‘Shameful’: Netanyahu attacks Australia over Palestinian recognition

However, Netanyahu’s office said he had discussed the strategy with US President Donald Trump, and thanked him for his “steadfast support”.

In the face of criticism that escalating the conflict would only prolong the war, Netanyahu told the press conference the fresh military offensive was the only way to “end the war”.

His defiance came after Australia participated in another joint statement alongside Britain, France, Canada and other allies condemning Israel’s actions, saying any attempts at annexation or settlement in Gaza violated international law.

Last month, Australia took part in a 28-country joint statement urging Israel to dramatically increase the supply of aid in the strip, following repeated reports of Gazans being gunned down outside Gaza Humanitarian Fund depots and images of starving children being spread around the world.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a joint statement with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday: “Any attempt by Israel to escalate hostilities, including by taking control of Gaza City, would be wrong, risk violating international law and exacerbate the human catastrophe already unfolding inside the Gaza Strip.”

After previously denying people were starving in Gaza, Netanyahu on Sunday conceded there was “deprivation”, albeit caused by Hamas, the militant group that presides over the territory and launched the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israelis that started the war.

He took aim at international media for what he likened to the smearing of Jewish people in the lead-up to the Holocaust, and singled out The New York Times over its pictorial coverage, as he has done previously.

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Doctors volunteering in Gaza who spoke to this masthead recently from London said it was undeniable that Palestinians were suffering from starvation and malnourishment.

The UN’s World Food Program says a quarter of Gazans are on the brink of famine. Hamas authorities say the daily number of trucks entering in the past two weeks, since restrictions on aid deliveries were relaxed by Israel, has averaged 100, far below the 600 the group demands.

In response to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent decision not to send weapons to Israel, Netanyahu said Merz had “buckled under the pressure of false TV reports” and suggested he’d forgotten about October 7.

“Many leaders tell me, look, we know you’re right, but we can’t stand in the face of public opinion in our country, especially European leaders, they tell me that over and over, and I say, that is your problem,” he said.

Israel losing ‘propaganda war’

Following sustained criticism over reporting restrictions in Gaza, Netanyahu said he had directed the military to allow foreign journalists in. He said Israel would also increase the number of humanitarian corridors and aid distribution points, though they would be administered by Gaza Humanitarian Fund.

However, Netanyahu conceded that Israel was losing the “propaganda war”.

“I think that we’ve not been winning it. To put it mildly, I think there are vast forces that are against us,” he said, partly blaming social media.

At the weekend, Liverpool soccer star Mohamed Salah took to X to question a post from UEFA about former Palestinian soccer player Suleiman Obeid, who was reportedly shot and killed by Israeli forces while awaiting aid in Gaza.

“Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?” Salah asked in response to a post from UEFA saying, “Farewell to Suleiman al-Obeid, the ‘Palestinian Pele’. A talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.”

Obeid, 41, was fatally shot by Israeli forces last Wednesday while he was waiting among crowds for aid near a distribution site in southern Gaza, the Palestine Football Association said. He leaves behind a wife and five children. The Associated Press could not independently verify the account.

With AP, Bloomberg

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