Media Report 2025.06.12
Israeli fire kills 41 in Gaza, health officials say, as rival militia emerges to challenge Hamas
By Andrew Thorpe, with wires
In short:
At least 41 people were killed by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, many close to an aid site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The Israeli military said its forces had fired warning shots toward a number of people who were advancing and posing a threat to Israeli troops.
A total of 163 people had already been killed and more than 1,000 wounded trying to reach the handful of aid sites operated by the foundation since it began work two weeks ago.
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Israeli gunfire and air strikes killed at least 41 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, most of them at a central aid site operated by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), local health officials said.
Medical officials at hospitals in Al-Shifa and Al-Quds said at least 25 people were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli gunfire as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim.
The Israeli military said its forces had fired warning shots toward a number of people who posing a threat to Israeli troops in the area of the Netzarim Corridor.
“This is despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] is aware of reports regarding individuals injured; the details are under review,” it added.
Later on Wednesday, health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, said at least six people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached another GHF site in Rafah further south.
Gaza health officials said 10 other people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave, taking Wednesday’s death toll to at least 41.
A total of 163 people had already been killed and more than 1,000 wounded trying to reach the handful of aid sites operated by the foundation since it began work two weeks ago after a three-month blockade, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The United Nations has condemned the killings, and has previously said the blockade brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine and that food supplies remain critically low.
A woman picks up an empty cardboard box from the ground as a crowd looks through rubbish on dusty ground.
Palestinians gather what remains of relief supplies from a GHF distribution centre in Rafah last Thursday. (Reuters: Stringer)
The foundation said earlier it was unaware of Wednesday’s incident, but that it is working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it is essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions.
“Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population,” it said in an email to the Reuters news agency.
“There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment.”
The UN and other aid groups have refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they said was a breach of humanitarian standards.
Unpacking the first deadly incident near a GHF aid centre
Photo shows A thumbnail showing the moment tracer shots are fired outside the GHF aid centreA thumbnail showing the moment tracer shots are fired outside the GHF aid centre
Early this month, Palestinians desperate for aid were killed while approaching an aid distribution site. ABC NEWS Verify analysed security footage, satellite imagery, and videos from the ground to try and paint a clearer picture of what took place.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been “significant progress” in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was “too soon” to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.
Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown any willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.
Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers.
Israel’s war against Hamas erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, during a terror attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel’s single deadliest day.
The war has since killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people.
Hamas kills 50 members of rival militia
The latest violence came a day after a Palestinian militant group known as the Popular Forces claimed Hamas fighters were responsible for killing upwards of 50 of its members, mostly while they guarded aid convoys travelling through Gaza to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution sites.
Also known as the Anti-Terror Service, the Popular Forces are led by Yasser abu Shabab, a 32-year-old Bedouin and alleged drug trafficker who escaped from a Hamas-run prison when it was damaged by an Israeli air strike early in the Gaza war.
A young Palestinian man in a shirt, military vest and baseball cap holds what appears to be an automatic rifle.
Anti-Hamas militia leader Yasser abu Shabab. (File photo: Supplied)
The group has since grown to about 300 members, and has established a foothold in eastern Rafah — reportedly with the backing of Israel, whose prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week confirmed had been supplying the militants with weapons, in an effort to weaken Hamas.
Netanyahu confirms Israel funded anti-Hamas Gaza group
Photo shows Bejnamin Netanyahu wearing a navy jacket, white shirt and a gold and Israeli flag lapel pin while grimacingBejnamin Netanyahu wearing a navy jacket, white shirt and a gold and Israeli flag lapel pin while grimacing
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes Hamas, saying weakening Hamas by doing so would be “saving lives of Israeli soldiers”.
The admission prompted a wave of criticism from across Israel, in part because the prime minister appeared to have bypassed Israel’s security cabinet in ordering the arming of the militants.
Instead, the operation was led by Israeli security bodies with Mr Netanyahu’s approval, according to the Times of Israel.
The Popular Forces also denied they had been armed by Israel, with abu Shabab reportedly telling an Israeli military-run radio station that his organisation does not collaborate with the IDF.
“Our goal is to protect the Palestinians from Hamas terror. Our weapons are not from Israel — they are simple arms we collected from the local population,” he said.
“This desperate attempt to link us to the occupation is, in reality, an implicit admission that we have become a powerful and influential force.”
Israeli media report that their sources have confirmed the link, however, with the cooperation between Israel and the militia going beyond the supply of arms — including Kalashnikovs seized from Hamas — to include specific military operations.
News channel i24 on Tuesday reported that the IDF had for the first time intervened directly in combat taking place between Hamas and Popular Forces fighters, ordering a drone strike that killed four Hamas members.
ABC/Reuters
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Anthony Albanese’s diplomatic doctrine on display as Australia sanctions Israeli ministers
By Brett Worthington
Penny Wong says sanctioned Israeli ministers are “extremist and hardline”. (ABC News Breakfast)
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Anthony Albanese is more a creature of the Labor caucus than the world stage.
But as he enters his second term as prime minister, there are clear signs that, three years in, he’s finding his feet.
In his private moments, he’ll confess the extent to which his origins in the Labor movement have shaped his diplomacy doctrine.
At its core, it’s about quietly building relationships, finding consensus on issues and when it’s time to speak out, doing so alongside like-minded allies.
The overnight sanctioning of two Israeli ministers offers yet another example of his approach in action.
Standing alongside the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, Australia issued sanctions against two of the most controversial members of Israel’s government, Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong described the men as the “most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent Israeli settlement enterprise” in the West Bank.
She said they had ignored international calls and “incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights”.
They now face travel bans and having assets frozen, but it’s unlikely Australia’s involvement will have any effect beyond sending a clear signal to Israel.
Stepping out with allies
A fortnight ago, a snarky Albanese seemed annoyed when asked if Australia was considering sanctions against Israel.
“Well, what are the sanctions you’re suggesting,” he shot back at the journalist.
The question came in the wake of his dumped cabinet minister Ed Husic urging Australia to follow the likes of the UK, France and Canada in looking to sanction Israel for blocking humanitarian aid getting into Gaza.
Albanese initially sought to dismiss the question, saying Australia didn’t provide military assets to Israel or the region.
When pressed, he made clear he was focused on substance over rhetoric.
What we’ve since learned is that for months, moves have been afoot behind the scenes to build a coalition.
Government sources see Norway as an important voice in the coalition, given its history with the Oslo Accords. They also think it’s significant that all members bar one in the Five Eyes security alliance are party to the coalition.
Mind you, there’s nothing small about the missing Five Eyes country, the United States, though Albanese and Wong have both said America’s criticism of the sanctions was predictable.
Symbolism matters in complex conflict
Since becoming prime minister, Albanese has put stock in building relationships with leaders behind closed doors.
He sees attending summits and meetings of world leaders as a way to forge relationships, and compares it to his early days in the Labor movement, having to forge consensus with peers.
Each time he has sought to wade into the Middle East conflict, he’s been eager to do so alongside allies, namely Canada and New Zealand. Noticeably, he decided against joining with the UK, France and Canada last month.
At the time, Albanese defended it by saying Australia wasn’t a member of the G7. Today, the government was keen to note two of the G7 nations were in the coalition with Australia sanctioning Israel.
Australia understands it lacks clout in the Middle East, especially to take actions unilaterally.
But in taking a stand and issuing sanctions, even if the Australian side is likely to have very little real impact, it is designed to send a signal about how Australia sees the situation in the Middle East.
