Penny Wong failed to meet Israeli representatives at UN summit, but held court with Iran and Palestinian Authority

Penny Wong used her attendance at a UN General Assembly meeting to push for a timeline for a Palestinian state, as well as ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, at the height of Israel’s moves to crush Hezbollah.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the UN. Picture: AFP

Foreign Minister Penny Wong failed to secure a meeting with Israeli representatives on a United Nations trip late last year, where she demanded the Jewish homeland halt its military actions against terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah, and instead sat down with Iran, the Palestinian Authority and former New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern.

Senator Wong used her attendance at last September’s UN General Assembly in New York to push for a timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state, as well as ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, at the height of Israel’s moves to crush Hezbollah in northern Lebanon.

“The world cannot wait. Australia wants to engage on new ways to build momentum, including the role of the UN Security Council in setting a pathway for two states, with a clear timeline for the international declaration of Palestinian statehood,” she said at the time.

A question on notice at Senate estimates has now revealed Senator Wong – Anthony Albanese’s closest cabinet confidante – did not meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or any other Israeli representatives at the General Assembly.

“My recollection is the foreign minister of Israel did not attend UNGA,” Senator Wong told Senate estimates on Thursday when pressed.

“Obviously, we have a number of engagements; had the foreign minister attended, I would have had that opportunity. My counterpart didn’t attend.”

Liberal senator Dave Sharma noted that Mr Netanyahu was in attendance, as would have been Israel’s permanent representative to the UN.

“I would usually engage with counterparts,” Senator Wong said.

“We did seek a meeting with foreign minister Katz, however we were later advised he wasn’t attending,” a department official said.

Instead, Senator Wong held meetings with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi – whose country has been the leading supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah – and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.

She attended the International Peace Institute’s Ministerial Working Dinner on the Middle East which did not include any Israeli representatives but had top-level representatives of Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the West Bank Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

Jacinda Ardern with Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

She also found time to meet Dame Jacinda – who now works with Prince William at his Earthshot Foundation; Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest; and representatives from World Central Kitchen, the aid organisation for which Australian Zomi Frankcom was working when she and six other aid workers died because of an Israeli drone strike on their convoy.

Senator Wong also attended a ministerial meeting hosted by the UN Relief and Works Agency, the chief aid organisation in the Gaza Strip, which had earlier that year been accused of having employed staff who took part in the October 7 terrorist attack. The UN said nine staff from the aid agency would be sacked because they “may have been involved” in the attacks but could not independently confirm the allegations.

Wong did not meet Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or any Israeli representatives, at the UN General Assembly. Picture: AFP

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman David Coleman rejected Senator Wong’s reasoning that her counterpart did not attend the UN summit.

“The (Israeli) Prime Minister was there, no doubt there were other Israeli officials there,” he told Sky News.

“She could have met with them. She didn’t. And I think that’s consistent with the Foreign Minister’s approach on this issue overall.

“She has shamefully abandoned Israel in pursuit of a few votes in inner city contests against the Greens.”

He said there were “lots of times” that Senator Wong had met with prime ministers and other officials – not just her direct counterpart.

“She could have clearly met with somebody representing Israel if she wanted to,” he said.

“She met with Jacinda Ardern at the same meeting. Jacinda Ardern isn’t representing any government – so she had time to do that.

“So I think to insist that, well, if my direct counterpart isn’t there, I’m not going to seek a meeting with anyone else – on such a crucial issue, at the same time as she was abandoning Israel at the United Nations, I don’t think that excuse passes muster at all.”

Palestinian Authority leader Mohammad Mustafa

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi

Australia, during the UNGA High Level Week, shifted key votes and broke with the Biden administration about Israel and Palestine. Jewish groups and the Coalition at the time blasted the decisions, and the Greens condemned the government as “gutless fence-sitters”.

The US at the time labelled as “one-sided” and “inflammatory” the motion – which demanded Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and sanctions against Israel – and urged its allies such as Australia to vote against the motion.

Then-opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said Senator Wong’s position would only provide the “wrong incentives” for Hamas.

“Setting an arbitrary timeline rather than agreeing preconditions to be met will only incentivise Hamas terrorists or corrupt leaders to run down the clock, rather than negotiate on critical enablers of peace like security guarantees, agreed borders and rights of return,” he said.

During that September UN summit, Mr Netanyahu declared that “Israel will win this battle”, adding: “We will win this battle because we don’t have a choice.”