Albanese seeks call with Netanyahu amid Sydney, Melbourne protests

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is continuing to pursue a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as at least 90,000 people marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge calling for an end to the war in Gaza and pressure builds within Labor for recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Albanese said on Monday he would use any phone call with Netanyahu to advocate for a two-state solution. Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite had earlier confirmed that the call was being pursued, as Labor politicians backed the peaceful protest organised by the Palestine Action Group, with at least three members of the federal caucus in attendance.

Backbenchers Ed Husic, Alison Byrnes and Tony Sheldon marched with protesters on Sunday, putting further pressure on Albanese to recognise Palestine.

At a press conference on Monday, Albanese said he would continue to advocate for peace with Netanyahu.

“I have said to prime minister Netanyahu before, as I’ve said publicly for a long period of time that I’m a supporter of a two-state solution, and that there can’t be peace and security in the Middle East, without there being an advance on that two-state solution,” Albanese said.

The government has repeatedly said that recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of timing. Allies in France, Canada and the United Kingdom have all laid the groundwork to recognise the state at the next United Nations General Assembly in September.

Albanese ruled out any further sanctions against Israeli figures, following those already placed on ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich in June for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Speaking about the Harbour Bridge protest, Albanese said he was not surprised so many felt moved to march after seeing images of “people being deprived of food and water and essential services” in Gaza.

“In a democracy, it’s a good thing that people peacefully express their views, and yesterday’s march was peaceful and was an opportunity for people to express their concern about what is happening in Gaza,” Albanese said.

“Australians want people to stop killing each other. They want peace and security. But the second thing they want is they don’t want conflict brought here.”

Thistlethwaite earlier condemned any forms of antisemitism or pro-Iran sentiments at the protest, telling Sky News that people holding images of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei were wrong.

“A phone call [with Netanyahu] is being pursued. I don’t believe that people should have been displaying photos of the Ayatollah Khamenei. I think that’s provocative,” he said.

“As long as you do it peacefully and in accordance with the law, which is what occurred on the weekend, then every Australian has the right to protest.”

Husic told ABC Radio National he hoped the government would immediately recognise a Palestinian state, arguing the protest sent a signal to Albanese that people want further action.

“I think Australian politics has underestimated how strongly Australians feel about this issue … I think this is a moment, a sort of wake-up call for Australian politics,” he said.

“There was a lot of middle Australia there, and I think that’s something that can’t be ignored.”

Husic marched alongside Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, journalist Antoinette Lattouf, former Labor foreign minister and NSW premier Bob Carr, and Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi at the front of Sydney’s protest.

About 25,000 protesters marched in a concurrent protest through the Melbourne CBD.

The chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin, said the Palestine Action Group was extreme because it organised a protest immediately after October 7, 2023, when Hamas murdered about 1200 Israelis and abducted another 250.

“The fact that these people have now held yesterday’s rally and brought maybe tens of thousands of unwitting people with them who think they’re there for a cause of peace when truly they’re not, they’re being manipulated ... that’s what’s disappointing,” Ryvchin told Sky News on Monday.

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek praised the behaviour of protesters and sympathised with their frustration.

“I think Australians do want to send a message that there has been too much death, too many people have lost their lives,” she told the Seven Network’s Sunrise program.

“We want to see the hostages return, we want to see humanitarian access to Gaza, we particularly don’t want to see children starving to death as a result of this conflict.”

NSW Premier Chris Minns and NSW Police had attempted to block the Sunday protest last week, but the Supreme Court ruled on Saturday morning that it could proceed. The federal Coalition also argued against the protest going ahead.

NSW Liberal senator Maria Kovacic said on Monday it was inappropriate to close down a piece of critical infrastructure in Sydney for a protest.

“I have concerns, as did the NSW Police, in relation to the safety of that protest, and they were concerned about calamitous outcomes there, and it’s a good thing that that did not occur,” Kovacic told Sky News.

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