“This action is the result of many months of effort and coordination, and together, these countries are sending a message: you have ignored the international community, and we do not tolerate it,” Wong said.
It’s also aimed at sending a signal to Labor supporters, who have been disenfranchised by Australia’s response to the conflict in Gaza.
Opposition Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash said the Coalition was concerned the government was targeting the Israeli government instead of Hamas and wanted to know how the sanctions would contribute to the return of hostages and lasting peace in the Middle East.
Liberal frontbencher Andrew Bragg went further and said the government “made a mistake” by improperly using “Magnitsky-style” sanctions on a democratically elected government.
Speaking to reporters, Wong said voters had made clear at the federal election that they wanted a cohesive community, where differences of opinion were dealt with by respectful debate. She again repeated Hamas had no future in an independent Palestinian state.
Sanctions for West Bank, not Gaza actions
The Israel-Gaza conflict has brought with it at times vitriolic domestic political debates, antisemitic and Islamophobic attacks and a fracturing of social cohesion.
Wong’s statement announcing the sanctions makes clear that it’s a response to actions in the West Bank but notes “this cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza”.
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Photo shows Brett Worthington looks at the camera wearing a blue blazer and glassesBrett Worthington looks at the camera wearing a blue blazer and glasses
Even before Hamas’s October 7 terror attacks, she had already been reshaping government policy on the Middle East.
In August 2023, Wong announced the federal government would re-adopt the term ‘occupied Palestinian territories’, consistent with allies and the United Nations, to refer to the West Bank and Gaza.
The government has long believed that Israel’s efforts to establish and expand settlements in the West Bank were illegal under international law.
Government insiders insist the “horrors” of recent expansions in the West Bank was the final trigger for the imposition of sanctions.
A map of Israel-occupied regions
The West Bank is Palestinian territory occupied by Israel. (ABC News)
They say what’s happening in Gaza and the West Bank are two versions of the same conflict, designed to disenfranchise Palestinians and take possession of their land. They argue that without Palestinian land, a two state-solution is impossible.
“We believe a two-state solution is the only way to end the cycle of violence,” Wong said.
“And regrettably, it is also clear that the Netanyahu government rejects it. This is clear from its devastating military campaign in Gaza — civilians being killed by the thousands, children starving.
“And it is also clear that from policies including rampant settlement construction and impunity to settler violence in the West Bank. Like Israel’s military expansion in Gaza, illegal settlements and impunity for settler violence in the West Bank are extinguishing the prospects of a two-state solution.”
Albanese doctrine faces Trump test
As Australia was imposing sanctions with allies in the hope of ultimately achieving peace, the US ambassador to Israel was at the same time offering a stark contrast.
Mike Huckabee told Bloomberg News that pursuing an independent Palestinian state was no longer a US goal.
His comments come just days before a possible meeting between Albanese and Donald Trump on the sidelines of a G7 meeting in Canada.
If Albanese’s doctrine has helped him find his feet on the world stage, convincing Trump of its merits bring with it the biggest challenge to date.
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Letters The Age
A young, powerful voice but to others, a tall poppy
Columnist Suzanne Moore is scathing in her assessment of Greta Thunberg, pictured, and “the left” (Comment, 11/6). She asserts that Israel has the right to exist yet is silent on the right of Palestine to exist. Palestinians have been maligned, dispossessed and occupied since 1948 and the Israeli regime is becoming ever more brutal in control of Palestinian lives. These are not hard facts to understand and Thunberg is surely aware of them. She has certainly become a powerful young voice of protest on various subjects, but this does not make her an adherent to a “moronic omnicause″. Perhaps she has become a tall poppy that others need to bring down.
Lorel Thomas, Blackburn South
At least, she is trying to do something
Columnist Suzanne Moore was scathing in her opinion piece about Greta Thunberg’s attempt to publicise the plight of the people in Gaza. Ms Moore refers to Thunberg and her crew as ″cute eco-warriors in shorts″.
Of course, I realise that Thunberg isn’t everybody’s ″cup of tea″. She is not short of confidence and is overflowing with the arrogance of youth. But at least she is trying to do something in a situation where lesser mortals fear to tread and which is the very definition of a moral quagmire. Ms Moore and others should lighten up on her. Save your angst for the real culprits in this mess.
James Tucker, Greensborough
An unjustified attack
Suzanne Moore’s comments are unjustified. It seems that those who do extraordinary things are often the target of this sort of attack. First, they are accused of acting in their own interest and gaining fame and notoriety from their altruistic actions and then their support for causes is questioned by accusing them of supporting the unsupportable, in this case, the terrifying policies of Hamas. Footage of a grim-faced Thunberg on the yacht that was seized by Israel before it had a chance to deliver much-needed aid to Gaza do not show a breast-beating egotistical young woman but someone, who from a young age, has thoughtfully tried to draw the world’s attention to the climate crisis and now, the dire plight of the Palestinian people.
Graeme Lechte, Pascoe Vale
The young activists deserve respect
The article by Suzanne Moore is a diatribe about youth activists. There wouldn’t be any need for radical youth activists, focused on climate, racism, sexuality etc. if previous generations had acted logically and appropriately, or, in the case of Donald Trump, reversed hard won and just gains. Whether it’s the Ukraine, Gaza, land clearing, or fossil fuel addiction, the present world is in bad shape, and these young warriors deserve the utmost respect, not condemnation from journalists like Suzanne Moore.
Jeff McCormack, Javoricko, Czech Republic
They’re just like Pavlov’s dogs
Suzanne Moore’s piece hits the nail on the head. However, I prefer to draw parallels of these career activists to Pavlov’s dogs. Never mind the facts, just make the right noises to stimulate them, and off they go. Without reason, other than following a narrative, they react to mindless slogans donning the garb and flags of their protagonists without a clue on what they represent. That Thunberg refused to watch an Israeli video of the October 7 massacres is like saying, Jewish lives don’t matter.
