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Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong reflected the need for a political solution to restore peace to Gaza, as Israel faces “strategic defeat” through a mounting civilian death toll.
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Minister Wong made the comments in Canberra earlier this week following a widely publicised assessment by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III that Israel is risking “strategic defeat” in its war with Hamas if it does not avoid a rising civilian death toll.
“I have personally pushed Israeli leaders to avoid civilian casualties, and to shun irresponsible rhetoric, and to prevent violence by settlers in the West Bank,” the US Secretary of Defense said during the Reagan National Defense Forum in California.
“I learned a thing or two about urban warfare from my time fighting in Iraq. Like Hamas, ISIS was deeply embedded in urban areas. And the international coalition against ISIS worked hard to protect civilians and create humanitarian corridors.
“The lesson is not that you can win in urban warfare by protecting civilians. The lesson is that you can only win in urban warfare by protecting civilians.
“In this kind of a fight, the centre of gravity is the civilian population. And if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.”
Foreign Minister Wong echoed those sentiments during a media conference earlier this week and called for a political process towards a two‑state solution as the only way to secure security and peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
“I thought it was notable that Secretary Austin, with his experience of urban warfare and his statements, if you drive civilians into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat. It was an important statement, notable statement,” she said.
“We recognise Israel’s right to defend itself and we stress that the way it does so matters. Israel must respect international humanitarian law and it must conduct its military operations lawfully. And we are very concerned about the scale of civilian death that we are all seeing, including children.”
The fighting experienced a brief hold during a temporary seven-day ceasefire from 24 November to 30 November. The Palestinian death toll is reportedly more than 15,000 killed in Gaza and the West Bank, while more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nations were reportedly killed (and around 250 taken hostage) during Hamas raids on 7 October.
Minister Wong said the Australian government condemns the 7 October attacks, calls for the release of hostages by Hamas, and is committed to encouraging the importance of respecting international humanitarian law and the conduct of military operations in a lawful manner and the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“The seven-day pause allowed for the release of 105 hostages from Gaza and for a much-needed increase in critical humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza,” she said.
“Australia wants to see this continue and supports efforts towards this goal. Australia continues to call for the release of all hostages – immediately and unconditionally.
“It is essential that vital humanitarian assistance reaches those in need. This means safe, unimpeded, and sustained humanitarian access in Gaza, and safe passage for civilians.
“Australia urges all parties to respect international humanitarian law. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. Australia wants to see next steps towards a sustainable ceasefire, but it cannot be one-sided.
“Australia is working with countries that have influence in the region towards the goal of a long term, enduring peace, and to help protect civilians and prevent the conflict from spreading.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that the country will likely have to oversee operations in the Gaza Strip for an indefinite period of time to maintain peace.
“I think Israel will, for an indefinite period, have security responsibility,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said during a televised interview with American broadcaster ABC.
“We’ve seen what happens when we don’t have that … security responsibility, what we have is the eruption of Hamas terror on a scale that we couldn’t imagine.”
