Penny Wong says she believes Australian women who alleged they were raped and sexually assaulted by Israeli soldiers after they were detained while en route to deliver aid to Gaza.
The Foreign Affairs Minister clashed with Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi during a fiery exchange at a Senate estimates hearing on Thursday night.
Senator Faruqi told the hearing female Australian participants of the flotilla, some of which were in attendance, that they were sexually assaulted and beaten, and at one point raped by “one of the soldiers”.
The activists claimed other participants had “guns inserted inside of them”, that that they were splashed with an unknown substance.
Asked if she believed “these women”, Senator Wong said her “principle position is to always believe women when allegations of sexual assault are made.
Pressed, Senator Wong said “if you look at my career, my view is that you should believe, and I believe women who come forward with these assertions”.
Senator Wong raised concerns about the allegations being aired in a public hearing.
Responding to the allegations, she said “those allegations are terrible”.
“They are horrific, and that treatment is unacceptable” she said.
“I express my empathy to those women for to whom that was done.”
Israel and the Israeli Embassy in Australia has previously denied accusations of sexual assault and physical mistreatment by activists.
The line of questioning sparked a spirited exchange between the two senators, with Senator Wong at one point asking her Greens colleague to “please don’t shout at me”.
Ultimately, chairperson Labor Senator Raff Ciccone called for lunch breaking off the exchange.
However, Senator Faruqi returned to the line of questioning later on Thursday afternoon, reigniting the terse conversation.
Senator Wong confirmed she would engage with members of the flotilla who had requested to meet with her following the morning hearing session.
“I said to you before that women should be believed in these allegations, which are confronting and distressing, and should be dealt with respectfully and seriously,” she said.
“And, that is what we will do. I don’t intend in this forum, to go to these issues any further for the reasons I would hope you would understand.”
Earlier, Senator Wong told the hearing that Australia had directly raised concerns about the treatment of Australians on-board the flotilla after Israel’s national security minister was filmed berating detainees.
“We were deeply alarmed by reports of his treatment while Australians were in detention,” Senator Wong said, noting they were calling for an “urgent investigation”.
Later, Senator Wong said the government would “rather an investigation that is transparent than no investigation” when pressed on the nature of any Israeli probe.
“And, so we need to keep pressing for that,” she said.
Senator Wong said the actions of Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli minister who is already sanctioned by Australia, were “unconscionable”.
DFAT international security, legal, and consular group acting deputy secretary Fiona Webster said officials had contacted Australians on the flotilla more than 190 times between April and May “to provide updates and to provide support to them”.
“We’ve made more than 20 representations with Israeli authorities, either in Tel Aviv or Canberra,” she said.
“Those alleged instances of mistreatment, as publicly reported, were violence against members of the group and also sexual assault … we take these allegations extremely seriously.”
Ms Webster said officials who attended the airport from which the activists were deported (as well as twice to the prison where they were detained) had heard “screams” but did not see where they originated from as a screen had been erected.
Greens accused of ‘misinformation’
Penny Wong also lashed the Greens for using “misinformation to enable division” after a fiery clash during Senate estimates over the fate of more than 400 Palestinians granted Australian visas to leave Gaza and the West Bank.
The Foreign Minister was grilled over conditions imposed by Israel during Thursday’s estimates as well as co-ordination between Australia and COGAT, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge claimed COGAT had, in a Facebook post, informed Palestinians using the “third country exit mechanism” to contact their embassy and urge that they relay a withdrawal request to the Israeli agency.
However, Senator Wong said it was “not right for you (Senator Shoebridge to suggest) all you have to do is send a fax”, and the process was considerably more complex, including precise co-ordination regarding transit through Israel.
“It is wrong to assert that in an environment such as this, that a single request to COGAT is all that is required … it’s not right for you to say all you have to do is fax a form, that is not the nature of these transits.
Senator Wong went on to shame “incorrect assertions that you (Senator Shoebridge) make in order to foment division”.
“Really, in the context of what we have seen in this country, maybe it’s time the Greens actually tried to work (to) bring people together rather than divide people,” she said.
“You see political benefit in division, and you’re happy to use misinformation to enable that division.
“It is unfair for you to use people’s grief and people’s anger and people’s pain by suggesting all the government has to do is send a fax.”
After claiming Senator Shoebridge was “peddling false hope” and his behaviour was “unconscionable”, Senator Wong reaffirmed her support for a two-state solution.
“The world is not as we wish it to be,” Senator Wong said.
“We wish there were two states, and we wish there was peace.
“We wish the people of Palestine were able to live in security behind agreed borders, and there was peace with the people of Israel.
“We all wish – well, I wish that.”
The hearing was told the Australian government consulted with a range of agencies on the departure of Australian citizens from Gaza, as well as permanent residents and immediate family members, of which 415 had left.
A departmental official said a list of departees was compiled and then sent by post to officials in the Jordanian capital Amman and, once approval was received, then forwarded on to COGAT via post in the Israeli capital Tel Aviv.
Israel then reviews the list and advises of a date of movement from Gaza.
Australia requests the assistance of a “UN organisation or like-minded country” to support in logistics, ultimately arriving in Jordan where they have 72 hours to depart.
For his part, Senator Shoebridge condemned the actions of Israel in the West Bank and Gaza, and accused the government again of exporting parts for F-35 warplanes used in the bombing of the Gaza Strip.
He claimed Senator Wong had “deliberately misheard” his questions.
‘More required’ before Palestine ambassador
Later, Senator Shoebridge also questioned Senator Wong over the government’s failure to appoint a Palestinian ambassador despite recognising Palestine last year.
Australia’s former ambassador to Israel, Ralph King, said Australia had “set clear expectations” around reform to the Palestinian Authority, which has nominal control over Palestinian-administered areas of the occupied West Bank.
Those requirements, which needed to be met before diplomatic relations were established, including public commitment to recognising Israel’s right to exist, calling on Hamas to disarm, and commitment to fresh elections.
The last presidential election in the Palestinian Territories was in 2005.
The PA also needed to reform its governance, financial transparency, and abolish any system of payments to families of prisoners and martyrs.
“Some progress on that has been made, but we remain in dialogue with the and for the time being, ewe are not satisfied that sufficient (actions) has been done on that promised material,” Dr King said.
For her part, Senator Wong said Australia could not resolve strife in the Middle East, but “can contributed towards breaking the cycle of violence”.
“We believe that only happens through a two-state solution,” she said.
“There are commitments that the Palestinian Authority has made … we are tying progress on practical implementation of recognition to progress against those commitments, including the setting up of diplomatic missions.
“But, we are not simply sitting and waiting.
“We understand, that we need to do work with others to build the capacity of the Palestinian Authority for strong and credible governance, that is essential to building peace. We are working with the UK and Canada on this.”
Read related topics:Penny Wong