Henry Herzog, St Kilda East
When an old saying would have come into effect
Greta Thunberg should have viewed the video and responded, “Two wrongs do not make a right.″
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Sanctions on hardline Israeli ministers are not enough
The sanctions on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are clearly warranted (“Australia imposes Magnitsky-style sanctions on two hardline Israeli ministers”, smh.com.au, June 11). Not only are they an obstruction to a two-state solution, but their views and conduct are contrary to human rights (Palestinians, as well as Jews, are humans, and so have rights). Logic would say the penalties and fines on Australians who aid and abet them should also apply to non-Australians who facilitate their actions. That is Benjamin Netanyahu and his party who are in coalition with them. So, why not sanction the whole Israeli cabinet? David Rush, Lawson
How worrying is it that some people in Australia wanted to have Ben-Gvir and Smotrich come here? While their sanctioning is something of a relief, there were Australians who wanted these two foreign ministers to come here and speak. A fortnight ago, the men joined nationalist Israelis marching through the Old City on Jerusalem Day, where some of the participants chanted slogans such as “death to Arabs” and “may your village burn”. Smotrich has said he would allow “not even a grain of wheat” to enter Gaza and that the strip would be “entirely destroyed” during the war. Ben-Gvir has a number of criminal convictions against him, including incitement of racism and supporting a terrorist organisation. Patricia Philippou, Charlestown
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have been subjected to targeted financial sanctions and travel bans by Australia.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have been subjected to targeted financial sanctions and travel bans by Australia.Credit: Bloomberg
Yippee to the Australian government for joining with Britain, Canada, and New Zealand in sanctioning Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right senior ministers in the Israeli government who continue to make inflammatory remarks by inciting violence against the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. Eric Palm, Gympie (Qld)
Penny Wong has said of the recent suffering of Palestinians, Australia cannot do much on its own, but it can act with others to uphold international law and humanitarian values. Why does Australia not go further, as have others, and recognise a Palestinian state now, and sanction Israel’s current government as a whole, not just the two cabinet members? It will be too late to do this when the majority of Palestinians have been killed, or have fled. Elizabeth Vickers, Maroubra
I have not been to the Holy Land since 1964 but since then I have followed the course of events, aware of some of the complex story that includes foolish decisions by Palestinian leaders in the past and very evil actions by Hamas today. That said, perhaps more than two Israeli cabinet members need to be sanctioned. Israel’s PM has compared its actions against the Palestinians to the legendary massacre of Canaanites by Joshua. And Israel not only now rejects a two-state solution but through its continued activities in the illegally occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank, it surely seeks one Jewish state, from the sea to the river. John Bunyan, Campbelltown
Surely if we, as a nation, are applying sanctions on foreign politicians for making inflammatory, outrageous, racist statements, then Donald Trump must be at the top of the list. If not, why not? Jim Croke, Stanmore
It’s no surprise that correspondents of the Jewish faith and opinion writers disregard the motives of Greta Thunberg and the others who sailed with her on the aid ship to Gaza (“Activists like Thunberg care more about fame than facts”, June 11). Maybe it’s compassion and empathy for the suffering of Palestinians that is their motive, rather than money and fame. The cynicism of these correspondents and the Israeli government is sickening. Christine Tiley, Albany Creek (Qld)
My goodness, what is it about a young Swedish woman and a boat full of baby formula that so threatens the nuclear-armed state of Israel? You could be forgiven for thinking that her intention was to kill aid workers, bomb schools and withhold food and medical supplies to two million people. Alexander Lane, Thornleigh
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Anthony Albanese’s sanctions, lecturing and paternalism all about iron control
Peter Jennings
Labor has defined its political style for this term in office: performative paternalism.
It’s about image rather than content and, under a veneer of caring for your safety, it’s also about iron control. Here are four examples of how performative paternalism works.
Anthony Albanese is in his happy place on ABC Radio Brisbane on May 29, joshing with former NRL player Billy Moore: “a good friend of mine, a bit of trivia for you, Billy, that their cat was named Billy”.
Unexpectedly the ABC injects some substance, asking the Prime Minister about a new report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute that says the Australian Defence Force is not ready for conflict.
Albanese: “Well, that’s what they do, isn’t it? ASPI. I mean seriously, they need to, I think, have a look at themselves as well and the way that they conduct themselves in debates.”
The threat is clear: ASPI is government-owned. An “independent” review into ASPI commissioned by Albanese and released just before Christmas last year argued to bring the organisation under closer public service oversight.
ASPI’s report echoes many concerns that the ADF is buckling under spending cuts to pay for the far-distant nuclear-powered submarines. Albanese hates the criticism, any criticism, so ASPI better “have a look at themselves”.
Example two of performative paternalism. At the National Press Club last Tuesday Albanese delivers a speech that talks about Australia’s “stabilising global role in uncertain times”. He doesn’t mention China.
The Prime Minister is asked three times by a reporter from this newspaper if he thinks “China is a national security threat to Australia”. He will not say, instead offering: “I think that our engagement with the region and the world needs to be diplomatic, needs to be mature and needs to avoid the, you know, attempts to simplify what are a complex set of relationships. And Australian journalists should do the same.”
It is not Albanese’s business to tell journalists how to report on China. Answering an earlier question, Albanese says: “I respect the role that the media play, and people should respect the role that the media play in our modern society.”
But when it comes to China, Albanese says journalists should follow his script and avoid naming the threat.
Labor’s tendency to ever-stronger performative paternalism is most on display in connection with Israel. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade mistakenly says: “Australia has a warm and close relationship with Israel.”
That used to be true but Albanese, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s support, is demolishing bilateral relations with the Middle East’s only democracy for the sake of the unrealisable policy of a two-state solution for Palestine.
On recognition of a Palestinian state, Wong said on Wednesday: “We no longer see recognition as only occurring at the end of a peace process. We do see the possibility of recognition as part of the peace process.”
For as long as Hamas controls Gaza and a war is being fought there is no prospect for meaningful peace talks. Offering recognition now is the ultimate reward for Hamas atrocities of October 7, 2023. The offer should not be on the table.
Wong condemns Hamas for its terrorist activities and calls for hostages to be released. Still, she “will continue to advocate for all of these things, including a ceasefire”.
This is pure performative theatre. Australia’s long-advocated ceasefire would leave Hamas in charge of Gaza, where no peace process is possible. Hamas advocates a one-state solution, which means the destruction of Israel. Labor must not risk recognising a Palestinian state where there is no Palestinian entity committed to peace, only terrorist groups wanting international legitimacy.
So, to my third example of performative paternalism: On June 6, American-Israeli technology entrepreneur Hillel Fuld was denied a visa to Australia on the grounds that he might incite hatred “against particular segments of the community, namely the Islamic population”.
Fuld was due to speak at events in Sydney and Melbourne. I understand he was going to talk on innovation; high technology accounts for more than half of Israel’s exports.
Fuld is also active on social media. To demonstrate the risk of inciting hatred, the Department of Home Affairs listed some of his tweets on the extent of Islamist radicalisation; on the complicity of some Gazans in supporting Hamas; on Arab terror against Jews.
Reasonable people could disagree with Fuld, perhaps finding some of his views objectionable, but he is clearly a rational and intelligent person. His crime might well be that his views dramatically differ from those of Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
There is nothing so fragile about Australian society that we need protection from Fuld. A sharp debate about the reality of the war in Gaza would actually inform our thinking.
Example four: on Tuesday Australia joined with Canada, New Zealand, Norway and Britain on sanctions targeting Israeli Knesset members Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Both are ministers from minor parties in the Netanyahu coalition government.
Wong told ABC radio on Wednesday: “These two ministers are the most extreme proponents of what we regard as an unlawful and violent settlement enterprise which by their actions go against the notion of a two-state solution.”
I carry no brief for Ben-Gvir and Smotrich; they represent one end of a politically riven Israel, but they don’t speak for the Israeli government.
Their offence, according to the five-nation joint statement, is “extremist rhetoric”. Where are the targeted sanctions against Muslim leaders in the Middle East peddling “extremist rhetoric” against Israel?
Where are the sanctions against Iran’s ambassador in Canberra who last year used social media to call for the “wiping out” of Israelis in Palestine by 2027 and described Jews as a “Zionist plague”?
Netanyahu’s approach to Gaza is, in my view, deeply flawed. A friend might choose quieter engagement to encourage Israel towards a better path. But Labor’s performative campaign will fracture our relationship with Israelis who increasingly feel abandoned by their mates.
The sanctions have already been condemned by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Wong’s response is “from time to time we have differences of views”. Increasingly, though, this is Labor’s tone towards the US.
Welcome to performative paternalism: where symbolism displaces hard choices, dissent is met with rebuke and foreign policy is reduced to theatre.
A government that bullies, lectures and sanctions its way through difficult terrain risks not only domestic division but real damage to our US alliance and our once-valued relationship with Israel.
Peter Jennings is director of Strategic Analysis Australia and an adjunct fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs. He is a former deputy secretary for strategy in the Defence Department.
Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong pursuing Left’s goal of recognising Palestinian state
Geoff Chambers
Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong at Labor’s election victory party in Sydney on May 3. Picture: AFP
Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong at Labor’s election victory party in Sydney on May 3. Picture: AFP
Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong are laying the groundwork for Labor to shift closer to their Left faction’s long-held position that Palestine be recognised as a state.
