Australia 'does not' provide weapons to Israel, stresses under-pressure premier

ANKARA

Amid intense pressure from local communities over Canberra's role in the Gaza war, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday stressed his government "does not" provide weapons to Israel.

Speaking to reporters in Perth, Albanese said his country was "not in a position" to stop the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

"Australia is not a participant. We do not provide weapons to Israel," he said, according to his office.

The Albanese government has faced intense criticism for its stand on Palestine, with calls on Canberra to end arms supplies to Israel.

Pro-Palestinian protesters in Australia are also urging Albanese's government to impose sanctions on Israel for its war on Gaza.

Last month, Senator Fatima Payman also quit the ruling Labor Party after being suspended for supporting a parliament motion to recognize a Palestinian state.

"We have continued to put forward a principled position. We've done that by the way that we've voted in the United Nations, by the way that we have sought to lower temperature, not raise it by saying things that just aren't true or making requests that can't possibly be delivered," said the prime minister.

Albanese added that he called for de-escalation of the conflict, and has called for the creation of a two-state solution where both sides can live in peace.

"All we can do is to raise our voice in the interests of peace and to decry the loss of every innocent life," he said.

Israel has continued a devastating military offensive in the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 40,000 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,700 injured, according to local health authorities.

Over 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid