Senator Expresses Concern After Australia Backs UN Ceasefire- Concerns Over Abandoning Allies

In a press conference in Adelaide on December 13th, Foreign Minister Penny Wong acknowledged that Australia would have preferred the resolution to mention the Hamas attack on October 7th. Coalition Senator Dave Sharma questioned Labor’s decision to vote for a United Nations call for a ceasefire in the Middle East conflict, claiming Australia is “abandoning our friends.”

Australia supported the U.N.’s emergency call for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” while “ensuring humanitarian access.” However, the motion did not mention Hamas, and two amendments that referred to Hamas were voted down by the majority of members. Australia’s support for the motion broke ranks with its allies the United States and the United Kingdom.

Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, leading to the death of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of women and children. Since then, over 18,000 Palestinians have been reported killed in the Gaza Strip. This led to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring “We are at war.”

Mr. Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel and federal member of Wentworth, raised concerns about Australia’s support for the U.N. motion, saying that “Labor government is completely at sea on this issue, at odds with itself, failing to stand up for important points of principle and abandoning our friends.”

In a joint statement with the prime ministers of Canada and New Zealand, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had condemned Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel on October 7. Two hours later, Foreign Minister Wong instructed Australian diplomats in New York to vote for a UN General Assembly resolution that omitted almost every one of these requirements.

Overall 153 countries voted for the U.N. call, 10 were against it, and 23 countries abstained from the motion. Ms. Wong noted that Australia would have preferred if the resolution mentioned the Hamas attack and reiterated Australia’s condemnation of ongoing terror acts by Hamas. Bou concluding that Australia demands the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages by Hamas.



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