The Prime Minister, a co-founder of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine group, is prepared to take on Donald Trump as his government works with a coalition of Western nations to ramp up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The decision by Wong to order sanctions against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – members of the country’s far right who Australia accuses of inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank – is a dramatic escalation in the government’s criticism of Israel.
Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Norway on Wednesday moved as a bloc to impose financial sanctions and travel bans on the two ministers who form part of Netanyahu’s tenuous six-party coalition in the Knesset.
With the Left faction commanding a majority in Labor caucus after Albanese’s landslide May 3 election victory, prominent ALP figures sympathetic to Israel and concerned about Hamas believe the second-term government will pursue its ambition to formally recognise Palestine.
In response to four of the five members of the Five Eyes security alliance sanctioning the Israeli ministers, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “we remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is” and called on them to “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel”.
“These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,” Rubio said.
Sky News contributor Prue MacSween says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s meeting with US President Donald Trump will…
Trump has told Netanyahu the war in Gaza must stop and Israel should not strike Iran as the US engages in high-stakes nuclear talks with the rogue nation.
Middle East experts say the personal sanctions are “performative” and will unlikely shift the dial in forcing Netanyahu’s hand.
The targeting of cabinet members from a Western democracy and long-time security partner is a serious step for the government, which is understood to have spent months considering the sanctions. The government singled out Ben-Gvir and Smotrich as extreme proponents of the Israeli settlement movement and Gaza war
Albanese – who will have his first in-person meeting with Trump at the G7 summit in Canada next week – on Wednesday described condemnation from the US and Israeli governments as “predictable”.
“We support a clear resolution in the Middle East. We have been outspoken about calling for, firstly, for a ceasefire, for the hostages to be released,” he said.
“We have made it clear we see that Hamas should have no role in the future of the region. We support Israel’s right to live and to exist in secure borders. But we also support the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians.”
The 2023 ALP platform states the party’s position is to support the recognition and right of Israel and Palestine to exist as two states within secure and recognised borders, that the Australian government recognises Palestine as a state, and for the issue to be an important government priority.
France and Saudi Arabia will next week co-chair a UN-backed summit on a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. The summit is expected to lay down markers – including the exclusion of Hamas and reformation of the Palestinian Authority – to build global support for Palestinian statehood.
As the Albanese government collaborates with like-minded countries about aligning positions around a “carrot and stick” approach on Israel and Palestine, Wong said: “I have made very clear that we no longer see recognition as only occurring at the end of a peace process. We do see the possibility of recognition as part of the peace process and that is the approach we’ll be taking.”
Sky News host Chris Kenny says the Albanese Labor government has now demonstrated that it is “not interested” in…
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said the sanctioning of democratically elected officials was a “very serious development” and questioned the use of Magnitsky-style sanctions. Cash said Magnitsky-type sanctions were designed to “respond to serious matters of international concern, such as human rights abuses and terrorist acts”. Like Rubio, she rejected the notion of equivalence between the Israeli government and Hamas.
Albanese said the sanctions would not be “the priority” in discussions with Trump next week.
Given Trump’s unpredictability, it’s near-impossible to assume what will and won’t be on the agenda for their meeting.
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Penny Wong’s sanctions on Israeli ministers create legal minefield
Sarah Ison
Australian companies with business interests in Israel have been instructed to consider seeking legal advice on whether they are at risk of facing multimillion-dollar fines enforced for breaches of Magnitsky-style sanctions on two members of the Israeli government by Labor in a move that has raised alarm over the precedent set by the government.
Despite fierce opposition from the US, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong on Wednesday revealed Australia had joined with the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in slapping Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich with financial sanctions and travel bans.
The decision was made just days before an expected face-to-face meeting between Anthony Albanese and Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 and ahead of a major UN summit in New York where some countries are expected to push hard for Palestinian recognition.
“Ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich … are the most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent settlement enterprise,” Senator Wong said.
“We have applied these measures in co-ordination with Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. This action is the result of many months of effort and co-ordination and, together, these countries are sending a message: you have ignored the international community, and we do not tolerate it. The situation in the West Bank and … in Gaza are untenable both for civilians and long-term peace in the form of a two-state solution.”
The sanctioning of democratically elected officials was met with widespread concern by figures including former Liberal foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer, who questioned whether Labor would now sanction German politicians who belonged to the far right group known as Alternative for Germany or Chinese ministers responsible for persecution of Uighurs.
“Why just Israeli politicians?” Mr Downer questioned.
Israel’s ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon. Picture: Martin Ollman
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said “serious questions must be asked about the motives behind the timing of this announcement”.
“The decision to impose sanctions on two Israeli cabinet ministers is deeply concerning and entirely unacceptable. These ministers are part of a government that operates under the principle of collective responsibility, making such measures unreasonable,” he said in a statement.
“The Israeli government will convene early next week to consider and determine our official response to these actions.”
Mr Maimon reiterated Israel’s focus in securing the 55 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
In making the decision, Labor pointed to both ministers marching through Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter in recent days with a group that chanted “death to Arabs” and “may your village burn”, while reiterating concern over Mr Ben-Gvir’s instruction for his department to provide assault rifles to civilian settlers in order to “massively arm” them and “turn the world upside down”.
Mr Smotrich was also on record telling Palestinians in the West Bank that “we will turn you into ruins like in the Gaza Strip”.
“We have, with others, targeted sanctions – personal sanctions – against these ministers because whilst they are not the only members of the Israeli government whose actions have been problematic, they are the most extreme,” Senator Wong said.
In addition to unveiling the explosive sanctions, she revealed the government had changed its view from seeing the recognition of Palestine as an outcome of the peace process with Israel to now being part of that process, declaring Australia would make a decision about its position at next week’s UN summit “at the relevant time”.
Penny Wong announced the sanctions as part of a joint action with the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway. Finance…
The unveiling of sanctions on the Israeli ministers was followed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade quietly releasing an advisory note that cautioned Australian individuals and organisations that were providing assets or donations to Israel.
DFAT advised organisations questioning whether to provide assets to a government department or ministry administered by someone sanctioned by Australia should “seek legal advice”.
“You should seek legal advice if you are in doubt whether the assets you intend to supply to a government department or ministry would be permissible,” it warned. “Contravening Australian sanctions laws is a criminal offence. Individuals who commit sanctions offences can receive up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $825,000 or three times the value of the relevant transaction. Bodies corporate that commit a sanctions offence can receive a fine of $3.3m, or three times the value of the transaction.”
In comments that cast a shadow over the upcoming meeting between Mr Albanese and Mr Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the sanctioning of the two Israeli ministers by four of America’s five eyes partners.
“The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel,” he said in a statement.
“The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet.
“These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war.
Former Labor minister and co-convener of Labor Friends of Israel Mike Kelly said while he didn’t endorse the comments of Mr Ben-Gvir or Mr Smotrich, the move risked being seen by Hamas as a “reward” for terrorist activity.
“We are concerned that the comments made by the US indicate that taking such action now may have an impact on negotiations peace discussions, particularly important to be able to bring along the Israeli government on next steps in relation to Gaza,” he said. “And so this step may not be helpful in that respect.”
While Senator Wong confirmed the government had engaged with US counterparts overnight, opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said further questions needed to be answered.
“Penny Wong should … be clear about what engagement Australia has had with the United States on this matter,” she said.
