Australia, Canada, New Zealand call for immediate Gaza ceasefire, 2-state solution

CAIRO – 26 July 2024: The prime ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand have called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and a sustained increase in the flow of humanitarian aid throughout the enclave.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, and Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon described the situation in Gaza as catastrophic.

“The human suffering is unacceptable. It cannot continue,” they said.

The prime ministers affirmed full support to the comprehensive ceasefire deal, which was outlined by US President Joe Biden and is endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.

“We call on parties to the conflict to agree to the deal. Any delay will only see more lives lost.”

The three leaders called on Israel to heed the concerns of the international community regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

They affirmed the need to protect civilians in Gaza as paramount and required under international humanitarian law.

While reiterating their condemnation of Hamas for the October 7 attacks against Israel, they affirmed that “Palestinian civilians cannot be made to pay the price of defeating Hamas. It must end.”

Two-state solution

Meanwhile, the leaders of Australia, Canada and New Zealand affirmed their commitment to a path toward a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

They stressed that a two-state solution is the only realistic option to achieve a just and enduring peace.

“We are committed to working towards an irreversible path to achieving a two-state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognised borders.”

They called for Israel to respond substantively to the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion, and ensure accountability for ongoing acts of violence against Palestinians by extremist settlers.

They also called for reversing the record expansion of settlements in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law, and work towards a two-state solution.

Last Friday, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion reaffirming that the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and East Jerusalem “have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law.”

The court called for the “evacuation of all settlers from existing settlements.”

In the 1967 war, Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem, hindering the Palestinian people's right to establish their own independent state.

Since then, it has built and expanded settlements in the West Bank despite global condemnation by the United Nations and most of the international community.