Greens unrepentant for blaming Israel over Gaza hospital blast
The Greens have been accused of parroting terrorist organisation Hamas’s claims over who was responsible for the deadly Al-Ahli hospital blast.
Adam Bandt has been unrepentant after Greens MPs wrongly blamed Israel for the blast which killed hundreds of Palestinians at Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital late on Tuesday, claiming Israel has “changed its story” over who is responsible by initially blaming Hamas, then fellow Palestinian terrorist organisation Islamic Jihad.
While the Greens leader himself was careful not to explicitly blame Israel, a number of his colleagues – including the party’s foreign affairs spokesman Jordon Steele-John – on Wednesday treated as fact claims by Hamas that the blast was the result of an Israeli air strike, condemning the country for “war crimes” in numerous comments in parliament and on social media.
In analysis accepted by Australian authorities, US intelligence agencies have examined missile activity, phone intercepts and footage, concluding that the Israeli defence force had nothing to do with the deadly hospital blast, which was caused by an errant missile launch carried out by Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Asked on Thursday whether he believed Israel was responsible, and whether the Greens had been wrong to take the claims of a terrorist organisation at face value, Mr Bandt deflected, claiming: “The Israeli military changed its story … it initially said it was Hamas and then said it was Islamic Jihad.”
The Greens leader claimed it was still unclear who was responsible for the blast.
“It’s very difficult in this environment to get independent verification. We back the calls for an international investigation into the bombing of the hospital,” he said, going on to blame Israel for the plight of civilians in Gaza regardless.
“However it happened, one thing is crystal clear. When you think about an invasion of 2.2 million people who are walled into an area half the size of Canberra, it will be civilians who are the casualties, and that is tragically what we’re seeing with the bombing of the hospital and that’s why the invasion must stop,” Mr Bandt said.
“Whoever’s responsible, it is what happens, civilian casualties is what happens, when there is unlawful invasion.”
A spokesperson for deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi went further in expressing doubt over the Israeli government and defence force’s denials of involvement in the hospital blast.
“The Netanyahu government and IDF leadership have a history of making false and misleading statements about its involvement in conflicts, and media reports have already found glaring holes in the IDF’s claims with regards to the hospital bombing,” Senator Faruqi’s spokesperson said on Thursday. No explanation was offered regarding the “media reports” being referred to.
Following an inquiry from The Australian, Senator Steele-John on Thursday posted an addendum to his tweet on Wednesday which had proclaimed: “The Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza is an abhorrent, illegal crime against humanity. @Greens mourn with the Palestinian community the tragic loss of life of innocent civilians and healthcare workers. No one should need to fear seeking medical assistance or shelter. Every 15 seconds a child is dying in Gaza. The war crimes perpetrated by the state of Israel must immediately be condemned by the Australian government. #hospital #Gaza.”
Mr Steele-John’s addendum stated: “What is clear is that we need an independent investigation into who is directly responsible. There must be an end to civilian casualties and the State of Israel must stop its invasion and siege of the Gaza Strip.”
The Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza is an abhorrent, illegal crime against humanity. @Greens mourn with the Palestinian community the tragic loss of life of innocent civilians and healthcare workers. No one should need to fear seeking medical assistance or shelter.
— Senator Jordon Steele-John (@SenatorJordon) October 17, 2023
Every 15 seconds a child is dying in Gaza. The war crimes perpetrated by the state of Israel must immediately be condemned by the Australian Government. #hospital#Gaza
— Senator Jordon Steele-John (@SenatorJordon) October 17, 2023
Regarding the horrific explosion at Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza. What is clear is that we need an independent investigation into who is directly responsible. There must be an end to civilian casualties and the State of Israel must stop its invasion and siege of the Gaza Strip.
— Senator Jordon Steele-John (@SenatorJordon) October 19, 2023
Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler accused the Greens of “parroting” Hamas talking points.
“The Greens’ allegations have now been proven completely incorrect. Both the US and Australian intelligence communities agree with Israel’s assessment that Israel was not responsible in any way for the explosion at the hospital and the horrible loss of life that resulted,” Mr Leibler said.
“These allegations have a direct impact on the safety and wellbeing of the Australian Jewish community and we have already seen a dramatic surge of antisemitic incidents against Jewish people on the streets of Melbourne and Sydney. Everyone of good conscience, as well as the Greens, who made careless allegations about Israeli culpability, should immediately correct the record.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said that in the face of “irrefutable evidence” that the hospital blast was caused by a misdirected rocket barrage by Islamic Jihad, “It would be nice if the Greens could put aside their hatred of Israel for a moment and do the honourable thing and place the blame where it belongs.”
“It’s revealing that they view a terrorist organisation that has just inflicted mass horror as some honourable party that should be taken at its word,” Mr Ryvchin said.
Australia-Israel Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said no one should take the word of Hamas on anything.
“It is a murderous terrorist organisation with no moral scruples, dedicated to killing Israelis, to damaging Israel’s reputation and destroying it,” Dr Rubenstein said.
“The Greens should put their obsessive animus towards Israel to the side for once and look at the evidence, or they will just continue to make fools of themselves and to demonstrate their complete lack of judgement and morality on these issues.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article stated that Mr Bandt had blamed Israel for the hospital blast. The article has been edited to clarify that Mr Bandt did not explicitly blame Israel for the blast.
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