“Labor must also address questions about its use of Magnitsky-style sanctions. The Magnitsky sanctions regime was designed to respond to serious matters of international concern, such as human rights abuses and terrorist acts. The government must explain, in full, why it is being applied in these circumstances.
“he Albanese government needs to explain why they have seemingly lowered the threshold for imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions, and whether this new approach will be applied to comments made by officials from other countries. This may have serious implications for our international relationships.”
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Mercedes-Benz, Dulux tear up design blogger’s contract
Lucy Feagins of The Design Files is learning what it feels like to be cancelled.
Melbourne entrepreneur Lucy Feagins, founder of The Design Files, rushed to the defence of Sydney architect Luigi Rosselli on Tuesday night after he posted in praise of Greta Thunberg on Instagram over that “flotilla” mission to Gaza.
His followers panned him thoroughly in the hours that followed. Unable to withstand it all, he eventually locked up the comments.
Feagins loved it, of course, and anyone familiar with her obsessive commentary on Israel would expect her to show solidarity with Rosselli – which she did – an endorsement that we think was borne of her sheer sympathy for an imbecile.
In Feagins, we are talking about someone who actually “liked” what appears to be camera footage of Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists as they marauded through southern Israel on October 7.
The news in all this is that Feagins’ corporate partners are clearly getting jack of her extreme rhetoric. Much as Nike did with Grace Tame a week ago, some of them are cutting ties with the design blogger due to these odious remarks she keeps making.
In addition to liking the aforementioned footage, she has reposted statements trivialising the murders of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington, and two children killed while being held as hostage in Gaza.
It’s why German car company Mercedes-Benz quietly ended its association with The Design Files late last month when some of these posts were brought to its attention.
“We would like to clearly point out that at Mercedes-Benz, there is no room for extremism, racism and especially anti-Semitism,” the company said in a note distributed after the tie-up was scrapped.
“Our company has committed itself to the fight against anti-Semitism and racism for many years. Mercedes-Benz has also worked with the Friends of Yad Vashem in Germany for many years, which actively promotes a culture of remembrance and opposition to anti-Semitism.”
Granted, Feagins is not the brightest bulb. A bit like Tame, she was granted a lucrative brand partnership and insisted on sticking her fingers into plug sockets for a thrill.
But would it have really gone astray to ask if one ought to post incessantly about Israel and its Jewish supporters in the most poisonous terms while working in partnership with a storied German carmaker?
Forget about not mentioning the war – does Feagins even know there was a war?
On Wednesday, paint company Dulux confirmed it, too, had ended an affiliation with Feagins’ outfit, having done so on account of the same posts.
“Dulux is withdrawing its advertising from The Design Files,” a spokeswoman said.
Neither of these companies want to be associated with a brand kamikaze, regardless of the tantalising subscriber base on offer. However, Country Road is still technically in business with Feagins. We didn’t hear back from it on Wednesday when we asked for an update on the relationship.
Busy, probably, trying to find a new CEO – and mop up the ongoing mess from that harassment scandal. YB
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Virtue signalling will not help Gazans or hostages-Editorial
Anthony Albanese’s and Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s virtue signalling over Israel may suit their political priorities but it is unlikely to help achieve the ceasefire needed to end the plight of Gaza’s long-suffering people. Nor will it contribute to the defeat of Hamas or help bring home the hostages. Signing up Australia to a joint statement with three of our four Five Eyes partners – Britain, Canada and New Zealand (but not the US, significantly) – plus Norway, imposing sanctions on two of the most “far right” members of the Israeli government, Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, 49, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, 45, is all very well. Both ministers, through their reprehensible extremism, have done much to besmirch perceptions of Israel. It is unfortunate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has to rely on them to hold his coalition together.
But just as Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich see being sanctioned as a badge of honour, Hamas doubtless will see the five Western nations’ targeting of the ministers as another success for its grotesque tactic of deliberately creating conditions in Gaza that are so awful that even longstanding close allies such as Australia are turning against the leaders of the Jewish state. That is the iniquity of the move by Mr Albanese and Senator Wong that makes what few hopes remain for peace and, ultimately, a two-state solution to the crisis more distant prospects.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was correct on Wednesday when, condemning the sanctions on Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich, he called on Australia and the other four nations to reverse them and “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel”. He warned: “These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is.” Odious as the two Israeli ministers’ extremism is, they are not the enemy; Hamas, backed by Iran, is the enemy. Only the terrorists and those who support them stand to benefit from what is an incredibly naive move by the Albanese government. It will drive yet another wedge between Australia and one of our oldest and closest allies, Israel, while creating another point of friction with the Trump administration before Mr Albanese’s much-anticipated meeting with the US President on the sidelines of the G7.
Israel is far from the only country with a government that includes ministers with distasteful views. When did Mr Albanese and Senator Wong last impose sanctions on individual members of the Chinese and Turkish governments, for example? The joint statement by the Albanese government and its four partners argues that Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and the expansion of settlements, strongly favoured by Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich, are undermining peace prospects. That’s one aspect of the issue. But Senator Wong’s attempt to put it in the context of possible Australian recognition of Palestinian statehood is senseless. Ahead of a conference convened by France and Saudi Arabia in New York to consider Palestinian statehood, she told the ABC on Wednesday: “I have made it clear that we no longer see recognition as only occurring at the end of a peace process. We do see the possibility of recognition as part of a peace process.”
As war still rages in Gaza and Hamas, backed by Iran, still stubbornly refuses to agree to a ceasefire and release the hostages, it would be hard to imagine a less opportune time to be advocating possible Australian recognition of a Palestinian state – without internationally defined borders, central government and other basic criteria for statehood stipulated by the 1933 Montevideo Convention. Torn between Hamas in Gaza and the beleaguered Palestinian Authority on the West Bank led by Fatah chairman Mahmoud Abbas, 89, Palestine lacks the leadership that could negotiate the establishment of a viable state and run it. Mr Albanese and Senator Wong are deluding themselves if they believe Australia’s interests lie in their pushing premature recognition of Palestinian statehood. Doing so when the priority should be to support efforts to achieve a ceasefire and an end to the horrors taking place in Gaza is delusional.
Not even French President Emmanuel Macron, despite being a convener of next week’s New York meeting and issuing a statement on the treatment of civilians in Gaza, joined Australia and its partners in imposing sanctions on Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich.
Australia’s capacity to influence events in Israel is minimal at the best of times. But after 70 years of close ties, the relationship deserves better than Mr Albanese’s and Senator Wong’s ill-considered virtue-signalling pursuit of two ministers. Doing so, as Mr Rubio warned, will not help end the war in Gaza or bring home the hostages.
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Israel’s next step after ‘outrageous’ sanctions as Albanese defends new measures
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the response from the US and Israel over sanctions against to Israeli ministers as “predictable, frankly”
Israel’s government says it will meet next week to form its response to Australia and four other nations imposing sanctions against two ministers.
Israel’s government has indicated it will respond to Australia’s sanctioning of two high-ranking Israeli government ministers next week.
Australia joined with four other nations on Wednesday to impose sanctions on Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich.
The move has been criticised by United States secretary of state Marco Rubio, who said it does not “advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire”.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the decision was the result of “many months of coordination” with Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.
“These two ministers are the most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent Israeli settlement enterprise,” she said.
“These countries are sending a message. You have ignored the international community, and we do not tolerate it,” Wong said.
Two politicians, dressed in suits, sit in chairs in front of a long wooden table.
Australia has joined Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Norway in sanctioning Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir (left) and Bezalel Smotrich. Source: AP / Abir Sultan
The Australian Centre for International Justice (ACIJ) said the decision by five countries was a significant step and would send a clear message.
