Wong slammed for shunning Israelis at UN
During her trip to the UN, Wong had pushed for a timeline to establish a Palestinian state.
Shadow foreign minister David Coleman has described revelations that Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with officials from Iran and the Palestinian Authority at the UN last September, but not Israeli officials, as shameful.
It was revealed last week that the Foreign Minister met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, but not with an Israeli representative.
“She has shamefully abandoned Israel in pursuit of a few votes in inner city contests against the Greens. It is utterly wrong,” Coleman told Sky News on February 27.
During her trip to the UN, Wong had pushed for a timeline to establish a Palestinian state, as well as ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon. She also participated in the International Peace Institute’s ministerial working dinner on the Middle East, attended by Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Asked about it at Senate Estimates on February 27 Wong responded, “My recollection is the foreign minister of Israel did not attend UNGA,” adding “Obviously, we have a number of engagements; had the foreign minister attended, I would have had that opportunity. My counterpart didn’t attend.”
Liberal Senator Dave Sharma noted that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s permanent representative to the UN were in attendance.
“I would usually engage with counterparts,” Wong said. “We did seek a meeting with foreign minister Katz, however we were later advised he wasn’t attending,” a department official advised.
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein called Wong’s conduct “disappointing”.
“While we understand she did approach the office of then Israeli foreign minister Katz, the fact that she did not attempt to find another Israeli official to meet with when it became clear he would not be in New York at that time seems hard to fathom,” Rubenstein said.
“The lack of interest in seeking to arrange such a meeting appears to be part of a pattern of behaviour on the part of the Foreign Minister of failing to prioritise our long-standing bipartisan relationship with Israel, while her one-sided policy moves cannot help but suggest a policy of deliberately seeking to distance Australia from Jerusalem.”
Asked for comment, Wong’s spokesperson told The AJN, “Australian officials contacted Israeli officials about a possible bilateral meeting with Minister Wong in New York. Israeli foreign minister Katz did not attend the United Nations General Assembly High Level Week.
“Foreign Minister Wong has been in regular contact with her Israeli counterparts, including numerous engagements since September 2024. Australia’s longstanding and bipartisan support for a two-state solution is a matter of public record.”
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