Wong condemns Israeli minister’s starvation comments
Australia’s foreign minister has condemned a senior member of Israel’s government for arguing it was “justified and moral” to starve Palestinians until Israeli hostages were released.
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Monday triggered international outrage when he claimed there was justification for blocking aid supplies to Gaza until all hostages captured by Hamas in the October 7 attacks were freed.
“It’s not possible in today’s global reality to manage a war — no one will allow us to starve two million people, even though that might be just and moral until they return the hostages,” he said in a speech.
Australia on Saturday joined the UK, Germany and France in condemning Mr Smotrich’s comments.
“The deliberate starvation of civilians is a war crime,” Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said on X, formerly Twitter.
“There is no justification for it, ever.”
Senator Wong reiterated the urgent need for a ceasefire to protect civilians, see hostages released and allow aid to arrive.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy also deplored the comments.
“There can be no justification for Minister Smotrich’s remarks and we expect the wider Israeli government to retract and condemn them,” he posted to X.
Germany’s ambassador to Israel Steffen Siebert labelled the minister’s remarks as “unacceptable and appalling”.
The United Nations’ Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk demanded an investigation into Mr Smotrich, saying his comments incited hatred against innocent civilians.
The far-right minister also labelled a proposed deal for a ceasefire a “dangerous trap” and that any deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip before Hamas had been destroyed would allow Hamas to regroup and murder Jews.
Those statements were “outrageous and absurd” and would jeopardise Israel’s security, according to US White House National Security spokesman John Kirby
“I want to underscore how wrong this is, not only in substance, but also jeopardising the lives of the hostages and running counter to Israel’s own national security interests,” Mr Kirby told reporters.
About 1200 Israelis were killed and 250 hostages taken after Hamas militants stormed a music festival on October 7. In response, Israel’s military has killed almost 40,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry.
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