Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: As you know, the Albanese Government has consistently advocated for a ceasefire for the release of hostages, the protection of civilians, the upholding of international law and the unhindered flow of aid. And we've also consistently advocated for a two-state solution. This is the only outcome which keeps faith for the imperative of the existence of Israel and its long-term security, that fulfils also the world's promise to the Palestinian people and that enables two peoples to live in peace. It strengthens the force for peace and undermines extremism. And it is the opposite of what Hamas wants. We know that Hamas can have no role in a future Palestinian state. We believe a two-state solution is the only way to end the cycle of violence. And regrettably, it is also clear that the Netanyahu Government rejects it. This is clear from its devastating military campaign in Gaza - civilians being killed by the thousands, children starving. And it is also clear that from policies including rampant settlement construction and impunity to settler violence in the West Bank. Like Israel's military expansion in Gaza, illegal settlements and impunity for settler violence in the West Bank are extinguishing the prospects of a two-state solution.
Now, I know that Australians feel frustrated. I know that people feel like we have little chance of moving the dial on our own. But this has never meant we can do nothing. What it does mean is we do what we can by working with partners. And that is what we have done. We do the work of building coalitions with other countries because when Australia acts, we then act with impact.
Together with our partners, Australia has opposed Israel's humanitarian blockade and expansion of military operations in Gaza. Together with our partners, we have opposed the expansion of settlements in the West Bank like those announced by the Netanyahu Government just a couple of weeks ago. And together with our partners, we have imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers for their violence against Palestinians.
So far, the Netanyahu Government has ignored this international opposition. Just as when we applied those sanctions previously, and just as when we applied sanctions against Hamas for their terrorism, Australia never speculates about possible future sanctions. We apply them without warning because that makes them harder to evade. And overnight, we have done that.
Australia has applied targeted financial sanctions and travel bans to two senior Ministers in the Israeli Government - Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich - for their role in serious human rights violations and abuses relating to Israeli settler violence in the West Bank. They are the most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent settlement enterprise. And we have applied those measures with others. We have applied those measures in coordination with Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. This action is the result of many months of effort and coordination, and together, these countries are sending a message: you have ignored the international community, and we do not tolerate it. The situation in the West Bank and the situation in Gaza are untenable both for civilians and long-term peace in the form of a two-state solution.
Happy to take questions. I was going to go to Liz first.
Journalist: The US has said that these sanctions are…
Foreign Minister: She got in early.
Journalist: We prearranged it... These sanctions are extremely unhelpful. I know you've said that you gave no warning, but did you at all speak to the US, warn them or invite them into this coalition of partners to make those sanctions?
Foreign Minister: We've engaged in Washington and Canberra overnight. But what I would say about this, first, obviously, in the history of our alliance, there are issues on which we've taken different approaches. And I would make the point that we are acting with others. We are acting with the United Kingdom, we are acting with Canada, we are acting with New Zealand, we are acting with Norway.
Journalist: Minister, was there any consideration of sanctions against Benjamin Netanyahu personally, and you note that his government doesn't support a two-state solution. Is peace and a ceasefire possible with Benjamin Netanyahu in power?
Foreign Minister: We have, with others, targeted sanctions, personal sanctions against these ministers because whilst they are not the only members of the Israeli Government whose actions have been problematic, they are certainly the most extreme. And as to other matters, we don't speculate about the approach. We maintain our position, we think two states, which is not supported by the Netanyahu Government, still remains the only viable path to peace and security, for both Israelis and Palestinians. I'll go from right to left.
Journalist: Minister Wong, the US statement says that your statement doesn't advance the US-led efforts to end the war. Do you have confidence in those efforts having an impact?
Foreign Minister: Look, we all want peace. We all want peace. And we will continue to advocate for and work for peace. We will continue to advocate for the return of the hostages, and we will continue to advocate for the delivery of humanitarian aid. I think we all want the situation in the Middle East to resolve.
Journalist: Secretary Rubio says they remind their partners not to forget who the real enemy is. What are the next steps to bring about peace in this situation?
Foreign Minister: We have already applied sanctions in relation to Hamas, and we have made clear our view - Hamas is a terrorist organisation that seeks the destruction of the state of Israel. They can have no role in any future Palestinian state. They are condemned. What we are doing is acting in support of a two-state solution, which is the opposite of what Hamas wants.
Journalist: The Australian Centre of International Justice has raised concerns about dual citizens fighting for Israel and that they could be engaging in war crimes. Does DFAT have any information on Australians and how many dual citizens have returned to fight against Israel?
Foreign Minister: Look, I've been clear previously we discourage people from going to fight in wars overseas, conflicts overseas.
Journalist Minister, obviously. Oh, sorry. Obviously, the statement today is about the West Bank. The statement also talks about unhindered humanitarian aid and the reconstruction of Gaza. Could I ask about efforts towards that? I'm also aware of statements that you and other members of the Government, the Prime Minister, have made, joined onto, but can Australia do more in terms of helping aid, get into Gaza, sending more aid? I believe you met with Mohammed Mustafa, the Australian doctor, last week, or the week before he was talking about money for a children's hospital in Gaza, for instance. Is that something under consideration?
Foreign Minister: I did meet with Dr Mustafa and he's a very impressive individual, and we talked at length – I think this was during the election campaign -about the situation in Gaza, which is horrific. And he spoke very personally about what he had seen, and it accords with what we all, not only see in media but also the reports that come through. We know, particularly during the period in which Israel blockaded all aid entering, that what occurred in Gaza for children and for civillians, was unacceptable. Obviously, it's very challenging for all international partners to get aid in, if it is not being allowed in. The first thing we must do is to press for aid to enter Gaza unhindered, unimpeded. And the statement does that. And it is, I would say, to the Government of Israel, to Prime Minister Netanyahu, you have countries, the United Kingdom, Norway, New Zealand, Australia, and countries around the world, calling on you to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. We will all continue to call on you to do so.
