Australia’s foreign minister said Thursday that relations between her country and Israel are going through “difficult times.” The minister added that she asked Australia’s ambassador to Israel “to convey our position directly to her,” and said the Australian government “is considering its next steps.”
PENNY WONG’S DOUBLE STANDARD
Penny Wong says Israel still hasn’t provided sufficient transparency and accountability over the tragic killing of Zomi Frankcom — despite multiple Israeli investigations
Yet senior members of Wong’s own Government have faced ZERO public scrutiny… pic.twitter.com/LAc4M7oYgp
— Menachem Vorchheimer (@MenachemV) August 20, 2026
The Australian decision came after Israel’s ambassador to the country, Hillel Neuman, defended the IDF’s investigation into the death of an Australian aid worker killed in a strike in Gaza nearly two years ago. While Australia demanded that IDF soldiers be prosecuted, the ambassador stood firm that the incident involved no criminal liability—as the investigation concluded.
“I demanded that the IDF investigate the death of Australian Zomi Frankcom—and that’s what happened. Israel published its findings after a thorough investigation, after a two-year investigation, and it must be understood that not every case in which a person dies, in which there are casualties, means there is criminal liability,” Neuman said, adding a sharp rebuke: “You can’t attack court findings just because they don’t fit someone’s political agenda.”
The foreign minister rejected Neuman’s remarks, said “Australia is disturbed” by the Israeli decision, and summoned the ambassador for a meeting. This, despite the ambassador adding in his comments that an Australian investigation from 2024, led by the local air force commander, reached a similar conclusion.