mr Maimon replied.
'The dismantling of the Hamas military and political capabilities, the removal of the threat that Hamas is posing towards our citizens along the southern border, and the immediate release of our hostages.
'Unfortunately, so far the Hamas ... is refusing the ceasefire proposal.'
But the ABC host insisted she wanted to 'bring you back to my question' which was - whether or not Israel accepted that the refusal of the Israelis to listen to concerns about the way it has conducted the war had led to this decision by Australia to recognise Palestine.
'Do you accept the withholding of food and the starvation of civilians first of all is a crime under international law?,'' Sarah Ferguson asked.
'The government of Israel is not - is not - there is no starvation policy,'' Mr Maimon replied.
'That's not to say that we believe the condition on the ground are ideal.
'There are real challenges in recent two weeks, we're not responsible for the distribution. It's also very important to recognise the role of the Hamas - the negative role of Hamas - in preventing aid to reach all those needed Palestinians.'
'Do you accept 100 children in Gaza have died of starvation in recent months? Do you accept those statistics?,'' Sarah Ferguson responded.
'Let me pose this question. How many children do they say have died from starvation in recent months?'
'Well, I have no figures, but I can push back on the Israeli hostages that did not receive humanitarian aid since October 7, nor a visit from the - none of the organisations that are responsible to assist those who are in need,'' Mr Maimon replied.
'I can talk about the starvation of David, who was just released, and I don't hear much, you know, talk about him and about the very poor condition that he was held in.
'I am not also hearing any reports about the fact that he was forced to dig his own grave, he's not the first one.'
The ABC host replied that the conditions the hostages are being held in, in Gaza, were 'repulsive and rejected by all decent-minded humans around the world.'
'But we're here to talk about decisions by the Israeli government at the moment,'' she said.
'Let me ask you a final question - as an ambassador, you are obliged in your position to maintain your government's position. In our own heart, do you believe the killing and starving of civilians in Gaza should stop?'
'Once again, there is no policy of starvation,'' the ambassador said.
'I feel very sad for any loss of innocent life. I lost two members of my family on October 7. Every child matters. Whether it's Israeli or Palestinian.
'And it is very sad. It's a tragedy. But it's also important to remember that the Hamas bears the responsibility, the Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
'It's a war we didn't ask for, nor we started. It's a war we want to end.
'But we'll end it only when our security will be granted, when the hostages will be back, and when the Hamas will not play any role in the Gaza Strip.
'I'm a father, a grandparent, exactly as I'm moved by terrible photos of David, and moving photos of Palestinian children and others,'' he said.
'May I offer my condolences, the condolences of the program for the condolences of the program for the loss you suffered. Thank you for joining us, ambassador,'' Ferguson replied.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Penny Wong has declared she was 'haunted' by the images of starving children in Gaza as she outlined the reasons for Australia's decision to officially recognise the Palestinian state.
Despite international controversy over some of the images of starving children in Gaza, with Israel insisting some of the children have underlying health conditions, Senator Wong said.
'We all are haunted by the images that we have seen,'' Senator Wong told 7:30.
'Both of the horrors of October 7, and by what has occurred since, the deprivation, the deaths of so many innocent people and we are compelled to act by the circumstances.
'The world watched in horror the attacks by Hamas on October 7.
'And the world has watched in horror since as tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians are killed, thousands starving.
'The faces of children we cannot forget.
