Canberra Summons Ambassador Over Dismissed Charges
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, has defended the Israel Defense Forces’ decision clearing the military of criminal wrongdoing in an airstrike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, following a formal rebuke by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
The Israel Defense Forces concluded there was “no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct” regarding the April 2024 strike on the humanitarian workers as they delivered aid to a warehouse in Gaza. The formal determination emerged on World Humanitarian Day, coinciding with an event in Canberra where Wong launched a humanitarian award named in Frankcom’s honor.
Foreign Minister Condemns Insulting Timing
Wong subsequently summoned Ambassador Newman to Parliament House for a formal dressing down. In a statement released on Thursday morning, Wong expressed national outrage and criticized the timing of the announcement, calling it “especially insulting to Zomi’s loved ones, humanitarians and all Australians.”
“This decision falls far short of the accountability we expect,” Wong said, adding that democracies seek and accept higher standards and that the Australian government will not stop pressing for justice.
Newman Defends Independence of Military Probe
Exiting his meeting with the foreign minister at Parliament House, Newman told smh.com.au that the release of the findings on World Humanitarian Day was a coincidence and asserted that he had personally intervened to speed up the probe. Addressing calls for diplomatic retaliation, Newman pushed back against critics.
“How can one retaliate against a finding of an independent court that… does an independent proceeding and comes to findings?” Newman asked, noting he has a lot of criticism of decisions of courts in Australia.
Newman maintained that the inquiry was executed by an independent authority with total independence. “Not every operational failure means that there’s criminal liability,” he said, urging respect for international bodies that work according to law and evidence. “One cannot judge a conclusion and say it’s [incorrect] or unjustified just because it doesn’t tally with what I want.”
Pressure Over Prosecution Schedules
Regarding the timing of the report’s release, Newman stated that the prosecution in Israel decides when to release the findings of cases. “We’ve been under pressure, by the way, all the time to release [the findings] as soon as possible, and I was personally involved in making sure that these the case goes forward and comes to closure,” he said, adding that he involved President Herzog to get involved with the prosecution.
Offering a message to the Frankcom family, Newman expressed deep sorrow and solidarity from Israel, emphasizing that the loss of innocent life was a tragedy and was not intentional.
The military clearance was one of five IDF reports issued on Wednesday. The Australian government indicated it is considering its next steps.
