Former prime minister Scott Morrison has endorsed a warning from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a threat to civilisation from Iran and its allies, in a message of support from Australia one day after France called for a halt to arms deliveries to Israel for use in Gaza.
Morrison offered his support in a short post on social media that forwarded a video of Netanyahu – known as “Bibi” – making a strident criticism of French president Emmanuel Macron, who spoke about the arms embargo on Saturday.
Former PM Scott MorrisonCredit: Alex Ellinghausen
Macron said France was not delivering arms to Israel and suggested other countries could take the same approach.
“I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza,” Macron told French broadcaster France Inter.
Netanyahu responded by calling Macron a “disgrace” and said Israel would keep fighting on seven fronts: against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, the Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, terrorists in Judea and Samaria and against aerial bombardments from Iran.
“Yet President Macron and some other Western leaders are now calling for an arms embargo against Israel. Shame on them,” Netanyahu said. “What a disgrace. Well, let me tell you this: Israel will win, with or without their support, but their shame will continue long after the war is won. For in defending ourselves against this barbarism, Israel is defending civilisations against those who seek to impose a dark age of fanaticism on all of us.”
Morrison posted his support on social media platform X shortly before noon on Sunday.
“Well said Bibi. October 7, never forget, never again,” he said, in a reference to the anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel one year ago. While Morrison made no reference to Macron, the former prime minister and the French president have been at odds for three years over the Australian decision to cancel a submarine contract in favour of the AUKUS alliance with the United States and United Kingdom.
