Media Releases

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council welcomes news of the ceasefire deal that will stop Hezbollah attacking Israeli civilians.

AIJAC Executive Director Colin Rubenstein AM said, “While we welcome news of the ceasefire, we remain cautious, because we know from bitter experience that Israel’s enemies systematically violate legal obligations with zero pushback by the international community. We hope it will be different this time, and innocent civilians on both sides of the border can rebuild and return to their homes, free from the Hezbollah terrorist threat.”

Dr Rubenstein added, “In 2006, the Security Council imposed near identical conditions to the current ceasefire deal. Hezbollah’s legion of violations were ignored, and the result was the last year of devastation and war. The test of this ceasefire deal will be the extent to which the West allows Israel to enforce the conditions of a Hezbollah-free southern Lebanon. Lasting peace requires consequences for Hezbollah violations. Without consequences, this will merely be a lull.”