Australia, New Zealand, and Canada Urge Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza Following ICJ Ruling

Australia, New Zealand, and Canada have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and urged Israel to respond to the International Court of Justice’s ruling on its occupation of Palestinian territories.

Key Points

• Australia, New Zealand, and Canada have jointly called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for Israel to address the ICJ’s ruling on its occupation.
• The International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements as illegal, urging a withdrawal.
• The joint statement emphasized the need to protect civilians and hold extremist settlers accountable, aiming for a two-state solution.
• Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the ICJ’s findings and maintained that a political settlement should be reached through negotiations.
• U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a ceasefire deal, contrasting with President Joe Biden’s approach.

On Friday, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada issued a strong call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, urging Israel to respond to a recent International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that deemed its occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements illegal. The leaders emphasized that protecting civilians is crucial and that Palestinian civilians should not suffer as a result of efforts to defeat Hamas.

The ICJ’s ruling, the most severe to date on the Israel-Palestine conflict, calls for Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian territories it occupies. In response, the joint statement from the three nations demanded that Israel address these findings and halt its settlement program in the West Bank. The leaders also called for accountability for extremist settlers and advocated for a two-state solution.

Israel’s embassy in Australia condemned violence against Palestinian communities, but its foreign ministry rejected the ICJ’s opinion as flawed and asserted that only negotiations could lead to a political resolution in the region. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and has since expanded settlements in the West Bank, areas the Palestinians seek for their state. The international community largely considers these territories as occupied.

The joint statement, the second since February, also highlighted concerns about escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah, noting that the risk of a wider regional conflict makes a ceasefire in Gaza even more urgent. This call came just hours after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to support a ceasefire deal to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians, a stance that diverges from President Joe Biden’s more measured approach.