Australia: Netanyahu refuses to acknowledge suffering in Gaza

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday that his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu "refuses to acknowledge" the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, a day after Australia first announced it would recognize a Palestinian state, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.

Australia will do so formally at the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, Albanese said yesterday - a move that increases international pressure on Israel after France, Britain and Canada also announced similar intentions.

Albanese said the unwillingness of Netanyahu's government to listen to its allies contributed to Australia's decision to recognize a Palestinian state. "He reiterated to me what he has said publicly, which is that he refuses to acknowledge the consequences affecting innocent people," the Australian prime minister said in an interview with Australian television ABC. In the interview, he spoke about his phone call with Netanyahu last Thursday, when the two discussed the issue.

Australia's decision to recognize a Palestinian state is tied to commitments from the Palestinian Authority, including the Palestinian Islamist movement "Hamas" to have no participation in a possible future state.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful said he supported Chancellor Friedrich Merz's decision to halt the export of certain types of weapons to Israel, saying the measure was justified and proportionate, DPA reported, quoted by BTA, citing a statement by the minister to public broadcaster ZDF.

Wadeful, who is a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), told the broadcaster that he had been involved in making the decision. According to him, this step was taken after the Israeli security cabinet approved the capture of Gaza City, which, he said, required a political signal from Germany.

The German foreign minister stressed that the measure was aimed precisely at a specific problem and said that Germany and Israel continue to work closely together on all other key issues.

Merz announced the partial export suspension last week, which drew criticism from some members of the CDU and the German Christian Social Union (CSU).