TV interview, News Breakfast, ABC News

Michael Rowland, Host: Yes, still a very volatile situation. There are lots of Australians, of course, trying to flee Lebanon. For more on that, let's bring in the Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister, Tim Watts. Tim, very good morning to you. Thanks for coming in. What's the latest on Australians wanting to get access to those seats on the flights tomorrow?

Tim Watts, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs: So, Michael, we've obviously been preparing for this situation for some time, recommending that Australians do not travel to Lebanon for close to 12 months, the last few months, saying, ‘please leave now’, to any Australians in Lebanon. Now, Beirut airport is still open. There have been commercial options available, and as those commercial options have become more constrained, we've intervened to help facilitate access to seats on those flights for Australians wanting to leave. So, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday of this week, there were seats on flights facilitated by the Australian Government for Australians wanting to leave. So, overnight, 41 Australians were on flights leaving. Plenty of vacant seats, though, available for Australians who want them. Now on the weekend, 500 seats available on two flights going to Cyprus. We have registered at the moment, 2338 Australians who want to leave, and we'll be contacting them and working with them to facilitate their departure.

Rowland: Right. Does it disappoint you, despite all those pleas that a lot of empty seats are on those flights at this stage?

Watts: Well, as you know, Michael, we've been pleading with Australians in Lebanon to leave for quite some time now, and we're becoming more direct in those representations. I would just say, though, as someone that represents a big Lebanese-Australian community, I do have some empathy. You know, people have, you know, entrenched lives in that community. They live there. They have elderly family, they have businesses, they have properties. So, it's understandable. This is a heart-wrenching decision to leave, but our advice is, don't think twice about it. Now is the time to leave.

Rowland: Have we got a rough idea of how many Australian citizens, residents, are in Lebanon at the moment, particularly southern Lebanon?

Watts: This is a constantly fluctuating figure, Michael. I mean, the Corniche in Beirut is beautiful at this time of year, when there's not a conflict, obviously. Many Australians go for tourism. Many Australians go to see family, for business. So, this is a figure that's constantly moving. What we are saying to Australians in Lebanon at the moment is, if you are in Lebanon, please register with us at DFAT. We can give you updates in the security situation. We can contact you with information about ways to exit the country.

Rowland: Are you talking about commercial flights? Here we have a RAAF plane in Cyprus. Is the government ready if needed to deploy that to get Australians out of Lebanon?

Watts: Yeah, so the weekend flights are not RAAF flights, to be clear, but we are pre-positioning RAAF assets in the region, should the contingency arise where they are needed to assist Australians to leave.

Rowland: Okay, let's look at the conflict more generally. Does the Australian Government support what Israel is doing in southern Lebanon at the moment?

Watts: Well, Israel has a right to self-defence at international law. That's a statement of fact. What we have been saying is that we need to break this cycle of violence that we're seeing in the region. It's not in anyone's interest in the region to see a regional conflict, and that's really what we are on the brink of at the moment. And the victims of a regional conflict like that would be civilians, not just in Lebanon, but in Israel, in Jordan, throughout the region. So, we've been calling for restraint. We've been calling for de-escalation, and we've been calling for all parties in this conflict to respect existing United Nations resolutions with respect to that area.

Rowland: One thousand people killed, according to local officials in Lebanon. Sure, there would be Hezbollah fighters in that but also lots of civilians. Is Israel, in the government's view, exercising restraint when we talk about those sort of figures?

Watts: Well, as I say, Israel has a right to self-defence at international law. But we've also been clear that at international law, the way that that right of self-defence is exercised matters. International law, international humanitarian law, still applies, even if you are fighting against a terrorist group, as repugnant Hezbollah are, it requires the protection of civilians, distinction, proportionality in this. So, international humanitarian law still applies, even if you're fighting a terrorist group, even if you're acting in self-defence.

Rowland: A very big anniversary this weekend for the Israeli community around the world and for Israelis and Australian-Israelis as well on October 7th, the Hamas attack, a year ago. New South Wales Police have dropped their bid to stop pro-Palestinian protests going ahead in Sydney on both Sunday and on the Monday, or a vigil on the Monday itself. Similar events are planned for Melbourne. What does the Australian government think about these planned rallies and planned vigils?

Watts: Look, permitting of protests and things of that nature are obviously a matter for state governments and state police forces. I don't seek to micromanage the operational matters of state police forces. What I would say as an Australian political leader, though, is that I see so much trauma in our community at the moment, on all sides, there are so many Australians who are connected with this conflict of lost friends and family who are experiencing horrible, emotional trauma. And there's plenty to disagree about in this conflict. And in good faith, we can disagree, and in good faith, we can protest at times. But I just implore Australians, when you're exercising those rights as Australian citizens, consider your fellow Australian citizens, consider the trauma they're experiencing. Consider that October 7 is the day of the greatest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, and that many Australians, that is incredibly traumatizing for. We need to show a bit of respect, a bit of empathy for our fellow Australians who are in pain.

Rowland: And on that front, would you advise people supporting the Palestinian cause not to do anything on the Monday itself?

Watts: Absolutely, Michael. My personal view is that there are many days that you can protest, but certain days should be days of solemn commemoration, solemn days of respect. And just think about your fellow Australians. We have more in common with each other as Australians than what divides us. I know that's hard to believe sometimes, but our cohesion, what brings us together, what unites us as Australians, we need to really hold on to that and disagree in a way that puts that first.

Rowland: Tim Watts, really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks for coming in.

Watts: Thank you, Michael.