Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs: As I said in my statement this morning, Australia is outraged by the Israeli Government's decision to not pursue any criminal proceedings against those responsible for killing Zomi Frankcom and her World Central Kitchen colleagues. The Australian Government learned of Israel's decision late last night, moments before it was announced on World Humanitarian Day. It is the day when we commemorate humanitarian workers lost, and celebrate and commend the work of humanitarians everywhere. We had just launched the Zomi Frankcom Humanitarian Award. We didn't have the opportunity to inform Zomi's family before Israel's decision was made public because of the lack of notice. To learn of these developments in these circumstances was especially insulting and hurtful to Zomi's loved ones, to humanitarians and to Australians. And today I called in Ambassador Hillel Newman, the Israeli Ambassador to Australia. And I made clear to him Australia's views that Israel's decision falls far short of the accountability we expect. And last night, Australia's Ambassador to Israel conveyed the same message directly to Israeli authorities, including the office of the Foreign Minister.
There are still many unanswered questions. These include why, even if the first strike was a catastrophic error, two further strikes followed, each two minutes apart. As Mark Binskin concluded in his public report, these strikes were in violation of Israeli Defense Forces' standard operating procedures and rules of engagement. We still have not had a satisfactory explanation of why the strike occurred in a humanitarian fire control zone and after high command had directed the brigade commander not to engage the convoy. We have not had a satisfactory explanation regarding the senior brigade officer involved in the strikes being a signatory to a letter to the IDF Chief of the General Staff calling for aid to be restricted to Gaza. We have not received the drone audio as requested multiple times by the Government on behalf of Zomi's family. The Australian Government does not believe that the removal of two officers from their positions and three officers being reprimanded is sufficient accountability for the deaths of seven people, including an Australian citizen. And we do not have confidence in the IDF's Military Advocate General's process given the many unanswered questions. And I would note this follows a case where the former Military Advocate General was arrested after allegedly acting as a whistleblower and leaking surveillance footage showing Israeli soldiers abusing Palestinian detainees. I have said many times, and I say it again, democracies seek and accept higher standards. The Australian Government will continue to keep pressing Israel for justice for Zomi and her colleagues and we will consult with Zomi Frankcom's family before we announce further steps.
In my meeting with the Israeli Ambassador I also raised the Israeli Government's publication of a tender for the E1 settlement. It is a project which the United Kingdom has described as an unacceptable and destructive act and Australia agrees with the United Kingdom, and we call for the tender to be retracted, which I communicated to the Ambassador. As I said to him, we believe there will be no peace for Israelis or Palestinians without a two-state solution. Happy to take questions.
Journalist: Minister, as he was leaving here, the Ambassador said, 'What does it mean, justice? You lynch people in the street?' What does justice look like, or should justice look like for the Frankcom family? And can you explain why you haven't expelled the Ambassador with so many people asking you to do that?
Foreign Minister: I don't want to speak for Mal Frankcom and the family. I was with him just a few hours before this news broke. And I respect him greatly and what he's done in the time since his sister's passing and the way he secured her legacy. I'll leave the family to speak for themselves. What I would say to you, Mark, is, and you probably heard me say it previously, we don't maintain diplomatic relations as an endorsement of any particular country. We maintain those relationships because they enable us to engage in order to advance Australia's interests and that is what we do. Removing an ambassador would remove our ability to be able to engage, press for Australia's interests. And on this, relevantly, to put the views of Australia and Zomi's family to the Israeli Government.
Journalist: Minister, can I ask just in terms of the drone strike audio, Hillel Newman, the Israeli Ambassador, was asked about this directly at the Press Club months ago, yet today he was again saying it's not up to him, he doesn't have any more information, it's something for the Israeli Defense Forces. One of the questions that has been raised is whether or not you should expel him specifically and ask Israel to send somebody who you can actually work with. Is that being contemplated? And what do you think of his ongoing reticence to actually deal with an issue that he said months ago he would deal with?
Foreign Minister: Well, our position on the drone footage audio has been clear and consistent. We have called for that consistently at a range of levels of government, including by me. In relation to his presence, I deal with Ambassador Hillel as a representative of the Government of Israel.
Journalist: The Ambassador also said in his comments that this decision was the result of the legal process, that you can't just dismiss that if you disagree with the decision of this legal process. Do you have confidence in the legal processes? It sounds like you don't.
Foreign Minister: I believe, we believe, the Australian Government believes that this decision fails to engage with key questions that have been raised in the Binskin inquiry and subsequently. So that is the first point. The second point, and this is very important, this is not the conclusion of an investigation and a court trial, et cetera. It is a decision not to proceed with any criminal investigation whatsoever. We want answers to the questions, including those outlined, and we want accountability.
