Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the sanctions imposed on two Israeli ministers took months of international cooperation. Photo: National Press Club.
Australia has joined the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and Norway in imposing sanctions against two Israeli government ministers over their far-right actions towards Gaza and inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The move has sparked angry reactions from Israel and the United States, as well as expressions of concern from the Federal Opposition.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the two ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, were acting unlawfully towards Palestinians, requiring a strong international response.
The Federal Government could do little without joining with some of its allies to impose sanctions, she said, adding that the sanctions took “many months of effort and coordination” before being imposed.
The minister flagged the possibility of further sanctions against others, but would not be drawn on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be among them.
“These two ministers have been the most extremist and hardline of an extremist settler enterprise, which is both unlawful and violent,” Senator Wong said.
“The most important thing to note, though, is that we are acting with others.
“You’ve heard me speak about the fact that Australia can’t shift the dial on the Middle East by ourselves.
“What we can do is act with others, and that’s what we’ve done.
“And the sanctions have been imposed in concert with the United Kingdom, with Canada and with Norway and New Zealand …
“I think the fact that the countries who have imposed these sanctions are countries who have historical relationships with the state of Israel, does demonstrate the level of concern that we have about what is occurring.”
The sanctions will prohibit the two Israeli ministers from travelling to Australia or any of the other four co-signing nations.
Any assets the two men hold in these countries will also be frozen and others within the countries will be prohibited from assisting them financially.
Often referred to as Magnitsky-style sanctions, these are human rights-specific sanctions imposing targeted financial measures on those in other jurisdictions who are responsible for human rights abuses or corruption.
They were named after the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky who exposed corruption of Russian government officials in the early 2000s.
Shadow foreign minister Michaelia Cash, however, has questioned the imposition of such sanctions against the Israeli pair.
She has called on the government to be transparent about which country actually initiated the move.
“Foreign Minister Penny Wong should also be clear about what engagement Australia has had with the United States – if any – on this matter,” Senator Cash said.
“Labor must also address questions about its use of Magnitsky-style sanctions.
“The Magnitsky sanctions regime was designed to respond to serious matters of international concern, such as human rights abuses and terrorist acts.
“The government must explain, in full, why it is being applied in these circumstances.
“The Albanese Government needs to explain why they have seemingly lowered the threshold for imposing Magnitsky-style sanctions, and whether this new approach will be applied to comments made by officials from other countries.
“This may have serious implications for our international relationships.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement condemning the sanctions, saying it was not a helpful move.
He called for the sanctions to be removed.
“These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war,” Secretary Rubio said.
“We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organisation that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace.
“We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the sanctions as outrageous and unacceptable.
His comments were mostly directed towards the UK and Britain’s sanctions list.
“It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to this kind of measure,” he said.
“I discussed it earlier today with Prime Minister Netanyahu, and we will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the US and Israeli responses as predictable.
The joint statement from the five foreign ministers of the countries imposing the sanctions can be found on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s website.
