On her first trip to the Middle East since taking office in 2022, Penny Wong, Australia’s foreign minister, met on Tuesday evening with President Isaac Herzog.
She arrived at the President’s Residence after meeting in Canberra with families of Israeli hostages still in captivity in Gaza. It was not her first meeting with Herzog; they are former political colleagues and long-time friends.In an official media release by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, it was stated that Wong is visiting Jordan, Israel, the West Bank, and the United Arab Emirates to support international diplomatic efforts towards a durable peace in the Middle East.Wong, wrote on Tuesday, “100 days since the October 7 terror attacks, I will use Australia’s voice to advocate for a pathway out of the current conflict, an increase in vital humanitarian assistance, upholding of international law and greater protection for civilians, preventing regional escalation and working towards a lasting peace.”She further wrote that she would “make clear Australia’s support for Palestinians’ rights to self-determination and commitment to meeting humanitarian needs in Gaza and the West Bank with officials [there].”She also stated that she would emphasize Australia’s opposition to the forcible displacement of Palestinians and present Australia’s view that Gaza must no longer be used as a platform for terrorism.
The new funding brings Australia’s humanitarian aid to Gaza over the past three months to approximately $46m.Earlier, Wong reposted a tweet by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: “The continued Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are unacceptable. Australia, alongside other countries, has supported the United States and the United Kingdom to conduct strikes to deal with this threat to global rules and commercial shipping.”
Discussions between Herzog and Wong
During the meeting on Tuesday, the key issues of discussion between Herzog and Wong were the release of the hostages, increased humanitarian aid, human tragedies on both sides, the need to bring peace to the region, and growing antisemitism in Australia.
Herzog congratulated the Australian government on combating antisemitism but noted that despite these efforts, antisemitism is on the rise. Wong responded that it’s on the rise all over the world but said that the Holocaust must not be forgotten and that more must be taught about its history.About the Gaza war, she said that Australians are concerned about the human tragedy and the huge loss of life. Herzog, for his part, spoke of the tragedies experienced by so many Israeli families but congratulated Albanese on the speech he gave in parliament following the Hamas onslaught and said it was one of the best speeches given by any world leader.Herzog also stressed the importance of Australia’s voice in calling for the immediate release of the hostages, for defeating the Houthis, who are among the proxies of the ‘evil empire’ of Iran, and for defending Israel against charges of genocide.Although Herzog and Wong have conflicting views on certain Middle East issues, she assured him of Australia’s solidarity with Israel on matters of security.“Why do they automatically blame the Jews when every nation has the right to defend itself?” queried Herzog.Wong reminded Herzog of the role played by former Australian foreign minister Dr. Herbert Evatt, who was Australia’s representative at the United Nations when the vote on the partition of Palestine was taken.
Herzog added that his uncle Abba Eban, who was Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations, and later foreign minister, had written about Evatt.Coming back to the present, Herzog said that the Houthis’ attacks on cargo ships are shattering the structure of the world. He recalled the plan envisaged by US President Joe Biden to change and expand maritime trade routes, which would also be beneficial to Australia, and suggested that Australia give more thought to this possibility, taking into account that the Houthis are blocking the main artery of trade.The meeting between Wong and Herzog took place on the eve of his departure for Davos, Switzerland, to participate in the annual World Economic Forum. In addition to his wife and senior members of his staff, Herzog will be accompanied by representatives of the families of hostages living under inhuman conditions in Gaza. The families are all suffering severe emotional traumas, having lost relatives, close friends and neighborsWhile Herzog is in Davos, Wong will visit Yad Vashem and will meet with Opposition leader Yair Lapid and the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah.