Anthony Albanese’s fury at Israel raises Jewish concern

Australia’s condemnation of Israel’s conduct in Gaza following the death of Zomi Frankcom has prompted a warning that a premature end to the conflict will leave Hamas in control.

Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom was killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza. Picture: X

Australia’s position on Israel’s conduct in Gaza has shifted to outright condemnation following the death of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom, prompting a warning from the nation’s Jewish community that a premature end to the conflict will leave Hamas in control of the Palestinian enclave.

Anthony Albanese confronted Benjamin Netanyahu over the strike on an aid convoy that killed Frankcom and six colleagues, ­expressing the nation’s fury over the attack, as Foreign Minister Penny Wong warned Israel to “change course” or face inter­national ­isolation.

The Australia-Israel and Jewish Affairs Council said the demand by the Prime Minister for Israeli accountability was “perfectly reasonable and proper” but argued that responsibility for all deaths in the conflict lay with Hamas. It questioned whether the government still believed there was no role for the terrorist organisation in Gaza’s future.

Melbourne-born Frankcom, a worker with food charity World Central Kitchen, was in one of three vehicles targeted individually by Israeli drone strikes over a distance of more than a kilometre.

“This is completely unacceptable,” Mr Albanese said after speaking by phone to his Israeli counterpart. “I conveyed to Prime Minister Netanyahu in very clear terms that Australians were outraged by this death, by this tragedy, of this fine Australian.”

Mr Albanese’s comments came as Israeli newspaper ­Haaretz reported the strike was caused by poor ­discipline among field commanders rather than a lack of co-­ordination between the Israeli Defence Forces and aid ­organisations.

All seven aid workers in the vehicles were killed, including Frankcom, three Britons, a Polish national, a US-Canadian dual citizen, and a Palestinian driver.

A World Central Kitchen vehicle destroyed in the Israeli air strike. Picture: Reuters

Mr Netanyahu said in a video statement the deaths were unintentional and pledged an inquiry into the attack. But he warned such casualties were a fact of life in conflict. “This happens in war,” Mr Netanyahu declared.

Senator Wong rejected the Israeli leader’s comment outright, saying aid workers were protected under international law.

“The death of any aid worker is outrageous and unacceptable,” the Foreign Minister told Sky News. “I don’t want Israel to be under any illusions about how outraged we are at the death of an Australian citizen in these circumstances.”

Senator Wong reiterated Australia’s call for an immediate ceasefire, and said the government – “unlike Mr Netanyahu” – continued to urge a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. She said Israel’s conduct in its war with Hamas had led to the deaths of 30,000 civilians, and pushed 500,000 Palestinians into starvation.

“I have said this privately, that unless Israel changes course, it will continue to lose support,” Senator Wong said.

Labor frontbencher Ed Husic said Hamas should release all remaining Israeli hostages, but added Mr Netanyahu’s comment was “an incredibly insensitive remark” and reflected an attitude that “imperils the lives of innocent people”.

Australia-Israel and Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein expressed deep regret at the aid workers’ deaths, but said there was a failure by the government to acknowledge that “as with all deaths in the conflict, the ultimate responsibility here lies with Hamas”.

Dr Rubenstein said the government’s repeated calls for a ceasefire in the conflict were also concerning, because they would leave Hamas in control of Gaza.

“This is counter to their earlier sensible insistence that there is no role for Hamas in Gaza’s future,” he said.

“Leaving Hamas in power, with its military infrastructure even partly intact, is simply a recipe for further wars, and further devastation for civilians in both Israel and Gaza.”

Israeli media reported an IDF drone fired three missiles in succession at the World Central Kitchen aid convoy that set out on Monday night to escort an aid truck to a food warehouse in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.

Video and photographs of the wrecked cars showed direct hits on the vehicles, which were struck over a distance of more than 1.5km. All of the vehicles were clearly marked as belonging to the organisation.

ANU professor of international law Don Rothwell said Israel’s conduct in the war, especially in recent months, had increasingly raised questions about its commitment to protecting non-combatants.

“The weapons that are being used are exceptionally precise, and yet the evidence is mounting that targeting decisions are either based on faulty intelligence, or error, or that civilians are being targeted in a way that is completely contrary to the laws of war,” Professor Rothwell said.

Australia’s fury over the attack was matched by that of US President Joe Biden, who declared he was “outraged and heartbroken” over the deaths.

“Israel has not done enough to protect aid workers trying to deliver desperately needed help to civilians,” Mr Biden said.

“Incidents like yesterday’s simply should not happen. Israel has also not done enough to protect civilians.”

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the workers’ deaths were “completely unacceptable”, declaring: “Israel must urgently explain how this happened and make major changes to ensure the safety of aid workers.”

Citing army intelligence sources, Haaretz reported on Wednesday (AEDT) that commanders knew “exactly what the cause of the attack was – in Gaza, everyone does as he pleases”.

Under Israeli army rules, approval for strikes on sensitive targets such as aid organisations must be given by senior commanders. But the source told Haaretz: “Every commander sets the rules for himself.”

The same newspaper reported earlier that the attack was launched due to suspicions a terrorist was travelling with the convoy.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said the military had completed a preliminary investigation into the attack and stressed there was no intention to harm the charity’s staff.

“It was a mistake that followed a misidentification, at night, during a war, in very complex conditions. It shouldn’t have happened,” Mr Halevi said.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said he was also “deeply saddened” over the deaths.

“Israel will thoroughly investigate this tragedy to guarantee the safety and security of aid workers in Gaza,” Mr Maimon said.

World Central Kitchen said it had suspended its services in Gaza as a result of the strike.