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The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) today expressed deep disappointment at the inappropriate moral relativism displayed by Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong during her Hawke Lecture on December 9 at the University of South Australia, in which she placed Russia, China and Israel side by side when it comes to supposed violations of international law.

AIJAC Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein said, “Effectively equating Russia’s blatantly illegal, imperialist and arguably genocidal invasion of Ukraine and China’s blatantly illegal activity in the South China Sea with Israel’s entirely lawful war of self-defence is the type of moral relativism and factual confusion that undermines Australia’s authority  and credibility on the world stage.

“China and Russia, two of the worst human rights violators in the world, are both openly working together to overturn the entire international rules-based order Australia says it is trying to uphold and protect. Yet each received one anodyne sentence from Wong about Australia’s expectations that they abide by international law. The Foreign Minister notably failed to even mention China’s mistreatment of the Uyghurs and other resident minorities – practices widely considered crimes against humanity and even genocide by some.

Yet she dedicated far more time and energy throughout the speech to lambasting Israel’s alleged violations of international law, all while falsely portraying Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as having upset Australia’s long-standing bipartisan consensus on Israel and the Palestinians, when it is fact her own Labor Government which has repudiated that consensus,” he said.

“While the conflicts in Sudan and Myanmar, the dangers of nuclear proliferation – without even mentioning Iran – and other crises were briefly and vaguely alluded to, only the Israel-Hamas conflict received any detailed attention.

“This speech betrayed not only a distorted understanding of the tenets of international law, but was riddled with historical distortions and internal contradictions, and featured a complete failure to acknowledge that the Palestinians have rejected several genuine offers of a two-state outcome because most of their leadership is still committed to a one-state solution in which Israel will cease to exist. Senator Wong’s ongoing obsession with one-sidedly chastising Israel is not only undermining forces for reconciliation in the Middle East but also severely compromising Australia’s social cohesion and our security relationships with our true allies, especially the United States,” he concluded.