The lawyers dispute a letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank.
More than 500 lawyers have written to the Australian prime minister and other senior ministers articulating how Israel has a right to defend itself under international law.
The letter expressed compassion for the heartbreaking images out of Gaza but noted this does not itself render Israel’s actions illegal.
In addition, the lawyers dispute claims made by another group of lawyers in early November calling for the Australian government to exert its influence to “secure a ceasefire in Gaza and the West Bank.”
“The undoubted suffering that this necessarily causes in Gaza (which Hamas no doubt anticipated when it planned and launched the Oct. 7, 2023, operation) does not itself render Israel’s actions illegal.”
The group raised concerns about “misguided calls” for a permanent ceasefire and arms embargo and raised the need to free…
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