ACIJ’s Lara Khider said: “These measures directly respond to the compelling evidence implicating Ben-Gvir and Smotrich in inciting extremist violence and serious human rights violations against Palestinians.”
And the Greens’ foreign affairs spokesman David Shoebridge also welcomed the sanctions but said they came “extremely late”.
He said criticism from the US showed “how far our two countries’ values are diverging”.
Israel reacts: ‘Unacceptable decision’
Ben-Gvir, from the Jewish Power party, and Smotrich, of the Religious Zionism Party, are members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.
Responding to the announcement on social media, Ben-Gvir posted an AI-generated picture of London’s Big Ben under a Palestinian keffiyeh headgear.
“Continue putting your head in the sand,” he wrote.
The two ministers now have travel bans, along with financial sanctions that freeze their assets and prevent others from providing them with financial assistance.
A man in a tight crowd waves an arm in the air surrounded by police
Itamar Ben-Gvir, in May attended the the Israeli ‘Flag March’ in the Old City of Jerusalem. The event commemorates the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City of Jerusalem after the six-day war in 1967. Source: EPA / ATEF SAFADI/EPA
In practice, the Magnitsky-style sanctions could result in persons assisting the two ministers facing up to ten years’ imprisonment and a fine of $825,000.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar called the sanctions “outrageous” and said his government would hold a meeting early next week to decide how to respond to the “unacceptable decision” made by the five countries.
Israel’s ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said it was an “entirely unacceptable” decision.
“These ministers are part of a government that operates under the principle of collective responsibility, making such measures unreasonable,” he said.
“Serious questions must be asked about the motives behind the timing of this announcement.”
Albanese says pushback is ‘predictable’
Wong did not confirm whether the US had been forewarned about the sanctions, simply stating the US and Australia “had engaged” overnight.
“In the history of our alliance, there are issues on which we have taken different approaches,” she said.
“And I would make the point that we are acting with others.”
Rubio urged the reversal of the sanctions and said the US stands “shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel”.
“We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace.
‘Repellent extremism’: Israel is under new pressure over Gaza. Has Australia’s stance shifted?
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the response from the US and Israel as “predictable, frankly”.
“We’ve continued to declare that Israel has a right to live within secure borders. But we’ve also declared that Israel must comply with international concerns and international law, which is there,” he told ABC Sydney on Wednesday.
He later told reporters “Australia makes their own decisions” as he rejected concerns the decision could damage relations with the US.
Albanese said Australia supported both Israel’s “right to live and exist in secure borders” and “the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians”.
“Sometimes, friends have to be clear with each other,” Albanese said. “We’ve been clear with the Israeli Government about our concerns.”
The sanctions relate to the West Bank, but the joint statement also said: “This cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza.”
“The measures announced today do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel’s security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas,” the statement said.
“Today’s measures are targeted towards individuals who, in our view, undermine Israel’s own security and its standing in the world,” the statement said.
Coalition says implications could be serious
The Opposition said the Albanese government had seemingly lowered the threshold for imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions, which it said were for “human rights abuses and terrorist acts”.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Michaelia Cash called on the government to explain whether this “new approach” would be applied to officials from other countries.
“This may have serious implications for our international relationships,” she said.
“We are concerned that there is a pattern of decisions by the Albanese government targeting the Israeli government, rather than Hamas.”
Hamas is a listed terrorist organisation in Australia since 2022 and is subject to counter-terrorism financing sanctions.
Australian sanctions against Israel ‘sends a signal’
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8990122/australian-sanctions-against-israel-sends-a-signal/
By Andrew Brown
The sanctioning of two Israeli ministers signals Australia will be more assertive in pushing for a two-state solution in the Middle East, an expert says.
The federal government applied sanctions against Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in a co-ordinated move with allies Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.
The sanctions were applied for “extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights”, with the pair barred from travelling to Australia and any assets in the country being frozen.
The measures prompted condemnation from the US with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying it would do little to achieve a ceasefire in the conflict.
But Middle East politics professor at Deakin University Shahram Akbarzadeh said the sanctions were a consequential step.
“It is significant and it sends a signal that Australia is becoming more resolute in pursuing its foreign policy agenda of a two-state solution,” he told AAP.
“Australia would not have done this on its own, but when Australia sees other allied countries taking this move, that allows Australia to feel comfortable in numbers.”
Israel’s ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said the sanctions were concerning and unacceptable.
“These ministers are part of a government that operates under the principle of collective responsibility, making such measures unreasonable,” he said in a statement.
“The Israeli government will convene early next week to consider and determine our official response to these actions.”
Prof Akbarzadeh said the sanctions imposed by the western allies would not alter how Israel would conduct itself in the conflict.
“Israel has shown it does not take international opinion seriously, and this move is unlikely to deter the Israeli government in the way they’re prosecuting the war in Gaza,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese doubled down on the need for the sanctions, despite the reaction from Israel and the US.
“Sometimes friends have to be clear with each other,” he told reporters in Sydney.
“We support Israel’s right to live and to exist in secure borders, but we also support the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians.”
Israel’s violence in Gaza restarted after Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation, invaded the nation and killed about 1200 people and abducted 250 others on October 7, 2023.
Israel’s bombardment, aid blockages and military action in Gaza has killed more than 40,000 people and left many more on the brink of starvation.
Australia in July also sanctioned Israelis involved in attacking and killing Palestinians in the West Bank.
Australian Associated Press
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‘Don’t agree’: Former Labor MP who pushed for sanction powers speaks out against Albanese’s Israel move
Dana Daniel
A former Labor MP who spent years advocating for laws giving Australia the power to sanction foreign actors for international law breaches has spoken out against the Albanese government’s decision to join four other countries in using them against two Israeli ministers.
WATCH: Foreign Minister Penny Wong renews Australia’s commitment to the two-state solution in Palestine and Israel as hostilities continue in Gaza.
Michael Danby, who served as the member for Melbourne Ports (now Macnamara) for 20 years before retiring from politics in 2019, was a key architect – along with the late Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching – of Australia’s Magnitsky-style sanctions legislation passed in 2022, which enables travel bans to be imposed and assets frozen without warning.
He took aim at Foreign Minister Penny Wong for sanctioning Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich overnight, telling The Canberra Times this was not the way the law was designed to be used.
“I don’t agree with [the decision],” Mr Danby, who is Jewish and has long been a vocal supporter of Israel, said.
“Magnitsky sanctions were only meant to be focused on authoritarian states – not democratic states like Israel, where elections or the rule of law can deal with violations by individuals, including local politicians.
“Foreign Minister Wong’s action against a democratic state throws into sharp relief her failure to employ Magnitsky laws against big fish from authoritarian states – like Beijing’s cruel communist commissars in Tibet and East Turkestan … Whose children often try and get educated here, who like to come on holidays to the Gold Coast here.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong told Seven’s Sunrise on Wednesday morning that the decision to sanction the two ministers over their expansion of illegal settlement in the West Bank had been made “after a long process of deliberation and consideration”.
“We’re doing that because we are all deeply concerned about the extremist settler enterprise of the Netanyahu government,” she said.
“We’re concerned about it because it is undermining the prospects of two states. And ultimately, we, along with those other countries and the broader international community, believe we can only see peace in the Middle East when we deal with two states and when both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security.”
It is believed to be the first time Magnitsky laws, which are in force across many Western countries, have been used against individuals from democratic countries. Australia has previously using the laws to sanction individuals and entities in Russia, Iran, and Myanmar.
