Israel has right to defend and respond to attacks: Richard Marles

Israel’s right to defend itself includes a right to respond to attack from Iran and its terrorist proxies, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has conceded after a week of political argument over the government’s rhetoric.

The Government has consistently said Israel has a right to defend itself, but Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has been attacking Labor for also backing international calls, led by the US, for a ceasefire and de-escalation in the Middle East.

Mr Marles said on Sunday that Mr Dutton’s assertion Australia had split from the US position was a “patent lie” aimed at sowing community division.

“Israel clearly has a right to defend itself and that does include a right to respond, but the manner in which it defends itself obviously matters,” Mr Marles told ABC’s Insiders.

“Israel was attacked on October 7. Hezbollah had a whole lot of choices, but it chose in the aftermath of October 7 to also attack Israel along with Hamas. Iran has been attacking Israel.

“Israel has a right to defend itself in the face of all of that.”

Leaders of the G7 countries – the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the EU – issued a joint statement on Friday expressing deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and called on all players, including Israel and Iran, to act with restraint.

Shadow Home Affairs minister James Paterson again on Sunday accused the Government of abandoning Australia’s ally Israel to further domestic political interests.

“We’ve abandoned Israel at the UN. We started calling for a premature establishment of a Palestinian state before any peace negotiations or agreement between Israel and Palestinians. That is in violation of our long-standing bipartisan policy when it comes to Israel,” he told Sky News

“The only reason why you would abandon all those things is if you’re worried about the Greens, if you’re worried about the politics of southwest Sydney and you’re worried about the political implications for Labor.”

Mr Marles again urged Australians in Lebanon, where Israel is striking in a bid to degrade and rout out Hezbollah, to take seats on evacuation flights out of the country.

More than 400 people were taken to Cyprus on Saturday, but the flights were not at full capacity.

The Government has organised another two flights today with a further 500 seats, and Qantas and Qatar Airways are helping people return from Cyprus to Australia.

Mr Marles reiterated the Government’s view that protests taking place on Sunday and Monday – the anniversary of the Hamas attack that sparked the current conflict – were not appropriate.

“This was a brutal attack by Hamas, a terrorist organisation. On the 12-month anniversary of that, all of us, I think, see this as a very solemn occasion in which to remember these appalling events,” he said.

“I think the protests that are happening over the course of today and tomorrow are deeply regrettable.”

Thousands of people have gathered in Sydney and Melbourne for the protests, closely watched by police.

Mr Marles also defended the Government’s decision to allow Iran’s ambassador to stay in Australia after he tweeted comments celebrating the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who died in an Israeli strike last week.

The Defence Minister said the tensions in the Middle East meant it was important to keep diplomatic relations open even with countries “with whom we have great differences”.

DFAT called in Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi on Friday for a dressing down, and Mr Marles said Australian representatives in Tehran had also made their displeasure known.

“Tweeting in support of Hezbollah, a registered terrorist organisation, is utterly unacceptable,” he said..