Paul Keating says the first draft of a statement on the Israel conflict eventually signed by all living prime ministers except him was too ‘sharp’, and anyway he had never been a co-signatory with other leaders despite being asked many times.
Paul Keating says he has never been one to subscribe to “groupthink” as he defends his decision to not join Australia’s six other living former prime ministers and sign a statement on the Israeli-Gaza conflict., released on Monday, which supported the Jewish and Palestinian communities and urged all Australians to not allow society to be divided by the “grotesque cruelty and violence” perpetrated by Hamas.
Mr Keating said he told Mr Turnbull his efforts were ultimately pointless because, as a “general statement of principle”, he had never in his 27 years out of office participated in joint actions by former prime ministers.Mr Keating pointed to his refusal to join Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, John Howard, John Gorton and Gough Whitlam on a trip to Buckingham Palace in 2000 to dine with the Queen.
Mr Albanese repeated the government’s concern for the rising death toll among civilians in Gaza, saying that while Israel had every right to defend itself, how it did that also mattered. “Israel promises it will do all it can to avoid civilian casualties, we urge it to do so with all of its humanity and skill.”
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