Mr Danby said he agreed with criticism from United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the move did “not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire” in the Hamas-Israel war.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected this criticism on Wednesday, telling ABC radio: “I think those responses are predictable, frankly.”
Join the conversation
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said in a statement: “The sanctioning of democratically elected officials of a key ally, Israel, is a very serious development.”
“The Magnitsky sanctions regime was designed to respond to serious matters of international concern, such as human rights abuses and terrorist acts,” Ms Ley said.
“The government must explain, in full, why it is being applied in these circumstances … We have not received a briefing about this matter but would expect there to be a very high threshold for this decision.”
She called on the government to “explain why they have seemingly lowered the threshold for imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions, and whether this new approach will be applied to comments made by officials from other countries.”
“This may have serious implications for our international relationships,” Ms Ley said.
She said the government’s explanatory materials “make clear that Minister Wong exercised a discretionary power to impose the sanctions because of public comments made by the two Israeli Ministers, which “appears to be a new development in our foreign policy.
“We are concerned that there is a pattern of decisions by the Albanese government targeting the Israeli government, rather than Hamas, including the decision to block the Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister from travelling to Australia.”
Mr Albanese told the ABC his government continued to “engage with the Israeli government”, while standing firm on the decision, saying the two Israeli ministers had “incited violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”.
He said the Israeli government needed to “uphold its obligations under international law”, saying that “expansionist rhetoric … from these hardline right-wing members of the Netanyahu government” contradicted this.
Senator Wong would not be drawn on whether sanctions against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself had been considered when Australia joined Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom in sanctioning the Israeli ministers.
She said only that while the two ministers were “not the only members of the Israeli government whose actions have been problematic, they are certainly the most extreme.” As to other matters, we don’t speculate about the approach,” Senator Wong told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday morning.
The Israeli ministers are accused of inciting and supporting systemic violence against Palestinians and aggressively expanding illegal Israeli settlements.
They will face travel bans and have any Australian assets frozen under laws.
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Andrew Bolt: Hypocritical Albanese Government happy to sanction Israel, but gives aggressive dictatorship China free pass
Anthony Albanese now seems happier to slap democratic allies like America and Israel, than confront China, an aggressive dictatorship.
The hypocritical Albanese government isn’t hiding its hatred of Israel, now hitting two Israeli ministers with sanctions.
But how is it in Australia’s interest to act like useful idiots of radical Islam, sanctioning two ministers of a democratic ally, but never the hostile Chinese dictatorship?
The government’s ban last week on American tech blogger Hillel Fuld was outrageous enough. Fuld was coming to raise money for Israel’s version of the Red Cross, but was banned for disputing unproven claims by the Hamas terrorist group that Israeli soldiers last year slaughtered 112 Palestinians waiting for food.
The government also accused him of “Islamophobia” for a post in which he correctly noted that most Palestinians had backed the October 7 massacre of Jews.
Now it’s joined four countries in sanctioning Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of “inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank” and creating new Israeli settlements there, imperilling “long-term stability in the region”.
Both are banned from coming here, and Australians dealing with their assets face 10 years’ jail.
This showboating could cost us. This government has again provoked the United States, our only real protector in a future war.
Despite supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, Chinese dictator Xi Jinping and his communist party gets a free pass from the Albanese Government. Picture: AFP
Despite supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine, Chinese dictator Xi Jinping and his communist party gets a free pass from the Albanese Government. Picture: AFP
The US two weeks ago asked us to spend more on our defence: Albanese refused. It then asked us through its Ambassador to Israel to lift our ban on Fuld: Albanese refused.
Now we’ve infuriated US state secretary Marco Rubio, who posted: “The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia.
“These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war.”
True, the US can’t decide our policies, but it can decide whether we’re a country worth giving, say, a couple of its rare nuclear submarines.
How strange that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese now seems happier to slap democratic allies like America and Israel, than confront China, an aggressive dictatorship.
Now, let me admit that those two Israeli ministers are loudmouthed ratbags of Israel’s far-Right.
As for Ben-Gvir, he’s a “river to the sea” guy, except he means the whole area from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River should be Israel, not Palestine.
He last month called for the destruction of the al-Aqsa mosque, built in Jerusalem on the ruins of the great Second Temple of Jewish kings, boasting: “We are conquering the Land of Israel, liberating Gaza, settling Gaza”. That’s the way to guarantee another century of war.
Yet Israeli voters and Israeli justice can also be trusted to put Smotrich in his place: very few back him, and he’s already been convicted several times of racist incitement.
But you may think: nasty men. Yes, sanction them.
But that’s where the hypocrisy of Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong exposes them.
If people demanding all the land “from the river to the sea” must be punished, why did Wong post pictures of herself supporting Nasser Mashni, head of the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network, who insists it’s time “for Palestine to be free, from the river to the sea”?
If (supposedly) inciting violence is the crime, why has Wong not sanctioned Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, who still runs a “pay for slay” scheme of pensions for terrorists and their families?
If imperilling long-term stability deserves sanctions, why hasn’t Wong imposed them on Abbas for defending Hitler’s genocide of 6 million Jews, claiming it “was not about Semitism and anti-Semitism” but “because they (the Jews) were dealing with usury and money”?
And why ban Hillel Fuld while letting in the rabidly anti-Israel Francesca Albanese, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, who’s defended “any form of resistance against the occupation”?
But it’s comic, this government’s lack of awareness of their double standards.
Albanese has now shrugged off Rubio’s criticism, insisting: “Australia makes its own decisions based on the assessments that it makes.”
But isn’t that Israel’s argument? That it’s a sovereign democracy making its own decisions in its national interest?
So why are Albanese and Wong interfering, imposing useless sanctions which can only anger our friends and embolden our enemies?
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Australia says Israeli government ‘rejects’ two-state solution, slaps sanctions on senior ministers
Australia’s top diplomat is tight-lipped on a key Israel question after slapping sanctions on two senior ministers.
Joseph Olbrycht-Palmer
Palestinians could be seen scrambling for food in Gaza City as the UN said Israeli aid restrictions were “leaving increasing numbers of Palestinians vulnerable to…
Breaking News
Australia’s top diplomat is tight-lipped on whether the Albanese government mulled over including the Israeli Prime Minister in sanctions targeting senior members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Australia overnight joined Canada, New Zealand, Norway and the UK in slapping travel bans and financial blocks on Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich “for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”.
The move has been slammed by Israel and the US.
Fronting media in Canberra on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said it was “clear that the Netanyahu government rejects” a two-state solution.
“This is the only outcome which keeps faith with the imperative of the existence of Israel and its long-term security that fulfils also the world’s promise to the Palestinian people, and that enables two peoples to live in peace,” Senator Wong told reporters.
“It strengthens the force for peace and undermines extremism, and it is the opposite of what Hamas wants.
“We know that Hamas can have no role in a future Palestinian state.
“We believe a two-state solution is the only way to end the cycle of violence, and regrettably, it is also clear that the Netanyahu government rejects it.”
She pointed to the “devastating military campaign in Gaza, civilians being killed by the thousands, children starving”.
“And it is also clear from policies including rampant settlement construction and impunity for settler violence in the West Bank,” she said.
“Like Israel’s military expansion in Gaza, illegal settlements and impunity for settler violence in the West Bank are extinguishing the prospects of a two-state solution”.
Senator Wong somewhat dodged when asked if Mr Netanyahu himself was considered as a potential target for penalties.
She said the Albanese government targeted the two Israeli ministers because they were “certainly the most extreme”, adding that she would not “speculate about the approach” to protesting the activities of Australia’s Middle East ally.
