Anthony Albanese joins Canadian and NZ prime ministers in calling for ceasefire in Israel-Hamas war

Written by: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has joined New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in calling for a sustainable ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In a joint statement, the three leaders said they wanted to resume a “pause” in the fighting and supported “urgent international efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire”.

Meanwhile, at the United Nations, Australia has voted ^[1] with an overwhelming majority of countries for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The United States was among a small minority of nations voting against. Israel’s ambassador to Australia condemned the Australian vote.

In their statement, the three leaders stressed a sustainable ceasefire could not be one-sided. “Hamas must release all hostages, stop using Palestinian civilians as human shields, and lay down its arms”.

While recognising Israel’s right to defend itself, the leaders said that in doing so, “Israel must respect international humanitarian law”.

Australia, Canada and New Zealand mourned every innocent life that had been lost, the prime statement said.

“We unequivocally condemn Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel on October 7, the appalling loss of life, and the heinous acts of violence perpetrated in those attacks, including sexual violence. We condemn Hamas’ unacceptable treatment of hostages and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages.”

Declaring civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected, the statement said: “We are alarmed at the diminishing safe space for civilians in Gaza. The price of defeating Hamas cannot be the continuous suffering of all Palestinian civilians.”

“We remain deeply concerned by the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ongoing risks to all Palestinian civilians. Safe and unimpeded humanitarian access must be increased and sustained.”

The prime ministers said there was no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza.

“We support Palestinians’ right to self-determination. We oppose the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, the re-occupation of Gaza, any reduction in territory, and any use of siege or blockade. We emphasise that Gaza must no longer be used as a platform for terrorism. We reaffirm that [Israeli] settlements are illegal under international law. Settlements and settler violence are serious obstacles to a negotiated two-state solution.

"We recommit ourselves to working with partners toward a just and enduring peace in the form of a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognised borders.”

The leaders expressed concern about the conflict’s impact “spilling across the region” and urged governments in the Middle East to work towards containing the conflict. They also called on the Houthi rebels in Yemen to immediately stop their attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

The statement also condemned “rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment in our countries and around the world”. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to “combatting prejudice, hatred, and violent extremism”.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong is due to visit the Middle East soon. Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham is part of a cross-party group of federal MPs visiting Israel ^[2] this week. It includes Labor members Josh Burns and Michelle Ananda-Rajah, and Coalition MPs Andrew Wallace and Zoe McKenzie.