No apologies: Wong gives her side of the story of the call with Israel

Israel’s foreign minister has accused Penny Wong of abandoning Israel in its most difficult year during a phone conversation overnight that turned sour, deepening the diplomatic rift between the two nations, Israeli media has reported.

Hebrew news outlet Israel Hayom on Wednesday reported that Foreign Minister Wong and her counterpart, Gideon Sa’ar, were drawn into a “sharp verbal clash” on Tuesday over Australia’s diminishing support for Israel amid its war in Gaza.

But a spokesperson for Wong said it was a “direct but respectful call” in which the ministers explained their respective views, with Australia focusing on the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and its position supporting a two-state solution to achieve peace for Israelis and Palestinians. It ended with cordial messages and an agreement to stay in touch.

Penny Wong arrived in London on Tuesday.

“Minister Wong spoke with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to reiterate Australia’s concern about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, the need for humanitarian assistance and our repeated calls for the release of all hostages,” a spokesperson for the foreign minister said.

“Minister Wong also noted that Australia’s position reflected that of many other countries. She conveyed Australia’s commitment to countering antisemitism and hate in all forms.”

Asked about the call while in Europe on Wednesday, Wong said she hoped for a ceasefire that enabled the release of hostages as well as the flow of aid to Gaza, “because we know that the humanitarian catastrophe is so great”.

“Australia, alongside the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Japan and many other countries, have been calling for a ceasefire, for the release of hostages, and for the provision of aid into Gaza. That is the position we have been articulating. And that’s the position that I reflected to the Israeli foreign minister,” Wong said.

According to the Israel Hayom report, Sa’ar told Wong that he was disappointed Australia had distanced itself from Israel and withdrawn its support in international forums while the Middle East nation fought its most bitter enemies.

He also took issue with a speech Wong delivered last week, in which she said Australia expected Israel to comply with international law like authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China.

“Israel is a Western democratic state that upholds the rule of law, has an independent judiciary, and adheres to international law. In the past year, Israel has fought the radical axis led by Iran, which is supported by Russia and China,” Sa’ar said, according to the news report.

Wong has said she was not drawing a moral equivalence between Israel, Russia and China, but arguing that Australia has an interest in ensuring that all nations comply with international law, after her comments infuriated Australia’s Jewish community.

Australia has voted with the majority of United Nations members and against Israel in several recent UN General Assembly votes, and this month changed a two-decades-long record by voting in favour of a resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza as soon as possible.

Netanyahu blasted the government in a personal intervention, using social media to call the vote a “scandalous decision” and accusing the Albanese government of “anti-Israel sentiment”. He was also furious about Australia’s decision to refuse a visa to former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked on character grounds.

Shaked had encouraged Jewish expansion into the West Bank and called for the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis to be turned into a soccer field.

Sa’ar protested against the decision and asked Wong how she would react “if we acted like this towards a former minister from Australia”, according to the news reports.

Australia has long been one of Israel’s most reliable international supporters but the war in Gaza has tested the friendship between the two nations, and Israel has become increasingly isolated on the world stage as the conflict enters its 14th month.

Since Hamas’ incursion into Israel killed about 1200 people last October, Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 people, according to the enclave’s health ministry.

The Coalition has repeatedly attacked the Albanese government over its diminished support for Israel and accused it of being slow to deal with a rise in antisemitism in Australia – a political clash that came to a head after the Adass Israel synagogue arson attack in Melbourne this month was declared a terrorist incident by authorities.

But the Albanese government rejected the extraordinary allegation from Netanyahu, backed by the Coalition, that sought to blame the government for the arson attack.

“Turning this into a political fight is reckless even for [Opposition Leader] Peter Dutton,” Wong said earlier this month. “The Liberals also used to support a balanced, two-state solution, but now they see political advantage in trying to reproduce the conflict here.”

Sa’ar also raised the synagogue incident with Wong, saying that “Israel expects decisive action on this issue from the Australian government”, according to the Hebrew news reports.

No arrests have yet been made connected to the arson attack.

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