Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin to lead probe into Israel’s World Central Kitchen strike
Anthony Albanese says he expects ‘full co-operation’ from Israel as Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin is named special adviser on Israel’s killing of seven aid workers.
Anthony Albanese has said intelligence from Israel about its investigation into the air strike that killed seven humanitarian aid workers including Australian Zomi Frankcom “hasn’t yet satisfied expectations,” as Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin was appointed special adviser to the government on Israel’s response to the disaster.
Air Chief Marshal Binskin will be tasked with engaging with Israel and Israel Defence Forces on the response to the attack which killed MS Frankcom and six other World Kitchen aid workers.
The initial Israeli investigation – rejected as unsatisfactory by Australia – found drone strikes on three World Central Kitchen aid vehicles occurred after IDF troops mistakenly determined Hamas gunmen were travelling with the aid convoy.
Two Israeli officers were dismissed from their positions over the tragedy, and two senior commanders were reprimanded.
The army said its findings would be sent to military prosecutors, but it is unclear whether any of the personnel will face charges.
Mr Albanese said he hoped Air Chief Marshal Binskin would have “full access “to the Israeli investigation.
“Special Adviser Binskin, of course, would be well known to Australians for the role that he’s played in the Australian Defence Force,” he told ABC News Radio on Monday.
“We have made it very clear that these deaths are utterly inexcusable and that action is needed to ensure that such a tragedy is never repeated. And we also want full accountability for these deaths.
“Now, the information that Israel has provided so far on its investigation hasn’t yet satisfied our expectations. So, we would expect that Mr Binskin will be able to work in a way that provides greater information to Australia.”
The Prime Minister said his government wanted to ensure all evidence was preserved and that appropriate action was taken and made public if the investigation found IDF personnel did not act in accordance with the law.
“(Special Adviser Binskin) will have certainly the confidence of the Australian Government to engage and we expect the full co-operation of the Israeli Government with this investigation,” he said.
“We want him to, obviously it is a difficult circumstance given the conflict that is ongoing in Gaza, but we want him to have full access and we expect that from the Israeli Government and the Israeli Defence Force.”
He was asked if Australia would withdraw any support it was offering Israel after Britain’s deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden suggested the UK would stop supplying weapons to Israel if it was found to be in breach of international law.
“Well, we of course don’t send arms to Israel now, so we haven’t done so for some period of years,” Mr Albanese answered.
ADF commander to lead Israel strike probe
As the government worked through its shortlist for the extraordinary role, it prioritised candidates with defence experience who could work closely with the Israeli investigation, led by an Israeli Defence Forces reserves major.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong revealed on Monday that Air Chief Marshal Binskin was the government’s pick.
“His experience and expertise mean ACM Binskin is eminently qualified to provide the Australian government advice on the sufficiency and appropriateness of steps taken by the Israeli government,” Senator Wong said.
“Australia has made clear to the Israeli government our expectation and trust that this engagement will be facilitated.
The special adviser will provide advice to the Australian government regarding any further representations or actions that could be taken to ensure a full and transparent investigation and to hold those responsible to account.
“The appointment of ACM Binskin will ensure the family of Zomi Frankcom, and the Australian people can have confidence in this process.”
PM calls for transparency
Anthony Albanese had earlier declared the government wanted “clear information and transparency around this”.
As the Israel-Hamas war entered its seventh month, Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic said there were “systemic problems” in the way Israel had conducted itself in the conflict, and Frankcom had “paid the price”.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said it was “naive” to pretend civilians weren’t accidentally killed in wartime, including by Australian forces. He said the deaths of the aid workers last week were “a tragedy in a sea of tragedies” dating back to the October 7 terrorist attack, when another Australian – Galit Carbone -– was killed by Hamas.
“Unlike Hamas, Israel does have processes and they have been stepping through those processes of investigation,” he told the ABC’s Insiders program.
“None of us should lose sight of the broader moral context in which this war is being fought, and that is that none of these points of process and equivalence apply to Hamas, who killed an Australian, along with, of course, 1200 other people in barbaric circumstances. They don’t have transparency, they don’t have processes.”
The initial Israeli investigation – rejected as unsatisfactory by Australia – found drone strikes on three World Central Kitchen aid vehicles occurred after IDF troops mistakenly determined Hamas gunmen were travelling with the aid convoy.
Two Israeli officers were dismissed from their positions over the tragedy, and two senior commanders were reprimanded.
The army said its findings would be sent to military prosecutors, but it is unclear whether any of the personnel will face charges.
“Those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives and not WCK employees,” the IDF said in its written findings.
“The strike on the aid vehicles is a grave mistake stemming from a serious failure due to mistaken identification, errors in decision-making, and an attack contrary to the standard operating procedures.”
Mr Husic, who has been a consistent critic of Israel’s conduct in the war, said Israel had failed to ensure its systems protected civilians and aid workers.
“This is a systematic problem or systemic problem within the way in which the Israeli government has conducted these operations in Gaza,” he told Sky News.
“And that’s why you have seen so many Palestinians killed, and that is an issue that needs to be confronted.”
Mr Husic said the appointment of a special adviser was “a very big step by our government” to get to the bottom of what happened.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the aid workers’ deaths were “utterly inexcusable”, demanding “clear practical action” to ensure they were not repeated.
“We have made clear, after we were verbally briefed, that we have not yet received sufficient information to satisfy our expectations,” Senator Wong said.
International law expert Don Rothwell said the appointment of a special adviser was “unprecedented in modern times”, and not reflected in the actions of other countries who lost nationals in the WCK tragedy.
“I cannot think of a single instance of this type of unilateral conduct by Australia having occurred previously,” Professor Rothwell said. “It demonstrates serious intent on the part of Australia to keep open a range of additional diplomatic, legal and political options if the Israeli response is not considered satisfactory.”
University of Sydney international law expert Ben Saul, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights, said whoever was appointed special adviser would need to see the source evidence used by IDF investigators.
“Unless you see that evidence, you can’t draw any sensible conclusions about whether the Israeli investigation got it right or was sufficiently rigorous,” Professor Saul said.
He said Australia would be concerned with ensuring that proper criminal investigations had occurred “because, frankly, there is a long history of impunity for Israeli violations”.
Pro-Palestinian protesters marked the six-month anniversary of the conflict on Sunday at rallies in capital cities.
The Australia Palestine Advocacy network said the Albanese government had shown little political will “to end Israel’s atrocities”.
The deaths of the aid workers has proven to be a tipping point for Israel’s international supporters, with US President Joe Biden warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week that he wanted to see “concrete tangible steps” to reduce civilian harm and improve access for humanitarian aid.
The Gaza war broke out on October 7 last year, when Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing at least 1170 people and taking more than 250 hostages, 129 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 who are believed dead.
Palestinian officials say Israel has since killed at least 33,137 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.
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