Australia senator condemns Israel’s deliberate starvation of Palestinian civilians as ‘war crime’

Nada Wilson | Bond U. Faculty of Law, AU

AUGUST 11, 2024 , THE JURIST

Senator Penny Wong on Saturday condemned the statements made by the Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich surrounding the military justification for the purposeful starvation of Palestinians, in the statement on her social media X (formerly Twitter). Her statement reports, “Australia joins international partners, including the United Kingdom, Germany and France, in condemning the comments made by Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich. The deliberate starvation of civilians is a war crime. There is no justification for it, ever.”

Her statement follows Smotrich’s proclamation that “[i]t’s not possible in today’s global reality to manage a war — no one will allow us to starve two million people, even though that might be just and moral until they return the hostages.” He further stated that Israel needed to be in control of all distribution channels within the Gaza Strip and giving aid to Gaza would fuel Hamas’ operation, which is impractical. 

Smotrich’s speech follows statements made to his X that the acceptance of a ceasefire or deal with Hamas would be surrender, as he further called for the Prime Minister to not make a shift in the slightest to the redline he established in the conflict. He discerns that it is not time to release the terrorists who are serving their sentences in their homes because of the war. Notably, he does not make any comment in regard to the civilian safety of those in Gaza.

Under customary international humanitarian law, the use of starvation of the civilian population as a method of warfare is prohibited. The Israel’s Manual on the Laws of War explicitly stipulates that “the city’s inhabitants must be allowed to leave the city during a siege.” The blockading party that imposes blockades and embargoes of the region must also provide for free passage of humanitarian relief supplies.

The international response to Smotrich’s comments has been akin to the Australian senators. EU spokesperson, Joseph Borrell, stated similarly “We regret & condemn Minister Smotrich’s opposition–against the interest of the Israeli people–to a deal. A ceasefire is the only way to stop the killing of civilians and secure the hostages’ release.”