Penny Wong under fire as Australia-Israel relations at ‘lowest ebb in decades’

Foreign Minister Penny Wong is under fire after she clashed with her Israeli counterpart in a phone call, with the Coalition saying the Australia-Israel relationship has “hit its lowest ebb in decades”.

Israeli media firsted reported the call on Wednesday, citing Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar as telling Senator Wong that Australia had chosen “to distance itself from Israel in its hardest year”.

A government source described the conversation to NewsWire as a “tense exchange”, and a spokesperson for Senator Wong later said it was a “direct but respectful call”.

Senior opposition senator James Paterson said on Thursday the state of bilateral relations with Israel was “a very bad reflection on the Albanese government”.

“Relations between Australia and Israel on the Foreign Minister’s watch and on the Albanese government’s watch have hit its lowest ebb in decades,” he told Sky News.

“And it is very unfortunate that we are reading through the media about strained phone calls between the foreign ministers of our two countries.

“Let’s remember that Israel is one of Australia’s closest international partners outside of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance members.”

Senator Paterson, the opposition’s home affairs spokesman, said the Israeli government had “repeatedly shared intelligence with Australia which has thwarted terrorist attacks on our own soil here domestically and which has also helped save the lives of Australian Defence Force personnel serving in the Middle East”.

“So to have allowed it to get to as bad as it is a very bad reflection on the Albanese government and their diplomatic skills,” he said.

Tensions have been building between the Albanese and Netanyahu governments for months over Israel’s casualty-heavy war in Gaza.

Upward of 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military’s pursuit of Hamas, the Islamist militants behind the horrific October 7 terrorist attack last year.

The Albanese government ramped up calls for an immediate ceasefire after an Australian aid worker was killed in an air strike in Gaza earlier this year.

It has also called on Israel to allow more humanitarian supplies into Gaza and demanded Hamas release the remaining Israelis it took hostage last year.

Senator Wong recently grouped Israel with Russia and China in comments on advocating for countries to follow international law.

This was one of the key points Israel’s Foreign Minister reportedly raised with her.

“Israel is a Western democratic country that upholds the rule of law, has an independent judiciary and adheres to international law,” Mr Sa’ar said, as cited by Israeli media.

“Over the past year, Israel has fought against a radical axis led by Iran, supported by Russia and China.”

He also took issue with Australia’s decision to deny a visa to former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked.

“How would you react if we treated a former minister from Australia this way?” he said.

Senator Wong’s spokesperson said the minister reiterated Australia’s concern over the “humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”.

“Minister Wong also noted that Australia’s position reflected that of many other countries,” they said.

“She conveyed Australia’s commitment to countering anti-Semitism and hate in all forms.”

The call came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Albanese government of taking an “extreme anti-Israeli position”, claiming it was partly responsible for the firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue amid rising anti-Semitism in Australia.