Justin Amler: Call for ceasefire wilfully ignores realities of Gaza conflict

On Monday, Australia joined 27 other Western countries in signing onto a statement regarding Gaza that was not only highly critical of Israel but bereft of any value in solving the ongoing Gaza war, or ending the suffering that results from it.

It demonstrated once again the profound lack of understanding of the Middle East or the Hamas-Israel conflict that has become all too common in this country.

It’s also incredibly ill-timed. US mediators said on the weekend that Israel is “bending over backwards” to reach a six-week ceasefire deal with Hamas that would see the humanitarian aid situation in Gaza improve dramatically, but Hamas is still refusing. So why would Hamas agree to any deal when statements like the one we just signed on to give it every reason to continue refusing?

Far from neutral, the statement actually empowers Hamas and rewards its intransigence.

The statement attacks the new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid delivery model system set up by the US with support from Israel, saying it “fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity”. Yet it conveniently ignores the fact that the GHF has delivered almost 85 million meals to Gazans so far, and it’s done so without Hamas interference — and Hamas had previously routinely hijacked aid to resell for profit and to bankroll terror.

There is hunger in Gaza, but it’s not because of Israel — it’s because of Hamas, so while some civilians may go hungry, Hamas terrorists never do.

For these countries to ignore the complicity between UN organisations and Hamas is more than just an oversight. The reason why Hamas is so adamant in its demands that the GHF be shut down is because it’s a direct threat to the power of Hamas, which relies on weaponising aid by controlling civilians through food.

The statement also blindly accepts as fact the figure that 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid, without once questioning the validity of that claim, which is based largely on information provided by Hamas itself — often with amplification by UN agencies which take Hamas claims as gospel. It is simply astounding that information from a proscribed terror organisation, whose claims have repeatedly been debunked, continues to be accepted as fact.

Would we accept casualty claims from ISIS as fact? Then why from Hamas?

The statement does mention the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and condemns “their continued detention”, but calls for their release via a negotiated ceasefire. However, elsewhere it calls for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire.” So why should Hamas release them in exchange for a ceasefire when Australia and the others are telling Israel it must accept a ceasefire unconditionally and permanently even if Hamas does not release anyone?

Hamas is currently attempting to kidnap more Israeli soldiers, so the idea of calling for an “immediate and permanent ceasefire” without addressing Hamas’ stated goals of repeating the October 7 atrocities doesn’t mean an end to the conflict, but at best a pause until the next one.

This provision also contradicts our Foreign Minister’s and Prime Minister’s repeated declarations that Hamas must have no future role in Gaza. Because just how do they propose to make that happen with a permanent ceasefire that leaves Hamas in power?

The statement’s call for “all parties to protect civilians and uphold the obligations of international law” is also farcical when the entire modus operandi of Hamas is a deliberate strategy to inflict casualties on Gaza’s civilians through its use of human shields.

But perhaps most telling of all is that Hamas has welcomed the statement. So if a terror organisation, proscribed by Australia, and whose acts have shocked all people of good conscience in their brutality and cruelty, welcomes such a statement, it clearly means that such a statement demonstrates serious flaws in its basic understanding of right and wrong.

This statement does nothing to help either Palestinians or Israelis. It is neither constructive nor helpful in bringing about the end of the conflict. It ignores the fact that Hamas has rejected repeated ceasefire offers, including the one from just a few days ago. Instead of a joint statement calling on Hamas to end the war and release the hostages, the conditions required for ending the war, it instead focuses on denouncing Israel, which is defending itself against Hamas and attempting to release the hostages.

If these 28 countries genuinely want peace, let them issue a joint demand that would be genuinely reality-based and effective: Return the hostages, disarm Hamas. Then, and only then, will peace be possible, benefiting both Israelis and the long-suffering residents of Gaza.

Justin Amler is a policy analyst at the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council