CANBERRA, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian statehood is the only solution to end the cycle of violence in the Middle East, Australia's Foreign Minister has said.
In a speech to an Australian National University (ANU) security conference on Tuesday night, Penny Wong said that international recognition of a Palestinian state would improve the chances for peace in the Middle East and "build momentum toward a two-state solution."
Wong also repeated the call for Israel to make major and immediate changes to the conduct of its military campaign in Gaza Strip to protect civilians, journalists and aid workers.
The Australian government has escalated its criticism of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) after Australian citizen Zomi Frankcom and six colleagues from World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in an airstrike while delivering aid in central Gaza earlier in April.
On Monday Wong announced that former Australian Defense Force (ADF) chief Mark Binskin has been appointed as a special adviser to oversee Israel's official investigations into the incident. ■