Journalist: Minister, you've referenced how Australia has had differences in opinion over the years with the United States. But the Trump administration is an outlier amongst all previous administrations which Australian governments have dealt with. Does this increase any tension between the Albanese Government and the Trump administration?
Foreign Minister: The alliance is an alliance that is strong and that has stood the test of time through administrations and Prime Ministers, governments of different political persuasions. From time to time we have differences of views.
Journalist: Minister, could you describe these actions in the context of our broader relations with Israel? Does it represent a shift, a pivot? Have you just got to the point where you're fed up and you talked about these sanctions being in the works for some time? Did this work begin before the election?
Foreign Minister: Work on this has been months in the making, but obviously the decision to do this was made in conjunction with others and has been made, and announced overnight with those parties. What was the first part of your question? Oh, the Israeli Government.. Look, I think the best way to describe this is if you look at the statement that I have released today with my colleagues from those countries, those other partners, we want a strong friendship with the people of Israel. We continue to support peace and security. We want a peaceful, secure future for the people of Israel. But we do take issue with the actions of the Netanyahu Government. We don't believe that the actions of that government are conducive to ultimately a peaceful settlement in the Middle East. We have made that clear in the sanctions we've put in place today. We have also made that clear in terms of our call for aid to enter Gaza.
Journalist: Minister you've said these were months in the making, but could you be a little more specific. Was there a particular action or comment that pushed these sanctions to actually happen now? And just to follow on Cam's question from earlier, in those months, was there ever consideration to sanctioning Benjamin Netanyahu?
Foreign Minister: Well, I've responded to that last question. In relation to this, these are substantial decisions and they obviously have to be considered by governments. We've been very clear that we want to act with others, and that's what we have done. We've been very clear about why we want to act. And I would note that if you look at what has occurred over the last period of time, including the announcement of 22 settlements in the West Bank, the trajectory of the Netanyahu Government in terms of settlement activities is clear.
Journalist: Minister, what do you hope you can tangibly achieve in terms of improvements in the rights of Palestinians in the West Bank through these sanctions? And can they be as impactful without the involvement of the United States?
Foreign Minister: The impact comes from working with others. And I really appreciate the work of my colleagues in the countries who have jointly issued these sanctions together. I think that does enhance the impact. We have more impact when we act together. We don't pretend that these actions alone will bring about peace, what we can do is contribute, and that is what we are seeking to do.
Journalist: Minister, is this a warning shot? I mean it's been suggested that Australia and UK and like-minded countries, are considering sanctioning Israel over the continued blockade of aid to Gaza. Are you sending a message to Israel or to the Israeli Government that you are prepared to take that extra step?
Foreign Minister: No. I'm sending a message to the Israeli Government alongside the overwhelming majority of the international community that you are obliged to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza for civilians, unhindered. That is an expression of international law and obligations under international humanitarian law.
Journalist: Minister, you spoke earlier of having had engagements in Canberra and in Washington with the US over this. Have you also spoken with the Israeli Ambassador? Has there been a similar conversation happening with the Australian Ambassador in Israel, and what was the nature of that conversation? Do you fear that there might be any retaliatory actions from Israel?
Foreign Minister: Well, I've seen the public comments of my counterpart in Israel. I understand them. With respect, we disagree. We do not think that the actions of the Israeli Government in the West Bank are supportable – in fact, we think they are contrary to human rights, they are contrary to prospects of peace. I appreciate that he doesn't agree, and his government doesn't agree. We don't agree with the Netanyahu Government on their current course.
We do continue to call for the release of hostages. We do continue to call for the condemnation of Hamas. We do continue to call for a ceasefire and aid to enter.
Journalist: The nations that you've listed that are joining with this action are Commonwealth nations and then Norway. Is this a shift, perhaps away from looking to the US to take leadership on this, especially as they are pulling out of influence in the South Pacific region?
Foreign Minister: I think if you look historically since October 7, that this very complex, distressing conflict has been the subject of a number of joint statements by Australia, both at leader level - Canada, Australia and New Zealand - as well as at Foreign Minister level, and more generally. So, I think what you are seeing here is a diplomatic approach which recognises that we best make impact by working with others.
Can I make one comment also about the Australian community and how these are taken. It's very important that we reject any attempt to hold the Australian Jewish community responsible for the actions of the Netanyahu Government. And I again say we reject all forms of antisemitism. They are inimical, contrary to who we are as a country. And I think the result at the last election and particularly in a number of seats, demonstrated that Australians do want a cohesive Australian community, where differences of view are peacefully dealt with and respectfully dealt with.
Journalist: Minister, just one final one, sorry. On the two-state solution conference in New York next week, what should we expect as an outcome of that? What will the Australian position be and will you be attending?
Foreign Minister: Look, we're engaging with partners about that. Obviously, we'll make a decision on appropriate Australian representation at the relevant time. What I would say is, we made clear that we no longer see recognition as coming necessarily only at the end of a negotiation process. We see this, a possibility as part of a peace process, but we've also made clear various conditions associated with that, including the security of the state of Israel, that Hamas has no place in the governance of any future Palestinian state, the release of hostages and obviously a ceasefire. I've made public comments about that, that remains our position.
Thank you very much.