<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>330211</docID> <postdate>2024-10-03 09:50:02</postdate> <headline>Minister urges ceasefire but backs Israeli self-defence</headline> <body><p><img class="size-full wp-image-330212" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241003162778737460-original-resized.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" /></p> <caption>Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has urged diplomacy to ease tensions in the Middle East. (EPA PHOTO)</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>Andrew Brown</strong> and <strong>Tess Ikonomou</strong> in Canberra</span></p> <p><strong>Israel has the right to defend itself following missile attacks from Iran, deputy prime minister Richard Marles says, but he is reiterating calls for a ceasefire in the region.</strong></p> <p>Tensions threaten to escalate in the Middle East after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel in response to deadly Israeli attacks in Gaza and Lebanon and the assassination of leaders of Hezbollah.</p> <p>Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed retaliation following the strikes, with Iran also promising further strikes if Israel hits back.</p> <p>Mr Marles said Israel had a right to protect itself after the missile attacks, but urged for calm.</p> <p>"Israel has a right to defend itself. Every country has a right to defend itself and to do so in a proportionate way," he told ABC Radio on Thursday.</p> <p>"But that said, we are calling for a ceasefire, along with the United States, along with other members of the international community."</p> <p>Mr Marles said the situation in the Middle East remained "dynamic", urging Australians in Lebanon to leave as soon as possible.</p> <p>"We need to see every effort being made to try and bring about an end to the hostilities in the Middle East because of the extraordinary loss of civilian life we've seen as a result of this," he said.</p> <p>"We've been working with our partners, particularly the United Kingdom and Canada, and we have been assisting Australians to leave over the last few days."</p> <p>A number of airlines have cancelled flights to cities in the region, to avoid affected air space.</p> <p>The Department of Foreign Affairs wasn't aware of any Australians killed in Lebanon.</p> <p>The developments in the Middle East come as NSW Police are set to face off in court with the organisers of planned pro-Palestinian rallies.</p> <p>About 70,000 people are expected to attend protests in Sydney's CBD this weekend, coinciding with the first anniversary of deadly Hamas attacks on Israel.</p> <p>Police aren't satisfied the protests can go ahead safely and have applied to the NSW Supreme Court to block the protests from taking place.</p> <p>Labor MP Peter Khalil, the federal government's special envoy for social cohesion, said people had the legal right to protest peacefully, but demonstrators should question the timing of the rally.</p> <p>"The question is whether they should do that, particularly on October 7," he told ABC TV.</p> <p>"It is not a... legal question, setting aside the NSW permit laws and so on, it is a question about basic decency and whether it is appropriate to do that on that day."</p> <p>Israel launched retaliatory strikes into Gaza in response to Hamas attacks on October 7 last year that killed around 1200 people, with about 250 people taken hostage.</p> <p>About 42,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas in response, and launched retaliatory strikes on Gaza.</p> </body>