Australia, New Zealand call on Israel to respect int’l law in Gaza

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Australia and New Zealand on Thursday said Israel must respect international law, expressing deep concern over the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the ongoing risk to all Palestinian civilians.

The call for respect to international laws, including humanitarian law, was made at a joint meeting of the foreign and defense ministers of the two nations in Melbourne.

A joint statement released by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the meeting called for the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, in the Palestinian besieged enclave as the death toll since Oct. 07 climbed to 27,019 on Thursday.

Condemning the Oct. 07 Hamas attack and backing Israel’s "self-defense," the two sides, however, expressed “alarm at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza and reiterated that the price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians.”

Seeking the release of all hostages, Canberra and Wellington reaffirmed their support for the UN General Assembly's December call for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire to enable urgent safe, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to Gaza, safe passage for civilians, and the release of hostages.

“The devastating crisis underscores the need for a political solution to the long-running conflict between Israelis and Palestinians,” they said.

Reiterating their support for Palestinian aspirations for self-determination and a state of their own, the two sides expressed “firm commitment” to a “just and enduring two-state solution, where both Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognized borders.”

“There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, physical re-occupation of Gaza, any reduction in territory, or any use of siege or blockade,” the ministers stressed, adding that there was “no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.”

On the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) provisional measures against Israel, the two nations said they “respect” the independence of the world court, noting that the decisions of the ICJ are “binding on the parties to the case.”

The ministers said they “expect Israel to act in accordance with the ICJ's ruling, including to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance.”

On the risk of wider regional escalation amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea, the two sides urged “all actors in the region to work towards containing the conflict.”

The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are “illegal, unacceptable and profoundly destabilizing,” they said, calling on the Houthis to cease immediately their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. They backed the joint military campaign by the US and UK against Houthi targets in Yemen.