Albo defends Red Sea no go for warship
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the decision not to send a warship to the Middle East despite an American request, saying the US administration respects the call.
A US request was made to send a Royal Australian Navy ship to secure international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels blockade the waters in support of Palestine during the conflict in the Middle East.
While Australian navy personnel will be sent to the region, the prime minister rejected criticism the government was not doing enough to help the US in its military efforts.
“The US administration is very satisfied that our priority and the role that we play in our region in the Indo-Pacific, a fairly large region that we look after, is absolutely the priority, and we work very closely with our American friends,” he told Sky News on Friday.
“We’re one of 39 countries that are involved in the operation (in the Middle East) to support maritime activity there at the base in Bahrain.
“We’re providing additional support there which is appropriate.”
Up to six extra Australian Defence Force officers will be deployed to Bahrain as part of the Combine Maritime Forces early next year, with five personnel already embedded in the operation.
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But the decision to not send a ship has been criticised by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who said it would be welcomed by Hamas, which is deemed a terrorist organisation by the federal government.
“It takes a lot of effort with a special blend of weakness and incompetence for our prime minister to turn his back on our closest ally,” he said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The Albanese government is an international laughing stock. The decision should be reversed and our integrity restored.”
The prime minister said the decision had not let down the US or damaged relations with our major ally.
“If Peter Dutton wants to continue to just snipe at the sidelines at a decision that has been made by the Australian government with the support of the Australian Defence Force, that’s a mater for him,” he said.
It comes as Australians joining the Israeli army to fight in Gaza could be exposed to legal risks, a rights group has warned in a letter to government ministers and the federal police.
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The Australian Centre for International Justice’s executive director Rawan Arraf says the government has a duty to inform the public of the legal risks for Australians fighting for an army accused of genocide and other war crimes by United Nations experts.
The centre’s letter, sent on Wednesday and seen by AAP, was addressed to Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw.
“Australian nationals’ engagement in the conflict is occurring in the context of decades of widespread, serious, documented violations of international law by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF),” the letter said.
“The Australian government has failed to provide any public statements advising of the risks involved, particularly the legal risks, including the risk of individual criminal liability, for those Australians participating in the conflict as members of the IDF.”
It is not an offence for an Australian to join the armed forces of a foreign country, with several dual Australian citizens reportedly joining the IDF as reservists and active duty soldiers in recent weeks.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health says Israel’s aerial and ground assault on the blockaded enclave of Gaza has killed more than 20,000, including thousands of children.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency says almost two million people have been displaced in Gaza – almost 85 per cent of the population.
Israel says its military offensive is targeting Hamas militants in response to the attack by the group on October 7 that killed 1200 people.
Israeli authorities estimate about 129 Israelis and foreign nationals remain captive in Gaza.
