Australian FM joins condemnation of Israeli minister’s call to starve Gazans

LONDON: Australia’s foreign minister has joined growing condemnation of an Israeli minister for claiming that starving millions of people in Gaza might be “justified and moral.”

Penny Wong said the comments by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, if put into action, would amount to a war crime, The Guardian reported on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Smotrich sparked outrage after saying: “No one in the world will allow us to starve two million people, even though it might be justified and moral in order to free the hostages.”

On Saturday, Wong said on X: “The deliberate starvation of civilians is a war crime. There is no justification for it, ever. Australia joins international partners, including the United Kingdom, Germany and France, in condemning the comments made by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.”

She repeated Australian demands for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Simon Birmingham, Australia’s shadow foreign minister, denounced Smotrich’s remarks as “repugnant,” adding: “We maintain our consistent call for respect of international law and humanitarian needs.

“The implication in Bezalel Smotrich’s comments is repugnant. Thankfully the comments do not reflect Israeli policy and nor should they ever do so.”