Aussies in Lebanon ‘could face charges’

Australians in Hezbollah-controlled territory in Southern Lebanon could face prosecution under a call for the region to be designated as a ‘declared area’.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Picture: DFAT

Australians in Hezbollah-­controlled territory in southern Lebanon could face prosecution under a call by the parliament’s intelligence and security committee for the region to be designated as a “declared area” under counter-terrorism laws.

The Labor-chaired committee urged Penny Wong to consider the move amid Coalition calls for Palestinian Hamas supporters to be denied visas to stay in Australia, and a failed Greens push for sanctions against the “extremist” Netanyahu government.

As tensions on Israel’s border with Lebanon threaten to boil over into a full-scale war, the parliamentary joint intelligence and security committee said “there would be merit in the government proactively seeking advice from relevant security agencies regarding a declaration … of Hezbollah-controlled areas of Lebanon south of the Litani River”.

It made the call in a new report, after being informed by ASIO that discussions were under way within the government over potential new declared areas.

The Foreign Minister has the power under counter-terrorism laws to declare an area of a foreign country off limits to Australians if she is satisfied that a listed terrorist organisation is engaging in a hostile activity there.

Australians who enter or remain in a declared area can face prosecution, and jail terms of up to 10 years. Australia has no currently declared areas, but has previously used the provision to bar Australians from travelling to Mosul in Iraq, and Al-Raqqa province in Syria.

The call came as Jewish Liberal MP Julian Leeser wrote a letter to new Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Tuesday, signed by more than 70 Coalition and crossbench MPs, referencing ASIO director-general Mike Burgess’s weekend comments that rhetorical support for Hamas wouldn’t automatically disqualify Palestinians from receiving Australian visas.

“We are gravely concerned that this statement of government policy signals a relaxed approach to the safety of Australians,” Mr Leeser wrote.

“We implore you to provide the policy direction to the Department of Home Affairs to ensure that no visa is issued to a person found to support any terrorist organisation, including Hamas, and that those who are presently in Australia and who are known to have links to, or support for, Hamas are urgently considered for visa cancellation.”

Mr Burke, who is considering new pathways for Palestinians whose visitor visas are expiring, was approached for comment.

Meanwhile, an attempted Greens motion seeking sanctions on Israel gained the support of independent Fatima Payman but no other senators.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon lashed the Greens for focusing on “sanctioning the only democracy in the Middle East and … cutting ties with the world’s only Jewish state”, while the Executive Council of Australian Jewry described it as a “typically low act from a low political party”.

One Nation and Tasmanian crossbencher Jacqui Lambie voted to prevent the Greens from suspending standing orders to move the motion but Labor defector Senator Payman backed the Greens.

Crossbenchers David Pocock, Tammy Tyrrell, David Van, Ralph Babet and Lidia Thorpe abstained from the vote, though The Australian was told if Senator Thorpe had been present in parliament she would have supported the motion. The motion called on the government “to sanction the state of Israel and members of the extremist Netanyahu government”.