Journalist: Minister, what further steps could you consider?
Foreign Minister: I would consult with Zomi's family on that.
Journalist: Would you be interested in the International Criminal Court or a similar body looking at this? And could you comment on the fact, Mark Binskin in his report, he spoke about procedural failures, that it wasn't necessarily a deliberate targeting of the workers themselves. Why are you going further necessarily than what he found?
Foreign Minister: Actually, I don't agree with the way you put that, Matthew. First, in relation to the ICC, obviously they're an independent body and they have mechanisms available to them. But you asked me about ACM Binskin's report. The statement he made that you have referenced, he made clear it was based on the information available to him and it was not all of the information and there was no answer to the questions that I have outlined at the commencement of this press conference.
Journalist: Senator Wong, in your words, how would you describe the status of the bilateral relationship between Australia and Israel?
Foreign Minister: I think we have an Australian humanitarian worker who was killed, not on the first strike, in the context of three separate strikes on a humanitarian convoy. I mean obviously this is a difficult time in the relationship and we've made our views clear about this issue, we've made our views clear about other issues. You've seen the Netanyahu Government's response to some of those. I think we are realistic about that.
Journalist: In his comments today, the Ambassador also suggested that the convoy didn't properly alert the Israeli authorities and was carrying armed personnel. What was your response to those comments?
Foreign Minister: I released the Binskin Report and I'd encourage people to look at that in response to some of those, but I think the questions that I outlined at the commencement of this press conference remain unanswered.
Journalist: So you said you wouldn't speak next steps before you've spoken to the family again?
Foreign Minister: Correct.
Journalist: Do you have any idea of when you might speak to them again and when you might announce next steps? And also, the Green Party has raised the issue of the company Cellebrite, which is run by former IDF officials contracting with the New South Wales Government, contracting with the Federal Government to basically hack cell phones for law enforcement. Do you think there is a possibility that federal contracts with Israel-connected companies or state contracts should be looked at as part of this question?
Foreign Minister: I think that's a question about sanctions. And we have sanctioned Israeli ministers, and I think you've seen the response from Prime Minister Netanyahu's government on that. We have sanctioned those engaging in settler violence and some settler entities, and we have done so because we are holding very clearly to a view that we want peace in the Middle East, we want the peace plan implemented, and we believe that two states is required to ensure peace.
Journalist: In the Ambassador's comments to media today, when he was asked to apologise to the family he said that word has legal connotations. Can I please get your response to that?
Foreign Minister: I think they deserve an apology. I think at minimum they deserve an apology. I said that publicly.
Journalist: What about compensation?
Foreign Minister: I will engage with Mal and the family about this. I'm not going to do that through a press conference. I've tried in all of this to make sure we work with them. Obviously, they would like things to be very different. They'd like to still have Zomi with them and they would like a very different process from the one we've seen.
Journalist: Just on the timing for next steps?
Foreign Minister: I'll meet with them when I'm able to, and when they're ready to.
Journalist: Sorry, if I can just start separately, you've terminated a couple of research agreements between Australia and the Chinese universities on national security grounds. Could I ask what your concerns with those were and will you seek a total ban on those sorts of relationships?
Foreign Minister: I terminated relationships as the Minister has a power under the Act to do so on the basis of advice and I don't propose to go through the nature of most of that advice for obvious reasons. I don't think we're saying that we're not going to engage with the world. What we have to have is risk-aware engagement and that's the approach we've taken and that's the approach we're engaging with universities on. I'm very pleased that the legislation might well be being voted on as we speak to strengthen that Act.
Journalist: Minister, in your remarks today, the Ambassador said that there were a lot of Israel haters in Australia. What do you think?
Foreign Minister: I don't speak for the Ambassador.
Journalist: You've led Labor's attack against the Coalition over false allegations made by Brittany Higgins against her former boss, Fiona Brown, which alleged Ms Brown had been involved in covering up the mishandling of reports of her rape for political purposes. Ms Brown has now been vindicated with the settlement with your own government. Do you accept this outcome in regards to Ms Brown?
Foreign Minister: The matter has been resolved and I don't intend to comment further on that.
Journalist: Minister, the Opposition has said the Government should extend the reporting deadline for the Antisemitism Royal Commission and that government ministers, including yourself, should appear as witnesses. Are you confident the Royal Commission can do its job without hearing from the Government?
Foreign Minister: I have confidence in the Royal Commission. I don't intend to politicise it. Thank you very much.