Hawzah News Agency (Australia)-The former prime minister made the call in an opinion piece published in the Spectator Magazine.

Australia gives more than $40m a year in aid to Palestine, provided through United Nations agencies and some charitable organizations.

Abbott also said Australia could demonstrate “unswerving support for Israel” by joining any move by the incoming Trump administration to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Most governments have kept their embassy out of Jerusalem because they do not recognize Israel’s occupation of east Jerusalem since 1967.

Last week the foreign minister, Julie Bishop, strongly indicated that Australia would not have supported a UN resolution – co-sponsored by New Zealand – criticizing Israel’s settlements policy in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

The acting opposition leader, Chris Bowen, said Australian assistance to Gaza and the West Bank was vital to counter extremism and promote peace in the Middle East.

“Mr Abbott is clearly using this as yet another issue to undermine Malcolm Turnbull and continue his campaign to regain the leadership by appealing to the hardliners in the Liberal party,” Bowen said.

Australia’s aid program must be transparent and accountable and must reach those it was intended to benefit, he said.

Abbott recently returned from a trip to the Middle East, including Israel.