Israel accuses Penny Wong of ‘distorting’ aid worker deaths investigation

Tensions between Israel and the federal government have risen following the release of a high-profile report into the killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom, with Israeli officials accusing Foreign Minister Penny Wong of misrepresenting the findings.

Israeli officials angry at Joshua Wong’s response Former Australian Defence Force chief Mark Binskin’s report on Fridaybelieving that she overemphasized her negative conclusions and downplayed the more positive aspects.

Israeli officials were particularly angry about Wong’s description Seven World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed in April On Friday, Binskin’s report confirmed the IDF’s initial findings that the workers were not deliberately attacked and that their deaths were caused by procedural errors, but the IDF still characterized the strike as a “deliberate strike.”

The Israeli Embassy in Canberra issued its first statement after the report was released, saying the IDF “bears full responsibility for the serious mistakes that led to this tragic event,” but stopped short of offering a formal apology as Binskin suggested and the federal government supported.

“Regrettably, the Australian government’s statement on the report contained a number of misrepresentations, omitting key details about how the report was compiled, the level of cooperation and openness shown by the IDF, and even about certain aspects of the tragic event itself,” the Australian Embassy said in a statement.

“The report clearly reaffirms that the IDF is a professional, disciplined military with similar legal perspectives, standards and controls to mitigate the risk of war as the Australian Defence Force (ADF).”

Relations between Israel and the federal government have deteriorated as the Gaza war has dragged on, with Israel opposing Australian resolutions supporting a ceasefire and increased Palestinian representation at the United Nations.

The embassy said that while Binskin had “no investigative powers or authority”, the IDF had “full engagement with him and provided him with information in all areas required, including evidence, senior officials and operational procedures, to help the Australian people understand the unfolding and investigation of this incident”.