Media Releases

The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) today rejected the joint statement by Australia and 27 other Western countries on the “Occupied Palestinian Territories” as badly misguided and deeply counter-productive to the very aims these countries seek.

AIJAC Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein said, “This badly misguided statement offers nothing constructive to help resolve the ongoing conflict in Gaza in a way that will provide security and normalcy for both Palestinians and Israelis and in fact is likely to have the opposite effect. It absurdly accepts Hamas propaganda claims about the situation in Gaza and the aid efforts there, often amplified by UN agencies, as proven facts. Moreover, calling for an ‘immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire’ and a return to the old UN-dominated aid system, which Hamas exploited routinely in order to maintain itself in power and keep the war going, can only benefit Hamas, not the long-term interests of Gazans.  It is particularly telling that Hamas has applauded the statement, while not only Israel, but the US mediators urgently trying to reach a genuinely sustainable ceasefire, have been highly critical of it.

“The statement’s call for the ‘unconditional’ release of the hostages makes no sense, because by also calling for an unconditional and permanent ceasefire, it removes all incentives for Hamas to actually release them. Furthermore, urging an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire actively undermines the statement’s other call for a ‘negotiated ceasefire’ to bring home the hostages. And this is occurring at a time when US mediators say Israel is ‘bending over backward’ to reach such a ceasefire deal, and Hamas is repeatedly refusing. Why should Hamas agree to the US-sponsored agreement now when numerous nations are demanding Israel simply end all pressure on the terror group unconditionally?

“It is also noteworthy that this statement contradicts in practice our Foreign Minister’s and Prime Minister’s repeated declarations that Hamas must have no future role in Gaza. The implications of the demands in the statement are that Hamas will continue to rule Gaza, preparing for the future rounds of conflict it openly says it will seek. Reconstruction of Gaza will be all but impossible, more rounds of war will occur, and Gazans will continue to suffer grievously as a result,” Rubenstein concluded.