'Australians, people around the world, have been haunted by the images.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
10 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Anthony Albanese, Penny Wong 'caving' into Hamas' demands with Palestinian recognition, Sky News' Sharri Markson declares
I never could have imagined that the devastating massacre of 1,200 innocent children and families on October 7 would, less than two years later, reward those that perpetrated it with symbolic statehood. But this is our new reality, with the Albanese government declaring it would vote to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Make no mistake - this is the Albanese government caving into the demands of bloodthirsty terrorists, who call recognition the "fruits" of October 7. The Albanese government has sunk lower than we could have envisioned, by choosing to recognise a Palestinian state before the 50 remaining hostages are home, and while terrorists are calling the shots in Gaza. This is Labor abandoning their own previous conditions for recognition. How can the Labor ministers turn away from the devastating plight of hostages, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, who are literally starving to death in war crimes taking place right before our very eyes? In a despicable display of moral depravity, the Albanese government no longer demands their release as a pre-condition of recognition. Albanese's move cements the government as an ally to a terrorist-controlled hotspot whose very reason for being is to kill Jews and destroy Israel. It cements the government's position as an enemy of the democratic state of Israel - where Jews and Muslim Arabs live together, and govern side by side in parliament. Albanese's press conference was both absurd and removed from reality. It was fanciful. He claimed recognition would bring about peace and would even disarm Hamas. But Albanese failed to outline precisely how Hamas would be disarmed, especially since he's also demanding Israel stop hunting down the terrorists. Shockingly, not one of the journalists present asked him this basic question. How does he propose Hamas will be disarmed and removed from power? No one asked that. Now, Albanese and Penny Wong claimed there were conditions on recognition. Not pre-conditions, of course, but future conditions. Commitments. This is a truly twisted negotiating tactic. While those commitments did not include the return of the hostages, they did include the Palestinian Authority promising to hold elections, pledging to stop funding terrorism and recognising Israel's right to exist. But if these commitments are not met - and it's highly unlikely they will be - then Penny Wong did not say that Australia would walk away from Palestinian recognition. She was asked this directly twice. Even if the conditions are not met, Wong did not say that recognition would be revoked. It means that these aren't really conditions if recognition isn't dependent on them. This is effectively unconditional recognition. One of the supposed commitments extracted from the Palestinian Authority is to hold elections for the first time since 2005. Yet, if elections were held in the West Bank, the likelihood is that the Palestinians would elect Hamas. This is one of the reasons elections haven't been held in 20 years, because there'd be Hamas rule in the West Bank as well as Gaza. Even if the Palestinian Authority remained in control, this is also deeply problematic. It's a deeply antisemitic regime, where children are indoctrinated from birth to hate Israel. Antisemitism and the destruction of a Jewish state is reinforced by the education system and even on state television. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has had a longstanding policy of giving funding to wounded terrorists and providing a lifelong salary to the families of those killed in the act of terrorism. Albanese claims Abbas has pledged to end this policy. Well, the Prime Minister believes in the tooth fairy if he believes this, because even after pledging to end the so-called "pay for slay" policy, Abbas said he would never abandon the "martyrs." 'If we have only a single penny left, it will go to the prisoners and the martyrs," Abbas is quoted as saying. "I will not allow [anyone] – and neither will you – to remove any commitment, interest, or penny that is given to them. They must receive everything they did in the past, and they are more honourable than all of us.' 'I would like to reiterate that we are proud of the sacrifices of the martyrs, the prisoners, and the wounded." Yet, Albanese is willing to believe this practice will end despite the fact the Palestinian Authority has long-funded and celebrated terror. In his press conference, Albanese also pointed to the UN declaration of 1947 that recognised both an Israeli and Palestinian state. But, in his delusion, he ignored the events that unfolded after this UN resolution. Israel was immediately attacked in what became known as the War of Independence. Five Arab nations attacked Israel and, against the odds, the tiny Jewish state won and survived. Much of the land assigned to the Palestinians by the UN was subsequently seized by Jordan, Egypt or incorporated into Israel. Ever since then, the Palestinians have repeatedly rejected a two state solution. This includes Bill Clinton's negotiations with Yasser Arafat at Camp David in 2000. And Ehud Olmert's offer to Mahmoud Abbas in 2008. Yes, the same Mahmoud Abbas who Albanese is now negotiating with. Even in 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza - allowing it to self-govern. This only led to the bloodshed of October 7. Tens of billions of dollars in international aid was exploited and misused for terrorism. Albanese needs to study his history. He won't do this because he decided which side he was on a long time ago - and it's certainly