Israel is entitled to respond to Iranian strikes but there should be a de-escalation to avoid adding to the “totally unacceptable” death toll in Gaza and Lebanon, Defence Minister Richard Marles says.
Mr Marles said the Australian government was “on exactly the same page” as the United States and its allies in working to “break the cycle of violence” in the region amid fears of a wider conflict.
Australia has joined the US in calling for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and the US has also warned Israel against striking Iranian oil facilities or nuclear sites.
Mr Marles accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of telling a “patent lie” when he suggested the Albanese government was at odds with its allies.
“It’s an intentional lie, and it’s a lie intended to create division with Australian politics and from there Australian society,” he told the ABC’s Insiders on Sunday morning.
“We’ve talked about the fact that Israel clearly does have a right to defend itself and that does include a right to respond, but the manner in which it defends itself obviously matters.”
Mr Marles’s comments were the first from a government minister to directly refer to Israel’s right to retaliate after Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles into the country last week.
But he added the government was “deeply anxious and concerned” about the “totally unacceptable” loss of life Israel had inflicted in Gaza and Lebanon in the year following Hamas’s October 7 terror attack on Israel, saying Israel’s response would be “judged”.
“What matters is that we have been using our voice to call for an end to these hostilities.”
Coalition accuses government of prioritising domestic politics
Earlier on Sunday, Coalition’s home affairs spokesperson James Paterson told Sky News the government had “utterly jettisoned” Australia’s “friend and ally” Israel since the October 7 attack, the anniversary of which will be marked on Monday.
“We’ve abandoned Israel at the UN. We started calling for a premature establishment of a Palestinian state before any peace negotiations or agreement between Israel and Palestinians. That is in violation of our longstanding bipartisan policy when it comes to Israel,” he said.
“The only reason why you would abandon all those things is if you’re worried about the Greens, if you’re worried about the politics of south-west Sydney and you’re worried about the political implications for Labor.”
Mr Marles said the government’s support for “a credible pathway forward … [to] the achievement of a Palestinian state” was consistent with bipartisan support for a two-state solution.
“What we want to see is a negotiated peace … What there has to be now is a credible pathway forward for the achievement of the Palestinian aspiration of its own state.”
Mr Marles said pro-Palestinian protests planned for Sunday and on the anniversary of October 7 on Monday were “deeply regrettable”.
“The anniversary of October 7 needs to be about October 7 and what happened on that day was the loss of more than 1,000 innocent lives … It is a very solemn occasion.”
Senator Paterson said the government should have “shown leadership” by urging “community leaders” not to proceed with protests.
“If they do go ahead I think it’s a stain on the prime minister’s weak record.”
Labor MP Josh Burns said the protests were “a matter for the states” but that protests would “send a terrible message” and “make people who are grieving feel uncomfortable”.
He acknowledged anger at the government from prominent members of the Jewish community, which he said was “an entirely legitimate position” while also defending the government’s commitment to fighting anti-Semitism.
“In my experience Anthony Albanese … [is] someone who cares deeply about the Jewish community, as does the foreign minister, and they have done everything they felt was appropriate,” he said.
He accused the Greens of “throwing the Jewish community under the bus” since October 7, calling their response “abhorrent”.
“There are no Jews left in the Greens, basically, they’ve all deserted them.”
Government arranging further flights out of Lebanon
The government continues to urge Australians to leave Lebanon while opportunities are available but is concerned Israeli strikes near the airport in the capital Beirut could soon cut off that exit route.
Mr Marles said 3,600 Australians had now registered interest in leaving with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, more than double the figure from earlier in the week.
Four-hundred-and-seven Australians – including permanent residents and immediate family members – left Lebanon on Saturday on two “government-assisted departure flights”, which have landed in Cyprus, taking the total to 456 evacuated with government assistance.
Another two flights are expected to leave Beirut at 6:30pm and 11:45pm AEDT.
The government says Qatar Airways and Qantas are providing flights from Cyprus to Australia, with the first of those flights also to depart on Sunday night Australian time.
Mr Marles said it was “really important” Australians take the opportunity to leave.
“The situation in Lebanon is very difficult, which is why we’ve been very clear for months now that now is the time to leave, and now literally is the time to leave,” he said.
“It matters that people take the seats that are available to them,” he said, noting that many seats on flights offered earlier in the week had not been taken up, although the take-up was better on Saturday.
“We will continue to do what we can … [but] people need to take the opportunities which have been provided them.”
Mr Marles said “a couple” of C-130 Hercules aircraft were positioned in the area, and also a C17 RAAF plane that was currently in Cyprus but would soon be “relocating elsewhere in the region”.
