Rachel Mealey, Host: Foreign Minister Penny Wong says there are challenges associated with recognising a Palestinian state that are yet to be overcome. The Foreign Minister was in Darwin yesterday alongside her UK counterpart touring a British aircraft carrier. She spoke to Political Reporter Tom Lowrey while onboard.
Tom Lowrey, Journalist: If Israel is breaching international law in Gaza, is Australia going to act on that?
Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Well, can I be very clear we have said from day one that Israel must comply with its obligations under international law. We have said from day one that war has rules and we continue to assert that position. You would have seen the Australian Government has called for a ceasefire, called for the release of hostages, and called for aid to be delivered unimpeded. We continue to make that call today.
Journalist: Can we take further steps? Are sanctions required here? Are there other actions, more pressure Australia can provide?
Foreign Minister: Look we are not the central player in the Middle East, but we can continue to do what we have done, which is to work with others to collectively assert to Israel the importance of international law and collectively call for ceasefire and the release of hostages. You will also see we have taken other action. We have sanctioned Israeli Ministers for their human rights abuses of Palestinians, we've sanctioned extremist settler organisations for the same reason, we have ensured we have provided $110 million of aid to the region, and we have joined with others in the international community to very loudly and clearly say that Israel must comply with international law. Just recently you've seen the statement that I was part of, more countries have joined since that statement was issued, calling on Israel to allow aid to enter unimpeded. We want to see a ceasefire, hostages released, and aid to flow.
Journalist: On recognition, you've said that recognition is not necessarily an endpoint, it can be a step towards a peace process. Can you elaborate on the thinking behind that? What role could recognition play as part of a peace process? How would you use that as a tool?
Foreign Minister: Well, a few points. The first point I'd make is this is the position I articulated a year ago, where I spoke about how we saw recognition, that it could be a part of a peace process, that it could come as part of a peace process, not only at the end of a process of negotiation, and that you saw the Prime Minister today say the same thing. He also made the point there are challenges associated with this. Obviously, we have to see Hamas demilitarised, we have to see the hostages released. We need to see progress in terms of the Palestinian Authority and its moves to more a democratic and accountable governance, and it's pleasing to see some of that happening. Ultimately, what we want to see is two states, because that is the only way in which we will see peace, stability and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Mealey: Foreign Minister Penny Wong there speaking with Tom Lowrey.