The Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has attacked Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for "trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth" regarding a condolence motion for the October 7 massacre.
In Parliament on Tuesday, the Prime Minister introduced a motion condemning Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, paying tribute to the lives lost.
"Our government has consistently and repeatedly called for a ceasefire for the release of all hostages and for the protection of all civilians," he said.
"We remain committed to a two-state solution as a path to an enduring peace, two states, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully side by side with prosperity and security for their people."
Following his meeting with Albanese on Tuesday morning, Dutton said he could not support the motion.
He believed that the motion failed to adequately address the significant suffering and loss experienced by Israelis, insisting that the focus should remain on those directly affected by the attack.
"Regrettably, we've not been able to arrive at a position of bipartisanship in relation to this matter," he said.
"I think when you go to the detail of what the Prime Minister's proposed, it becomes clearer why the Coalition cannot support this motion before the house at the moment.
"This government has sought to walk both sides of the street ... The Prime Minister should be condemned."
Dutton argued that the motion goes beyond what should have been a tribute to the 1,200 Israelis who died on October 7.
He continued: "That's what this motion was to be about, but of course the Prime Minister is trying to speak out of both sides of his mouth, and that is not something that we will support in relation to this debate."
