In the Media

Sydney Morning Herald – 7 November 2024

Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s November 6 opinion piece on the Middle East is very disappointing. The casualty figures come directly from Hamas, so at the very least are dubious, while it’s simply untrue 2 million people – Gaza’s entire population – are facing starvation.

It almost defies belief that she bemoans the lack of a Palestinian state without acknowledging the Palestinian Authority’s rejection of three generous offers of statehood.

Israel’s supporters don’t claim the ALP enables Hamas by insisting Israel follow the laws of war, as she writes. The ALP enables Hamas by condemning Israel even though Israel is following the laws of war.

Totally missing is any acknowledgement of Israel’s efforts to avoid civilian casualties with evacuations and warnings, its efforts to allow the transfer of aid, or the fact that the civilian to combatant casualty ratio of around one to one is far better than other recent urban wars.

If she really wants to be constructive, she should demand the PA end its intransigence and genuinely negotiate, demand aid to Gaza come from agencies that aren’t committed to rejectionism and infested with terrorists as UNRWA is, and condemn the Hamas human shield tactics that deliberately cause the civilian casualties.

Jamie Hyams
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council