Israel urged to abandon ‘devastating’ invasion on Rafah
Australia says Israel’s ground invasion in Gaza will have “devastating” impacts on Palestinian civilians, as the foreign minister reiterated the government’s strong objection the military offensive.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)
The Israeli military ordered civilians in parts of Rafah to leave on Monday ahead of a planned ground invasion in an area where more than one million Palestinians had sheltered after evacuating from other parts of Gaza.
Penny Wong said she had reiterated to Israel Australia’s opposition to the invasion on Wednesday and called for a humanitarian ceasefire to enable hostages to be released and unimpeded aid to flow.
“More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are sheltering in Rafah, from the fighting elsewhere,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The impacts on Palestinian civilians from an expanded military operation would be devastating.”
Australia continues to support the work of Qatar, the US and Egypt to broker a deal for a ceasefire, she said.
Senator Wong on Monday said Australia had made it clear Israel “should not go down this path”, expressing the nation’s “grave concern” and called on the Netanyahu government to change course.
She held calls with the Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Mustafa and the United Arab Emirates’ Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed on Tuesday night.
Both calls centred on the conflict in the Middle East, including Rafah, the release of Israeli hostages, and the prospects for a ceasefire agreement.
Palestinian statehood was also discussed with the minister acknowledging the issue was currently being considered by the international community.
Senator Wong met with the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation and Special Envoy to Australia Reem Al Hashimy, who is in Adelaide.
She also spoke with New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters late Tuesday.
Hamas, considered a terrorist organisation by the federal government, attacked Israel on October 7, killing an estimated 1200 people and taking more than 250 hostages.
AAP
Ms Wong would be dead if she set foot in Hamasland. She has long nailed her pro-terrorist flag to the mask. The reality is that Israel will do what it has to to protect herself from the advertised objectives of this Iran proxy. Australia’s foreign minister has yet to weep over the rape, murder, incineration, and infanticide of October 7, 2023. She is mute over the relief of the hostages taken as bargaining chips and human shields. Her moral compass disintegrated on the back of political expediency long ago.
I can’t bear listening to Penny Wong anymore. Her words and attitude are so irrelevant to the actual situation. How can she have the arrogance to talk the way she does from the place that is Australia? Not only that, she’s making calls to all and sundry on Israel and the Palestinians, ceasefires, etc., sticking her nose in as if it matters … butt out Penny Wong. Know your place.