Key Points
- Anthony Albanese spoke with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday.
- Albanese underlined the need for international law to be observed and for civilians in Gaza to be protected.
- Former prime minister Scott Morrison, meanwhile, said he found discussions of a ceasefire "strange".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas, condemning the Hamas attack on Israel and expressing his concern over civilian deaths in the conflict.
Albanese, who is attending in the Cook Islands, spoke with Abbas on Thursday morning to reaffirm Australia's support for a two-state solution.
He underlined the need for international law to be observed and for the protection of civilians in Gaza.
Albanese spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week.
Meanwhile, former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison has returned from a visit to Israel with ex-UK prime minister Boris Johnson.
He backed Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
Mr Morrison found it "strange" there were discussions of a ceasefire when Hamas still had hostages - taken during the 7 October invasion - and hadn't offered up its leaders for prosecution.
"You don't hear that in this debate," he told 2GB radio.
"I mean, it's just extraordinary the double standards that apply in this situation."
Asked about the plight of Palestinian civilians, Morrison said "this is a terrible war".
"I'm not shying away from that," he said.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on its website that Abbas told Albanese in a phone call that what was occurring in Gaza was that had to be stopped immediately.
He asserted the importance of bringing in relief aid to the Gaza Strip as soon as possible and preventing the displacement of Palestinians from there or , including Jerusalem.
Abbas affirmed the importance of a political solution based on the international legitimacy of the United Nations for Palestinians to achieve independence and sovereignty to ensure security for everyone in the region, Wafa reported.
He urged Australia to recognise the state of Palestine, saying any plans for an Israeli re-occupation couldn't be accepted.
'Nothing practical' about recognising Palestinian statehood
Labor reaffirmed its policy to recognise Palestinian statehood at its annual party conference, but there is no timeline.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Labor shouldn't move ahead with recognition as "there is nothing practical, logical about what could be recognised".
"The Palestinian Authority has questionable control over the West Bank and no control over Gaza," he said.
"What we want to see is a situation where Hamas is defeated, disarmed and removed as a terrorist threat.
"And from there, hopefully, co-operation across the key players in the international community to try and build an environment for stability that could enable, step-by-step, some type of longer-term peaceful outcome."
The Palestinian Authority's power base is in the West Bank but the Gaza Strip has been controlled by Hamas.
Hamas is a Palestinian military and political group, which has gained power in the Gaza Strip since winning legislative elections there in 2006. Its stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state, while refusing to recognise Israel's right to exist.
Hamas, in its entirety, is designated as a terrorist organisation by countries including Australia, Canada, the UK and the US. New Zealand and Paraguay list only its military wing as a terrorist group. In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly voted against a resolution condemning Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist organisation.
Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas' 7 October attack in which more than 1,400 people were killed, according to the Israeli government, and over 200 hostages taken.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, according to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
