‘Shameful’: Netanyahu attacks Australia over Palestinian recognition

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has branded Australia “shameful” in its advocacy for Palestinian statehood and accused foreign leaders of capitulating to public opinion over the Gaza war.

His comments came as Israel was roundly criticised at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sunday, with China calling the “collective punishment” of people in Gaza unacceptable and Russia warning against a “reckless intensification of hostilities”.

The meeting was called by Britain, Denmark, Greece, France and Slovenia in response to the Israeli announcement on Friday that it would to widen its military offensive and eventually take control of the whole Gaza Strip.

But in a wide-ranging press conference staged “to puncture the lies and tell the truth” about Israeli military and humanitarian action, Netanyahu denied Israel had a “starvation policy” and hit out at foreign powers for backing the “absurdity” of recognising Palestine in the pursuit of peace.

“It defies imagination or understanding how intelligent people around the world, including seasoned diplomats, government leaders and respected journalists, fall for this absurdity,” said Netanyahu, an increasingly isolated leader on the world stage.

He claimed that, contrary to growing opinion, Palestinian statehood would bring war rather than peace: “To have European countries and Australia to march into that rabbit hole, just like that … is disappointing, and I think it’s actually shameful.

“But it’s not going to take, it’s not going to change our position. We will not commit national suicide to get a good op-ed for two minutes. We won’t do that.”

At the Security Council, UN Assistant Secretary General Miroslav Jenca warned that Israel’s latest plan would “likely trigger another calamity, reverberating across the region and causing further forced displacement, killings and destruction”.

However, Netanyahu’s office said he had discussed the strategy with US President Donald Trump, and thanked him for his “steadfast support”.

In the face of criticism that escalating the conflict would only prolong the war, Netanyahu told the press conference the fresh military offensive was the only way to “end the war”.

His defiance came after Australia participated in another joint statement alongside Britain, France, Canada and other allies condemning Israel’s actions, saying any attempts at annexation or settlement in Gaza violated international law.

Last month, Australia took part in a 28-country joint statement urging Israel to dramatically increase the supply of aid in the strip, following repeated reports of Gazans being gunned down outside Gaza Humanitarian Fund depots and images of starving children being spread around the world.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday: “Any attempt by Israel to escalate hostilities, including by taking control of Gaza City, would be wrong, risk violating international law and exacerbate the human catastrophe already unfolding inside the Gaza Strip.”

After previously denying people were starving in Gaza, Netanyahu on Sunday conceded there was “deprivation”, albeit caused by Hamas, the militant group that presides over the territory and launched the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israelis that started the war.

He took aim at international media for what he likened to the smearing of Jewish people in the lead-up to the Holocaust, and singled out The New York Times over its pictorial coverage, as he has done previously.

Doctors volunteering in Gaza who spoke to this masthead recently from London said it was undeniable that Palestinians were suffering from starvation and malnourishment.

The UN’s World Food Program says a quarter of Gazans are on the brink of famine. Hamas authorities say the daily number of trucks entering in the past two weeks, since restrictions on aid deliveries were relaxed by Israel, has averaged 100, far below the 600 the group demands.

In response to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent decision not to send weapons to Israel, Netanyahu said Merz had “buckled under the pressure of false TV reports” and suggested he’d forgotten about October 7.

“Many leaders tell me, look, we know you’re right, but we can’t stand in the face of public opinion in our country, especially European leaders, they tell me that over and over, and I say, that is your problem,” he said.

Israel losing ‘propaganda war’

Following sustained criticism over reporting restrictions in Gaza, Netanyahu said he had directed the military to allow foreign journalists in. He said Israel would also increase the number of humanitarian corridors and aid distribution points, though they would be administered by Gaza Humanitarian Fund.

However, Netanyahu conceded that Israel was losing the “propaganda war”.

“I think that we’ve not been winning it. To put it mildly, I think there are vast forces that are against us,” he said, partly blaming social media.

At the weekend, Liverpool soccer star Mohamed Salah took to X to question a post from UEFA about former Palestinian soccer player Suleiman Obeid, who was reportedly shot and killed by Israeli forces while awaiting aid in Gaza.

“Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?” Salah asked in response to a post from UEFA saying, “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pele’. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.”

Obeid, 41, was fatally shot by Israeli forces last Wednesday while he was waiting among crowds for aid near a distribution site in southern Gaza, the Palestine Football Association said. He leaves behind a wife and five children. The Associated Press could not independently verify the account.

With AP, Bloomberg

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