“We maintain our position that we think two states which is not supported by the Netanyahu government still remains the only viable path to peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Senator Wong said.
Israel launched its military action in Gaza after Hamas – the Palestinian Islamist group that runs the strip – launched its unprecedented October 7 assault in 2023.
Militants killed some 1200 men, women and children and took hundreds more hostage.
The Israeli military has killed tens of thousands of civilians in its 20-month mission to wipe out Hamas, according to independent monitors.
The entire population is also facing famine and rampant disease due to Israel’s stranglehold on desperately needed aid.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing mounting international pressure to let more aid into Gaza. Picture: Abir Sultan/Pool / AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing mounting international pressure to let more aid into Gaza. Picture: Abir Sultan/Pool / AP
The US has condemned Wednesday’s sanctions, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying they “do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war”.
“We reject any notion of equivalence,” Mr Rubio said.
“Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace.
“We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is.
“The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel.”
Anthony Albanese has downplayed the US response as “predictable”
“We have engaged and put forward in a very clear and direct way to the Israeli government, including a one-on-one conversation that I had with the president of Israel, President Herzog, on the sidelines in Rome that I had just weeks ago,” the Prime Minister told the ABC.
“We have continued to express our concern about humanitarian issues in Gaza.”
‘Extreme rhetoric’
Foreign ministers of the sanctioning countries announced the move in a joint statement overnight, saying Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich had fuelled settler violence through “extreme rhetoric” and undermined efforts for a two-state solution.
“Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights,” the statement said.
“Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous.
“These actions are not acceptable.
“We have engaged the Israeli government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity.”
The foreign ministers called on the Israeli government to “uphold its obligations under international law and we call on it to take meaningful action to end extremist, violent and expansionist rhetoric”.
The sanctions took effect on Wednesday and came after the Israeli government announced last month that it would build nearly two dozen new settlements in the West Bank along a key highway connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
It also said it would legalise some settlements built in the Palestinian territory without the green light from the government.
Both Mr Ben-Gvir and Mr Smotrich are also known for their hard-line stances on Gaza.
Mr Ben-Gvir has backed forced migration of Palestinians from the war-torn strip.
In their statement, the Western foreign ministers said the sanctions “do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel’s security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas”.
“Today’s measures are targeted towards individuals who in our view undermine Israel’s own security and its standing in the world,” they said.
“We continue to want a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on our shared ties, values and commitment to their security and future.”
But they added the action “cannot be seen in isolation from the catastrophe in Gaza”.
“We continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid,” the foreign ministers said.
“There must be no unlawful transfer of Palestinians from Gaza or within the West Bank, nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip.
“We will continue to work with the Israeli government and a range of partners.
“We will strive to ensure an immediate ceasefire, the release now of the remaining hostages and for the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid including food.
“We want to see a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas and a political pathway to a two-state solution.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has slammed the move, saying it was “outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to this kind of measures”.
“I discussed it earlier today with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and we will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision,” Mr Sa’ar told media.
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Australia sanctions two ‘extremist’ Israeli ministers for inciting violence against Palestinians
Foreign minister Penny Wong says ministers were proponents of ‘unlawful and violent Israeli settlement enterprise’
Australia has joined the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in placing financial sanctions and travel bans on two Israeli government ministers, over what Penny Wong described as “inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank”.
The Magnitsky-style sanctions on Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, were in response to serious human rights violations and abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank, including Israeli settlements considered illegal under international law, the governments said in a joint statement.
Israel’s foreign minister has branded the move “outrageous”, and the US has condemned the sanctions, but the prime minister Anthony Albanese stood by Australia’s actions and said Israel must comply with international law.
Wong said settler violence in the West Bank undermined prospects of reaching a two-state solution and peace in the Middle East, and again demanded humanitarian aid be allowed to flow unimpeded into Gaza – decrying what she called a “horrific” humanitarian situation for Palestinians in the besieged territory.
“These two ministers are the most extreme proponents of the unlawful and violent Israeli settlement enterprise,” Australia’s foreign affairs minister told ABC Radio National.
“Along with the United Kingdom, with Canada, with New Zealand and Norway, we have determined that it is important together to send a very clear message that these activities and the the impingement on the rights and human rights of Palestinians in the West Bank are not acceptable.”
‘Their own words condemn them’: UK places sanctions on two Israeli ministers – video
The men were sanctioned in relation to a range of public comments and actions, including marching through Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter with a group that chanted “death to Arabs” and “may your village burn”. Ben-Gvir last month said Israel would “occupy the entire territory of the Gaza Strip” and encourage migration of Gazans elsewhere, while Smotrich in February said “‘With God’s help we will work to permanently bury the dangerous idea of a Palestinian State”.
The sanctions make it an offence to make assets available to a sanctioned person, require the freezing of any assets in Australia, and prevent them from entering Australia.
Wong said the actions of the two ministers “go against the notion of a two-state solution.” While the sanctions focus on actions in the West Bank, she also spoke at length in a press conference about Israel’s actions in Gaza, condemning the blockade of much international aid to Palestinians.
“I’m sending a message from the Australian government, alongside the overwhelming majority of the international community, that you are obliged to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza for civilians. That is an expression of international law and obligations on that international community,” she said.
Smoke billows over the city of Nablus during an Israeli military raid in the city’s old town in the West Bank
Smoke billows over the city of Nablus during an Israeli military raid in the city’s old town in the West Bank on 10 June 2025. Photograph: John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images
On ABC radio, Albanese backed in the sanctions, calling complaints against them “predictable”.
“We’ve continued to declare that Israel has a right to live within secure borders, but we’ve also declared that Israel must comply with international concerns and international law,” he said.
Greens senator and foreign affairs spokesperson, David Shoebridge, said the sanctions were “extremely late but welcome”, and called on the government to lay further sanctions in a bid to halt conflict in Gaza.
Coalition frontbencher Dan Tehan told Radio National that the opposition was seeking information from the government about the decision to lay sanctions, and noted statements from the United States that the action was not helpful to the peace process.
In a joint statement alongside foreign ministers of the other countries, Wong said that settler violence had led to the deaths of Palestinians and the displacement of whole communities.
“Settler violence is incited by extremist rhetoric which calls for Palestinians to be driven from their homes, encourages violence and human rights abuses and fundamentally rejects the two-state solution,” the joint statement read.
“Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights. Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. These actions are not acceptable.
“We have engaged the Israeli government on this issue extensively, yet violent perpetrators continue to act with encouragement and impunity. This is why we have taken this action now – to hold those responsible to account. The Israeli government must uphold its obligations under international law and we call on it to take meaningful action to end extremist, violent and expansionist rhetoric.”
Guardian Australia has contacted Israel’s embassy in Australia for comment.
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, described the decision as unacceptable and said it was “outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures”. Speaking about the British government’s decision specifically, Smotrich said: “Britain has already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland, and we will not allow it to do so again.”
Ben-Gvir said: “We passed Pharaoh, we will also pass [Keir] Starmer’s wall.”
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, urged that the sanctions be reversed, saying the US condemned the action.
“These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,” he said in a statement. “We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace.
“We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.”
The joint statement from Australia and allies had noted the ministers’ “unwavering support for Israel’s security and we continue to condemn the horrific terror attacks of 7 October by Hamas”.
“Today’s measures are targeted towards individuals who in our view undermine Israel’s own security and its standing in the world. We continue to want a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on our shared ties, values and commitment to their security and future,” the statement said.
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