A Joint statement by Australia, New Zealand and Canada that urges Israel not to launch an operation against Hamas strongholds in the southern Gaza city of Rafah where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering has been condemned by the Zionist Federation of Australia.
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| Displaced Palestinians stand outside their tents in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip as fighting between Israel and Hamas intensifies. Photo: Said Khatib/AFP via timesofisrael.com |
Jeremy Leibler, President OF ZFA, said: “It is extremely disappointing and frankly unreasonable for the Government to call for the removal of Hamas from power as the only pathway to end the war and simultaneously call on Israel to refrain from entering Rafah to remove the last remaining Hamas stronghold.
“It places Israel in an impossible position and sets a precedent that terrorist organizations will have immunity by hiding behind civilians.
“The Hamas-Israel war could end tomorrow, if only Hamas were to surrender and release the hostages. While the Australian Government has rightly reiterated this point, we call on all governments, including Australia, to focus their efforts on applying this pressure on Hamas. This is the only pathway to addressing the significant humanitarian crisis in Gaza and ending the war.”
