\n<\/p>\n
The Greens want the federal government to put direct pressure on Israel to stop its deadly strikes on Lebanon<\/a>, including cancelling weapons contracts to protest against the \u201cdisastrous, illegal, immoral war\u201d.<\/p>\n The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, have insisted southern Lebanon should be included in the fledgling ceasefire agreement negotiated between the US and Iran in recent days.<\/p>\n Lebanese officials say more than 1,700 people have been killed since fighting started in April. More than 300 of those were killed by Israeli bombing in the 24 hours <\/a>after the announcement of a ceasefire in the Iran war on Tuesday night<\/p>\n The Greens defence spokesperson, David Shoebridge<\/a>, said tougher economic and diplomatic pressure was needed.<\/p>\n \u201cI welcome Australia joining so many other countries around the world in making that clear statement that Lebanon should be part of the ceasefire, and I note that the Pakistan negotiators made it clear from the outset that a ceasefire in Lebanon was part of the ceasefire,\u201d he told ABC radio on Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Penny Wong saying she\u2019s gravely concerned is not going to put the pressure on Israel to stop the illegal bombing, the plans to turn southern Lebanon into a new Gaza.\u201d<\/p>\n Shoebridge said Australia should cancel Israeli arms contracts<\/a>, in order to exert maximum pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cCancelling more than $1bn in Israeli arms contracts, that would not only respond to the moral situation of the appalling Israeli military attacks, it would also have the benefit of putting a very real material pressure on Israel to pull back from what is a disastrous, illegal, immoral war in Lebanon that is threatening the entire globe\u2019s peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The federal government is monitoring the situation in Lebanon, where thousands of Australian citizens live and visit.<\/p>\n The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has warned Australians not to travel to the country since 28 February, and is advising people there not to wait until it is too late to leave, especially as commercial travel remains available.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the department said the government is urging Australians to leave now.<\/p>\n \u201cThe worsening humanitarian situation, displacement crisis and loss of civilian life in Lebanon is distressing,\u201d they said. \u201cWe urge Australians in Lebanon to leave, if it\u2019s safe to do so \u2026 They should leave while commercial flights are available. Lebanon\u2019s airspace may open or close at short notice.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month, Wong announced $5m in assistance to civilians caught up in the war.<\/p>\n The energy minister, Chris Bowen, said on Friday the ceasefire should apply across the region.<\/p>\n \u201cLebanese people have as much right to their rights as anybody else in the Middle East,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are Lebanese people who are losing their lives, Muslim and Christian together. That is not OK. Israel should honour this ceasefire in the letter and the spirit, and that includes the people of Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n Separately on Friday, former prime minister Tony Abbott<\/a> called for Australia to send troops to fight alongside US forces, saying the government had let our main ally down, and \u201cbetrayed our values and our long-term national interest\u201d.<\/p>\n In an opinion piece in the Daily Telegraph<\/a>, Abbott said Australia needed to be \u201cstrong again, as our forebears were\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is the point of having armed forces if they\u2019re not to be used to support our allies in a just cause, and what could be a more just cause than the US-Israeli bid to deny Iran nuclear weapons, uphold freedom of navigation in the Hormuz Straits and \u2013 if possible \u2013 liberate Iran from a monstrous theocracy?<\/p>\n \u201cOnce it became obvious that US action against Iran was imminent, even had we not been officially alerted, the Australian government should have made contact with the White House to offer assistance, as we did in the campaign against Islamic State, where our special forces, military trainers, command and control aircraft, aerial refuellers, and strike fighters did fine work.\u201d<\/p>\n