Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Wednesday that Australia supported the United Nations resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza out of concern for civilians in the besieged Strip, in a rare disagreement with its close ally the United States.
After severe warnings from United Nations officials about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza in the two-month-long war between Israel and Hamas, the 193-member United Nations General Assembly issued a resolution calling for a ceasefire, with 153 countries, including Australia, voting in favor and 23 countries abstaining from voting. .
Ten countries voted against the resolution, including the United States and Israel, which say the ceasefire only benefits Hamas.
“Australia continually affirms Israel’s right to defend itself,” Wong said in a press conference after the UN resolution was issued.
She added, “In doing so, we said that Israel must respect international humanitarian law, and that civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, must be protected.”
She continued, “The decision we supported is in line with the position we previously made clear on these issues.”
Canada, Australia and New Zealand issued a joint statement on Tuesday supporting the ceasefire. The three countries, along with the United States and Britain, form an intelligence alliance known as the Five Eyes.
“We think it’s important to have very close allies, and for like-minded countries to speak together to support the position we expressed,” Wong said, adding that the statement had been under discussion “for some time.”
Australia and Canada abstained from voting on a United Nations resolution last October calling for a ceasefire, and New Zealand voted in favor of it.
The United States is one of Australia’s closest allies. In addition to the Five Eyes, the two countries are part of the OCOS security agreement with Britain, and there has been consensus in their foreign policies for decades.
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2023-12-13 02:28:32
