Mark Binskin report backs Israel’s findings on World Central Kitchen drone strike
Mark Binskin’s report on the Israeli strikes that killed Zomi Frankcom and six of her colleagues is set to largely back the Jewish state’s official response, drawing a line under Anthony Albanese’s demands for ‘full accountability’ over the deaths.
Former defence chief Mark Binskin’s report on the Israeli drone strikes that killed Australian Zomi Frankcom and six of her colleagues is set to largely back the Jewish state’s official response to the tragedy, drawing a line under Anthony Albanese’s demands for “full accountability” over the deaths.
The Australian understands the government’s special adviser on the incident accepted Israel’s findings that the attack on the World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza on April 1 was the result of a serious failure in its targeting procedures.
According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, Air Chief Marshal Binskin was satisfied that, although mistakes were made, the Israeli Defence Forces had safeguards to avoid civilian casualties that were in line with those of Western counterparts including Australia.
He will brief Frankcom’s family on his findings, which follow the Prime Minister’s declaration after the tragedy that it was “not good enough” to dismiss it as a wartime accident.
Air Chief Marshal Binskin, who spoke to senior Israeli military figures and WCK representatives, is expected to identify lessons for the Australian Defence Force and recommend new protocols for international aid organisations operating in conflict zones.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office refused to discuss details of the Binskin report, a public version of which is expected to be released after he briefs Frankcom’s family. The Israeli embassy also declined to comment.
Air Chief Marshal Binskin was pleased with the level of co-operation he received during an eight-day fact-finding visit to Israel in May, according to a senior official in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
“He has had a good level of access to very senior people within Israel,” deputy secretary Craig MacLachlan told Senate estimates. “At no point has Mr Binskin said to me that he has felt he has been short on information or detail.”
Israel supporters said the co-operation Air Chief Marshal Binskin received was unprecedented, given the country was fighting a war against Hamas in Gaza and facing repeated attacks by Hezbollah across its northern border.
The strikes on the WCK convoy triggered fury among Israel’s critics and galvanised international concern over the civilian toll of Israel’s war in Gaza.
US President Joe Biden said at the time he was “outraged and heartbroken” at the tragedy, and accused Israel of not doing enough to protect aid workers.
Mr Albanese said in the aftermath of the attack that Frankcom was an “Australian hero” who was travelling in Gaza in a clearly marked aid vehicle that should not have been at risk.
“There needs to be full accountability and transparency for this tragic event,” the Prime Minister said. “And what is not good enough is the statements that have been made, including that this is ‘just a product of war’.”
His comments followed those of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed regret over the strikes but declared: “This happens in war.”
Israel issued a formal apology after the strikes, saying the night attack on three WCK vehicles was the result of a “misidentification” by drone operators. Days later, it sacked two Israeli officers and reprimanded two senior commanders following a rapid investigation that found the tragedy “should not have occurred”.
“Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees,” IDF investigators found.
“The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to a mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the standard operating procedures.”
Air Chief Marshal Binskin was appointed after the Israeli investigation, which Mr Albanese said had “not yet satisfied our expectations”.
Senator Wong said Air Chief Marshal Binskin’s task was to assess “the sufficiency and appropriateness of steps taken by the Israeli government”.
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said he would not be surprised if Air Chief Marshal Binskin’s report confirmed that the IDF had “a robust system of investigating itself”, and that the IDF had “learned from the mistakes made in the air strike to ensure such an incident should never happen again”.
“The IDF is professional and moral, as many high-ranking officers from other Western defence forces have found after working with the IDF,” Dr Rubenstein said. “Tragic accidents do happen in war, regardless of who is fighting, but it is important to thoroughly investigate all the circumstances and take steps to do everything possible to ensure such accidents aren’t repeated, as the IDF’s independent investigation has done.”
WCK said after the Israeli investigation that the IDF had, by its own admission, “deployed deadly force without regard to its own protocols, chain of command and rules of engagement”. “Without systemic change, there will be more military failures, more apologies and more grieving families,” it said, demanding an independent commission of inquiry to investigate.
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