For sheer, brazen chutzpah and towering conceit, nothing beats Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s jaw-dropping attempt to claim credit for ending the war in Gaza. This is not just arrogantly delusional: it’s frankly offensive. Does Wong think we’re all as stupid as her cabinet colleagues?
Over the past two years, the Albanese government, with Wong front and centre, have consistently belittled and insulted Israel, while trying to tie its hands. Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed – not least by Hamas, who publicly praised the Albanese government for its efforts on their behalf.
The fact is that Wong avoided visiting Israel for as long as she could and conspicuously refused to tour the October 7 massacre sites.
And now she wants to take a victory lap on the shoulders of the surviving hostages?
How dare she.
The reality is directly opposite to Wong’s vainglorious attempts at stolen valour: she not only didn’t help the peace process, she actively undermined it. The actions of Wong, and the governments of Britain, Canada, France, and, yes, New Zealand, only served to encourage Hamas and delay the release of the last surviving hostages. Winston Peters can take some credit for not jumping on the ‘Palestinian statehood’ bandwagon – but he’s hardly been Israel’s friend through this horror. Peters accused Israel of “worsen[ing] the situation to intolerable levels”, and repeated the Hamas propaganda of “harrowing images of famine” at the UN.
Little wonder, then, that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli opposition politician Benny Gantz named New Zealand in their list of Western nations who undermined the peace process.
Responding to a British Foreign Office post on X sharing a joint statement from the foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, the UK and the EU’s High Representative – which criticised Israel’s decision to expand its military operation in Gaza – Gantz said such steps were counter-productive.
“Actions like unilateral, illusionary Palestinian recognition, weapons sanctions and critical letters to Israel are harming the prospects of securing a hostage deal,” the Blue and White Party leader wrote. “Not only do they inadvertently reward terror and harden Hamas’ position – they are prolonging the war. As an Israeli opposition leader, let me say this very clearly: instead of pressuring Israel, the West should focus on putting an end to Hamas leadership’s impunity abroad.”
Rubio had even harsher words for France and other countries – such as Australia – who fell over themselves to recognise a ‘Palestinian’ state.
Rubio said a ceasefire agreement – under which 10 hostages would have been released – collapsed last month on the day French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognise a Palestinian state.
“Talks with Hamas fell apart on the day Macron made the unilateral decision that he’s going to recognise the Palestinian state,” Rubio said.
As Rubio said, recognising ‘Palestinian’ statehood was nothing less than rewarding Hamas for their brutality.
“At the end of the day, the Hamas side is the Palestinian statehood side. So you are creating this reward […] They’re actually hurting the cause, they’re not helping, because a) their statement isn’t going to change anything other than it encourages and rewards Hamas, who now have every reason in the world not to agree to ceasefire and not to release these hostages.
In the end, it was the United States, led by President Donald Trump, who brokered the peace deal.
Wong needs to shut her mouth and only open it again to apologise to Israel and to the hostages.