not Israel. Albanese has now fulfilled his life-long fantasy to recognise a state of "Palestine" - a fantasy that began when he was a pro-Palestinian protester shouting into a megaphone outside the US embassy in Sydney. There were American and Israeli flags burned in that protest. He's still that rabid activist now, only dressed in an expensive suit as Prime Minister Albanese was also the co-founder of the Labor Friends of Palestine group. He misled Australians when he claimed he'd moved from the left of Labor to the centre and adopted Australian values. His true colours have been exposed for all to see. Albanese has taken Australian foreign policy into a dark and dangerous place. Consider this. Albanese will meet with the corrupt antisemitic Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas before he's even met with the President of the United States. President Trump was elected nine months ago. Nine months. Not one meeting during that time. There is something seriously wrong in the state of Denmark when the Australian Prime Minister aligns himself with dictators like Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas - a long funder of terrorism - and Chinese president Xi Jinping, but not with the US. Albanese has abandoned our conventional Australian values that in the past saw us as an ally to America and Israel. The move to recognise a Palestinian state is also a major slap in the face to Jewish Australians who have been betrayed and abandoned by this pathetic government. The position of the Albanese government will only energise the worst elements in our society. It will have a devastating impact in that it vindicates the aggressive protesters and makes life even less safe for the Jewish community in Australia. But Albanese has his head in the sand. He claimed during his press conference that Australia currently boasts a harmonious community. He said Australians "want a harmonious community which is what we have.' This is a statement of grotesque denial. He viewed the Sydney Harbour Bridge rally as one of peace and humanity, instead of the reality: that it was a gross defiling of our national icon with terrorist flags and Nazi symbols. Life for Jewish Australians is physically and emotionally unsafe under this morally corrupt Albanese government. This is a serious situation for us in Australia - there's no sugar-coating it. We are living through dark and racist times. Today Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Albanese's recognition of a Palestinian state as shameful - his comments coming several hours before the Prime Minister's press conference. He's 100 per cent right. This is not momentum towards peace - as Penny Wong claims - it's meaningless virtue signalling around the middle east. It's meaningless because, thankfully, the US will likely veto this move at the UN. Brilliant American Secretary of State Marco Rubio was right when he said the move to recognise a Palestinian state only disrupted the peace process and ceasefire negotiations. Ironic that a move to supposedly end the war has, in fact, prolonged it. In reality, the Albanese government's position only enables terrorism. Instead of putting pressure on Hamas to release the hostages and commit to a ceasefire, they're putting pressure on Israel to walk away and leave the terrorists in place. Hamas will see no reason to stop their campaign of terror, because look at what their murdering spree of 1,200 babies, little children, young women, mothers, and fathers has achieved for them - an historic reward by delusional western governments at the UN. Their barbaric slaughter, of the likes of the Bibas babies, has been a diplomatic success. Shame on Albanese and shame on Penny Wong.
ABC News
10 minutes ago
- ABC News
Community members divided over Australia's decision to recognise Palestinian state
Australia's move to recognise an independent Palestinian state has been welcomed by some but has disappointed both pro-Palestinian groups and supporters of Israel. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday said at the United Nations General Assembly next month Australia would recognise a state of Palestine with a condition that terror group Hamas has no role in its governance. "A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza," he said. It followed similar announcements from the United Kingdom, France and Canada. At the moment, 147 of the 193 UN member states recognise Palestine as a sovereign state, with the notable exception of the United States — Israel's most influential ally. Mr Albanese's announcement was dismissed by the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) as a move to help shield Israel from legal accountability for its war on Gaza. Nasser Mashni, the the president of APAN, said the federal government's recognition of a Palestinian state was "meaningless" without Australia cutting ties with Israel. "Australia continues to trade, to supply arms, to have diplomatic relations and to diplomatically protect and encourage other states to normalise with this very state that is committing these atrocities," he said hours after Mr Albanese's announcement. The government has repeatedly denied it has sold arms to Israel. Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the Jewish community was not surprised by the announcement, but it was disappointed. "Australia is now committed to recognising a state with no agreed borders, no single government in effective control of its territory, and no capacity to live in peace with its neighbours," he said. Mr Ryvchin said he wanted to see the end of the war in Gaza, aid deliveries resumed, Hamas disarmed and defeated and the hostages returned home. "No one who supports the recognition of a Palestinian state has so far made the argument compellingly as to how recognition will achieve these aims," he said. Mohamed El Helou, a Palestinian from Gaza who came to Australia last year, said he has lost 300 family members in Gaza. He told the ABC that while the decision had come "very late" it was an important one. "The decision will support the two-state solution, which is the solution the entire international community is asking for," he told the ABC in Sydney. "Applying the two-state solution will contribute to ending the wars and having stability in the Middle East. Mr El Helou said Palestinians wanted to live in peace and stability. Another woman who spoke to the ABC said the recent massive protests in Sydney had likely played a roll in pressuring the government to recognise a Palestinian state. Zaenab Yusuf in Melbourne said the recognition was "a great start, but a bit too late". "This is something that should have happened a long time ago, but we're grateful that it's at least happening," Ms Yusuf said during a rally outside the ABC's building in Melbourne. Ms Yusuf said the Australian government needed to sanction and cut ties with the Israeli government. The ABC has spoken with different Abrahamic religious groups in Australia, including Christian Palestinians in Western Australia. One of the members, who didn't want to be identified, told the ABC that he "finally feels Australian" after Mr Albanese's announcement. Although he said some critics said the recognition wouldn't "do anything" to improve the situation in Gaza, he said it was "a step-by-step process to achieving justice". Susan Wahhab, the president and co-founder of Palestinian Christians in Australia said recognising the state of Palestine would acknowledge the existence of Palestinians and might end "the genocide and the starvation". "By recognising the state of Palestine, the world acknowledges that there are Palestinian people, and that the Israelis need to stop killing us," said Ms Wahhab, who was born in Jerusalem. She also said that the recognition would make Australia have "a proper relation" with the state of Palestine. Ms Wahhab said Christian Palestinian groups in Australia have joined with other religious groups, including Muslim and Jewish organisations to ask the Australian government to sanction Israel. "Sanctioning Israel, sanctioning the leaders who commit all these crimes, together with recognising Palestine would also put pressure on the Israelis to change the course," she told the ABC.
The Australian
10 minutes ago
- The Australian
Super rule changes to help younger savers, wealthy Australians hit with the new super tax
The government's new super tax has triggered a much wider push to review superannuation rules, with the looming economic summit set to become a forum for change. With the controversial new 15 per cent tax on amounts above $3m yet to be set in stone, the economic summit, which kicks of on August 19, will hear calls to cut benefits for the very wealthy but also to improve super benefits for younger savers. The Commonwealth Bank and the Grattan Institute have already supported wealth taxes for older and richer investors. But those calls are now being balanced with a push to let younger, less wealthy investors gain more access to super through increased contribution caps. Top advisory firm BDO Australia has sent a shot across the bows with a provocative call to open up the amount investors are allowed to contribute into super each year. At present, the pre-tax contribution limit is $30,000 per annum – an amount unchanged from a decade ago. In contrast, the amount older and wealthier Australians can have tax-free in super is $2m – up from an initial level of $1.6m when it was first legislated in 2017. Similarly, the post-tax contribution limit is $110,00 amount compared to levels of $180,000 in the past. Lance Cunningham, BDO national tax technical leader, said the current settings are inappropriate. 'They offer limited opportunity for people to contribute at the time they most want to do so,' Mr Cunningham said. Super policy is becoming more central to the agenda as the government publicly eliminates other items from the debate, including negative gearing. At the same time, items related to super such as capital gains tax, pension access and family trust rules remain very much in focus. The summit is due to commence before the government nails down the final terms of the new super tax, tagged as Division 296. The prospects of the introduction of the tax being delayed are rising since the government is supposed to begin collecting tax revenue from the measure from July 1 next year with guidance on the treatment of unrealised gains still to be clarified. Two other key issues in super will also be difficult to avoid at the summit, despite a formal focus on productivity: • The regulation of super is back in the spotlight. The lack of a single regulator for super has emerged as a problem for the government in the wake of the First Guardian scandal, now shaping up as the biggest regulatory failure for many years. Supervision of super is split between three regulators: ASIC, APRA and the ATO. Following the First Guardian collapse, The Australian reported last week that ASIC has raised the prospect of limiting superannuation investment options and restricting retail access to high-risk funds, as it warned a root-and-branch response is needed to counter financial services industry misconduct. • Separately, lobbyists from big super funds are pushing the government to review the terms of the performance test in MySuper. Last year, all of the MySuper superannuation funds passed the APRA Your Future, Your Super performance test for the first time, but industry leaders believe conformity in the tests is leading to a lack of innovation in super products. There are now calls for the APRA to broaden the scope of the performance tests to ensure it captures more products and allows for diverse strategies across the sector. Read related topics: Need to know
