The Age/Matthew Knott
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Federal Labor faces internal pressure to treat extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories akin to listed terror groups as Foreign Minister Penny Wong heads to the Middle East on a highstakes mission to help secure an end to the war in Gaza.
Wong leaves for Jordan today before visiting Israel, the West Bank and the United Arab Emirates. She will meet Palestinian victims of settler violence, a striking move that highlights growing alarm among Western governments about the impact of the dramatic expansion of Israeli settlements.
Wong’s visit comes at a combustible moment in the Middle East, as tensions flare in the Red Sea after the United States and United Kingdom struck key Houthi rebel bases in Yemen and the International Court of Justice considers a genocide charge against Israel over the way it has conducted the war in Gaza.
‘‘Australia is not a central player in the Middle East, but we are a respected voice – we are a part of the international diplomatic effort reinforcing the imperative of a lasting peace,’’ Wong said in a statement.
‘‘One hundred days since the October 7 terror attacks, this visit is about advocating for a pathway out of this conflict.
‘‘In my meetings I will be advocating for an increase in the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance, the upholding of international law and greater protection of civilians, and avoiding regional escalation.’’
Wong’s visit to Israel is the first by an Australian foreign minister since 2016. She said that during her trip ‘‘I will express our profound concern that there are increasingly few safe places for Gazans’’.
‘‘Australia wants to see steps towards a sustainable ceasefire. That can never be one-sided. It is our view that Gaza must no longer be used as a platform for terrorism and that Hamas must lay down its arms.’’
Unlike several other visiting foreign dignitaries, Wong does not plan to visit the kibbutz in southern Israel targeted by Hamas terrorists on October 7, but she will meet relatives of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza for more than 100 days.
Labor’s caucus is divided between strong supporters of Israel and of Palestine. Wong has sought to balance Australia’s position by condemning Hamas’ October 7 attacks, which claimed an estimated 1200 lives, while urging Israel to do more to spare civilian lives in Gaza.
More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. British charity Oxfam says the daily death toll of Palestinians surpasses that of any other major conflict in the 21st century.
On the eve of Wong’s visit, Labor MP Julian Hill, an influential player in the party’s Left faction, called for the government to ban extremist Israeli settlers from visiting Australia and consider making it illegal for Australians to fund settlement activity in the West Bank. ‘‘Amid the horror occurring in Gaza, we must not lose focus on a sustainable resolution to this long-running conflict,’’ Hill told The Age.
‘‘One of the major structural impediments to a two-state solution is the rapid expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
‘‘Since October 7, 2023, under the shadow of events in Gaza, there has been an escalation in settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank including shootings and the burning of homes and vehicles, and a surge in settlement activities.’’
Noting that governments around the world, including Australia, had condemned the surge in settler violence, Hill said ‘‘it’s clear that firm words and stern finger pointing are not enough’’.
The US and UK have recently introduced visa bans. In line with these, Hill said: ‘‘Broader measures targeting those engaged in settlement activity and the Israeli authorities should also be considered as the settlements breach international law and undermine the prospects of a just resolution to this conflict … Australia should consider making it illegal for Australians to fund settlement activity.’’
Such a move would mirror the restrictions on Australians providing assistance to listed terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
Citing a Parliamentary Library analysis showing that crowdfunding sites were soliciting international donations, including from Australia, for causes such as West Bank settlements, Hill said: ‘‘This needs investigating, and if proven these organisations must be shut down and their deductible gift recipient status removed.’’
Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou, the co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine group, said: ‘‘I agree with Julian. The settlers are a major problem and an obstacle to a negotiated settlement.’’
Applauding Wong for agreeing to meet Palestinians affected by settler violence, Vamvakinou said: ‘‘We need to back up our words with actions.’’
Hill’s proposal drew a furious response from Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin, who said: ‘‘Instead of expressing solidarity with the hostages and with brave soldiers fighting and dying so that others may live, Hill is more concerned about apartments built on the wrong sign of a defunct armistice line. I question his values and his agenda.’’
Australia, the UK, Canada, France and other European nations issued a joint statement in December calling on Israel to ‘‘take concrete steps to halt unprecedented violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank’’.
Earlier that month, the US implemented visa restrictions targeting individuals believed to be involved in undermining peace, security and stability in the West Bank, including extremist settlers.
The UK followed suit days later with its own visa bans.
Wong’s meetings in the United Arab Emirates will focus on preventing the war in Gaza from escalating further as the Houthi militia, which, in solidarity with Hamas, has been harassing ships passing through the Red Sea, threatened a ‘‘strong and effective response’’ after the US carried out a second round of missile strikes in Yemen.
