Shortly before Shabbat on 26 July, the Australian Government issued this statement. Here is the ZFA’s statement in response:
The president of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, said: “The government cannot have it both ways. It cannot simultaneously call for the dismantling of Hamas and demand that Israel unilaterally end the war in Gaza – thereby leaving Hamas in power and able to deliver on its promise to commit another ‘7 October’ attack on Israel.
“They are fundamentally incompatible demands. Hamas started this war, and is the reason it has not ended. The war would end tomorrow with the release of the hostages and the surrender of Hamas. Applying pressure on Israel to end the war unilaterally only serves to embolden Hamas and prolong the war.”
