Anthony
Albanese has expressed his astonishment at claims made by Israel's
prime minister that "there is no starvation in Gaza", telling Labor MPs
that statement is "beyond comprehension".
The
prime minister made the comments in response to a question from a Labor
backbencher about when Australia would move to recognise Palestinian
statehood.
Mr Albanese — who
has been sharpening his criticism of Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip —
appeared to directly criticise Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, who posted a clip to X saying "there is no starvation in
Gaza, no policy of starvation in Gaza".
That assertion was repeated in Canberra yesterday by Israeli's deputy ambassador to Australia, Amir Meron.
"Those
claims that there's no starvation in Gaza are beyond comprehension," Mr
Albanese told the Labor caucus, according to a spokesperson.
The
prime minister outlined Australia's pre-conditions for recognition,
including "democratic reforms" in the Palestinian territory, but
indicated these obstacles were not insurmountable, referencing a famous
quote from Nelson Mandela that "it always seems impossible until it's
done".
Opposition Leader Sussan
Ley said she was "incredibly distressed by the images" coming out of
Gaza but declined to say whether she thought starvation was occurring.
"It's a complex situation on the ground … I'm pleased to see aid is flowing further and better," she told reporters in Canberra.
Ms Ley added the war "could end tomorrow" if Hamas released the hostages and surrendered.
"It's
vital that we know that these underpinnings of the circumstances that
we now see horrendous situations ensuing from can all be resolved by
Hamas," she said.
The prime
minister's intervention came amid growing international concern about
both the number of deaths at aid centres managed by the Israeli-backed
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and the level of hunger in the enclave.
Overnight,
US President Donald Trump also appeared to dispute Mr Netanyahu's
statement, saying Palestinians living in the strip "have to get food and
safety right now".
Asked
whether he agreed with the Israeli PM, Mr Trump responded: "Based on
television, I would say not particularly because those children looked
very hungry.
"Nobody's done anything great over there, the whole place is a mess."
Mr
Trump also announced on Monday that the US would look to establish
walk-in food relief centres without fencing boundaries in Gaza as part
of a bid to increase humanitarian aid being delivered, and said he
expected other nations to contribute.
The
comments came after bilateral discussions with UK Prime Minister Keir
Starmer about the situation in Gaza, with the prime minister proposing a
plan for peace in the strip inclusive of a ceasefire between Israel and
the terrorist organisation Hamas.
No comments:
Post a Comment