Australian news and politics live updates: Reactions from Donald Trump’s plan to ‘take over’ Gaza

The Ukrainian government has promised to negotiate the exchange of captured Australian Oscar Jenkins as the two nations reiterate their co-operation against Russia’s invasion.

Ukrainian ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko said his government has added Mr Jenkins to its list of prisoners of war after Russian officials confirmed the 32-year-old Melburnian was alive and in captivity.

“He had a contract with the Ukrainian Defence Forces so all the international law applies to him. So he will get on that list,” Mr Myroshnychenko told ABC TV on Wednesday.

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Donald Trump has restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran that includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump signed the presidential memorandum reimposing Washington’s tough policy on Iran that was practiced throughout his first term.

As he signed the memo, Trump described it as very tough and said he was torn on whether to make the move. He said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and he hopes that a deal can be worked out with Tehran.

Trump has accused former President Joe Biden of failing to rigorously enforce oil-export sanctions, which Trump says emboldened Tehran by allowing it to sell oil to fund a nuclear weapons program and armed militias in the Middle East.

Donald Trump has said if Palestinians had an alternative they would never return to Gaza.

“This is a very, very difficult situation but we’re going to get it solved. I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza. I think that Gaza has been very unlucky for them.

“They’ve lived like hell.

“Gaza is not a place for people to be living and the only reason they want to go back - and I believe this strongly - is because they have no alternative.

“What’s the alternative? Go where? There’s no other alternative. If they had an alternative, they’d much rather not go back to Gaza and live in a beautiful alternative that’s safe.”

US President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are about to hold a joint prss conference. We’ll bring you their comments as it gets underway.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has issued a statement on the Government’s “serious concerns” for Australian writer Dr Yang Hengjun who is imprisoned in China on national security charges.

Today marks one year since he received a suspended death sentence in Beijing.

“The past year, and the five years of detention before his sentencing, have been a difficult and dark time for Dr Yang. Throughout, he has demonstrated his inner strength and remarkable resilience,” said Senator Wong, adding her thoughts were with him and his family.

“The Australian Government has made clear to China that we remain appalled by Dr Yang’s suspended death sentence. We hold serious concerns about Dr Yang’s health and conditions. We continue to press to ensure his needs are met and he receives appropriate medical care,” she continued.

“Dr Yang is entitled to basic standards of justice, procedural fairness and humane treatment, in accordance with international norms and China’s legal obligations.

“In his communication with the Government, Dr Yang has made clear he knows he has the support of his country. We want to see him reunited with his family. The Government will continue to advocate for Dr Yang at every opportunity.”

Donald Trump says he would support permanently resettling Palestinians from Gaza “in nice homes and where they can be happy and not be shot, not be killed”.

He said his team has been discussing the possibility of resettlement with Jordan, Egypt and other countries in the region.

Mr Trump again called for Jordan and Egypt to take in Gazans, saying Palestinians there had no alternative but to leave the coastal strip while it is being rebuilt after nearly 16 months of a devastating war between Israel and Hamas militants.

“It’s a pure demolition site. If we could find the right piece of land, or numerous pieces of land, and build them some really nice places with plenty of money in the area, that’s for sure. I think that would be a lot better than going back to Gaza,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

“I don’t know how they (Palestinians) could want to stay,” Trump said when asked about the reaction of Palestinian and Arab leaders to his proposal.

- with AAP

The Coalition plans to support an amendment by independent MP Allegra Spender to a hate crimes bill that would make it an offence to promote hate against a marginalised group.

“I certainly support the idea of anything that would curtail and curb the disturbing rise of anti-Semitism that we’ve seen in Australia in the last 15 to 18 months,” said shadow finance minister Jane Hume on ABC Radio National Breakfast.

The Government this week is expected to pass a bill to create new criminal offences and strengthen protection against hate crimes, as one of a raft of measures to prevent and punish anti-Semitism.

Ms Spender’s amendment would expand the legislation to criminalise acts that promote hatred.

Shadow foreign minister David Coleman has also tabled amendments to include the urging or threatening of force, violence or damage to places of worship.

Ms Hume said the Coalition was also determined to bring in mandatory sentencing for terrorist offences of up to six years, and also one year for those that are brandishing symbols of hate.

President Donald Trump said he “wants peace” as he fielded questions from reporters after welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu to the White House.

“Everybody’s demanding one thing: peace. We want peace, we want people to stop being killed,” he said, sitting alongisde Mr Netanyahu. “And he wants peace also.”

Mr Trump has been a strong supporter of Israel, taking credit for helping broker the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas militants in the Palestinian enclave even before he returned to office, while insisting he wants to end the wars in the Middle East.

Mr Trump has said he hopes to renew an effort toward historic normalisation of relations between Israel and Arab power Saudi Arabia.

Australia is monitoring China’s retaliation against US trade tariffs with a “high degree of concern” and hopes the situation can be “resolved very quickly,” Employment Minister Murray Watt said on Wednesday morning.

Beijing on Tuesday pledged to impose targeted tariffs on US imports and put several companies on notice for possible sanctions.

The move follows US President Donald Trump’s plan to slap a 10 per cent levy on all Chinese imports.

Asked how concerned the Government was about Australia getting caught in the crossfire, Mr Watt said “we’re approaching this calmly, but we’re obviously taking up this issue with other countries, and we’d certainly be hopeful that these issues can be resolved very quickly.”

The Government believes Australia has a strong case to weather any economic fallout from the tariffs battle.

“Australia, arguably more than any other country in the world, benefits from free and open trade. We have very low tariffs ourselves. We’ve opened up our economy to the world, and Australia has done very well from that nearly one in four Australian jobs depends on trade,” said Mr Watt.

“We want to make sure that countries right around the world don’t put in place new impediments to that trade.”

The Government is stepping up its attack on the Coalition’s “long lunches” policy for small businesses, with Employment Minister Murray Watt demanding the Opposition “come clean” on what it would cost the taxpayer.

Under the Coalition’s policy, small businesses would be allowed to claim $20,000 a year for spending on food and drinks, excluding alcohol.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers this week said by his department’s own calculations, this would cost the national budget $1.6 billion to $10 billion a year.

The Government has the issue in its sights as a vulnerability for the Coalition before the Federal election.

“It doesn’t matter what it is, they’ve all got a different answer about what’s going to be eligible, and they’ve all got a different answer for what this policy is going to cost,” said Mr Watt.

But Coalition finance spokesperson Jane Hume hit back that the Treasury costings were “ridiculous” and that the Opposition’s own cost analysis was on the way.

“Of course, we’ve costed this policy,” she told ABC Radio News Breakfast. “We will release all of our costings prior to the election.

​READ: Aaron Patrick’s analysis on whether long lunches should be tax deductible, which could be one of the defining questions of the 2025 federal election.​