The official DFAT country brief on Israel omits any mention of regional conflict, while Penny Wong defends Australia’s cybersecurity cooperation with Israel. Stephanie Tran with the story.
In Senate Estimates last week, Greens Senator David Shoebridge questioned Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong and senior officials on why DFAT’s Israel Country Brief makes no mention of the occupied Palestinian territories, settler violence in the West Bank and ongoing genocide in Gaza.
“I find it astounding that the country brief on Israel contains not a single mention of the occupied territories, of Gaza, of settler violence or of the conflict in Gaza. How does none of that find its way into the Australian government’s Israel country brief?” said Shoebridge.
Paul Griffiths, DFAT’s First Assistant Secretary for the Middle East and Africa and former ambassador to Israel, told the hearing the brief contained only “basic” information and that
the situation in the region was “very fast-moving”.
Shoebridge rejected that explanation, pointing out that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories dates back decades. “You’re saying that at no point since the late 1960s has DFAT been able to mention that, because it’s fast-moving? That can’t be your evidence, Mr Griffiths,” he said.
Griffiths replied: “No, Senator, that’s the situation we find ourselves in at the moment.”
Contrast Israel with Morocco
Shoebridge contrasted the Israel brief with DFAT’s country brief on Morocco, which does reference Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara. He asked whether a “political decision” had been made to “edit out all the uncomfortable facts” about Israel.
Wong denied any political interference and said she had not previously read the document, saying, “Absolutely not. Can I say I’ve never actually looked at that country brief, and
I don’t generally read the country briefs.
“What we do pay a lot of attention to is travel advice,” she said, conceding that the brief “does not reflect some of the changes to the policy position of the government, including the recognition of Palestine.”
UN “unfair targeting” claim questioned
Shoebridge also raised the brief’s statement that Australia “is strongly opposed to unfair targeting of Israel in the United Nations and other multilateral institutions”, pressing the government to explain what “unfair targeting” referred to.
Griffiths pointed to UN Human Rights Council item seven, which focuses on the human rights situation in occupied Palestine, stating that “any motion that specifically targets a single country is something we’ve had reservations about”.
How about Russia?
Shoebridge asked whether that principle extends to UN motions targeting Russia.
Wong said only that DFAT would review the brief and provided the following explanation regarding the statement:
“In terms of the UN votes, what I would say to you, Senator, is that I think it’s undoubted that the disagreement, the conflict and the contest in the region and the different views between different groups, including the State of Israel and those supportive of the Palestinian cause, have been played out at times in the United Nations. So I think that is true, and what you would have seen is Australia reconsidering its position in terms of a range of votes at the UN to reflect the position that the government is taking, which is that we are supportive of two states.”
MWM asked Minister Wong to clarify whether she believes that Israel has been unfairly targeted by the UN. Her office did not provide a response.
The Senator further queried why the country brief does not state Israel’s capital. Asked directly what the government recognises as Israel’s capital, Wong replied only: “Our embassy is in Tel Aviv.” Griffiths added that the status of
Jerusalem remained a “final status issue”.
West Jerusalem trade and defence office quietly closed
Shoebridge sought further detail on the closure of the West Jerusalem Trade and Defence Office established by the former Coalition government in 2019 as part of its short-lived recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
“When was that closed?” he asked.
Griffiths said he could not provide a date, telling the committee the department would “take that on notice”. He indicated only that the closure occurred “recently”.
The Department did not respond to previous questions from MWM regarding when the West Jerusalem Trade and Defence Office was closed and the reasons underpinning this decision.
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Israel’s cybersecurity and defence MOUs
Shoebridge then turned to Australia’s defence and cyber-security cooperation with Israel, pressing the government on the status of the 2017 defence industry MOU and the 2019 cybersecurity MOU. Griffiths said Australia was not considering terminating the agreements “at the moment”.
Wong defended ongoing cybersecurity engagement, stating, “We engage with many countries, including countries with whom we don’t always agree on everything”.
Senator Shoebridge highlighted that since the 2019 cybersecurity MOU was signed, Israeli cyber firms have been complicit in a genocide, and the ADF removed technology produced by Israeli firm Elbit Systems from Army equipment due to fears it could be used to harvest sensitive data from the ADF.
“It’s one thing having an engagement with a country. It’s a very different thing having an MOU with a regime with that history,” he said.
The department would “take on notice” the status of the MOUs.
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Stephanie is a journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that hold power to account. With a background in both law and journalism, she has worked at The Guardian and as a paralegal, where she assisted Crikey’s defence team in the high-profile defamation case brought by Lachlan Murdoch. Her reporting has been recognised nationally, earning her the 2021 Democracy’s Watchdogs Award for Student Investigative Reporting and a nomination for the 2021 Walkley Student Journalist of the Year Award.