These things happen in war.
— Benjamin Netanyahu
The slaughter of Zomi Frankcom and six other staff of World Central Kitchen (WCK) bears all the characteristics of deliberate targeting by the Israeli Defence Force. According to detail provided to Haaretz, the aid convoy was hit not once but three times (over a distance of more than two kilometres) on a route and at a time of which WCK had alerted the IDF. Survivors of the first strike communicated that they had been hit and fled to a second vehicle, which was then destroyed, with wounded then moved to a third vehicle, which was then in turn destroyed.
Any pretence that this was some sort of fog-of-war accident is thus untenable, especially given WCK had replaced UNRWA — the United Nations Relief and Works Agency that Australia withdrew and only recently reinstated funding of — as the primary provider of food relief in Gaza. WCK has now, understandably, suspended its Gaza operations. Given that multiple independent organisations have accused Israel of using starvation as a tool of war, the rationale for such targeting of aid workers is clear.
The murder leaves Anthony Albanese’s carefully calculated attempt to remain in Israel’s camp while expressing concern about the deaths of Palestinian civilians — now at nearly 33,000 — in tatters. Labor seems to have settled on “unacceptable” as its words of choice about what it describes as the “targeting” of aid workers; Albanese used it repeatedly on ABC’s 7.30 last night and again this morning, and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong also used it. The prime minister said this morning he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his “anger and concern” and that “Australians were outraged”. But he is unwilling to take any concrete steps in response to the murder of an Australian engaged in the crucial work of delivering food to innocent civilians.
Part of Albanese’s justification for refusing to take a stronger stand in relation to the actions of the IDF in Gaza seems to be “social cohesion”. When asked last night about the fact that his language clearly had no impact on what Israel was doing on the ground in Gaza, the prime minister replied:
One of the things that I have been concerned about is social cohesion here in Australia. And that requires an acknowledgement that for the Jewish community this has been a very difficult time. But it’s also a difficult time for the Arabic and Islamic communities as well. These are communities that feel traumatised by what has occurred on October 7, and then what has occurred in Gaza. And the responsibility that politicians have is to try and bring people together, not to try to score political points.
He repeated that view this morning again. This seems to place an awkward restraint on Australia’s foreign policy when it comes to Israel — Australia, Albanese seems to be saying, will mute its criticisms of Israeli actions in Gaza out of concern that domestic community groups will be upset and traumatised.
In practice, this concern for social cohesion seems to only apply to one group. Pro-Palestine activists have been criticised by the federal government; it is a pro-Palestine media figure who has been sacked by the ABC, it is pro-Palestine protesters who have been smeared by the NSW Labor government, which has given police greater powers, and promised to toughen hate speech laws, in response to their protests. Islamic communities get some pro forma acknowledgement, but “social cohesion” clearly has its limits.
In the insular way of Australians and the Australian media, the deaths of more than 30,000 Palestinian civilians might barely register. But the murder of Zomi Frankcom brings home the horrors routinely inflicted by Israel on Gazans — the constant threat of random, indiscriminate death; the reckless indifference to civilian casualties and the provision of the necessities of life; and the dismissive attitude of the Netanyahu government to monstrous crimes — “these things happen”. Albanese may find himself well behind the political curve in his ongoing attempts to stay onside with such a government.
What should Australia’s response be to the death of Zomi Frankcom? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
Thanks Bernard. The responses of both Albanese and Wong are so anodyne as to be meaningless – I’m sure that’s the point.
I feel nothing but shame.
I feel a lot more than just shame – I feel white hot anger.
Labor will never get my primary vote again. My lifelong support has turned to lifelong working against Labor majority government.
My trust in Labor values is completely shattered.
Why am I always disappointed every time Labor gets elected?
Because they are too busy trying to not arouse the forces of darkness – which makes the choice of next Governor-General surprisingly courageous.
Because they’re not your party of choice ?
I have voted Labor since 1972. I think the best thing now is to put them in a minority government with perhaps 4 or 5 teal types needed to pass legislation. Take the power away and make them work for it, the mealy mouthed ineffective response to this grotesque act by Israel is inexcusable. Then there is the continuing fossil fuel approvals, the bullshit delay in not getting rid of gambling ads, the AUKUS stupidity, the watering down of fuel standards so as to not upset tradies and so on.
Peter, you might want to look at the various Teals’ responses since Oct 7th compared with those of The Greens.
What about the complete inaction of the NACC?
Whatever we do, we must also do everything in our power to prevent Peter Dutton from becoming PM.
My wife and I have been telling Albo and Wong that “We thought we were electing a Labor Government”. I wonder if they get the point.
Before I respond to this article, let me state that I absolutely abhor what the Israelis are doing in Gaza. I believe that they are committing genocide and their behaviour is indefensible.
This article is very simplistic. It’s not clear what Bernard expects Albanese to do – shout louder? send in the army? bomb Tel Aviv? Clearly the last two are not on, but shouting louder is unlikely to get better results than proceeding rationally and has the added potential to create divisions at home. Albanese is head of a country and a party that comprises large populations of both Jewish and Muslim people and it is his responsibility not to inflame what is already a volatile and emotional situation and set citizen against citizen – it is not “weak” it is sensible ,
It does not seem to me that the government has been sitting on its hands. It has co-operated with Canada and New Zealand in a direct communique
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/15/israel-gaza-war-australia-canada-new-zealand-warning-attack-rafah-hamas-palestine
and supported the latest vote in the UN condemning the bloodshed. These activities were considered significant enough to be reported in international news outlets such as Al Jazeera, Reuters, NY Times etc and are more likely to support change than chest beating.
Agree, said similar but comment in moderation; Australians are delusional, Oz is a small nation and this tragedy, but is being cynically used by our (RW) MSM and influencers to attack the centre, Israel and Zionism (with much evidence of astroturfing campaigns), while disappearing their own, often nativist right.
MSM focus on both Albanese and Wong, replicates the US MSM vs. Biden & Dems and risibly in UK vs. Starmer’s Labour who are not even in government….. analysis like this does not compare with bigger nations and their leaders struggling to influence Netanyahu’s regime.
Out of sudden, Australia is a small nation. Is it the same nation that loves to boast how great it is, how world-leading, the best in everything?
Btw – which leaders are struggling to influence Netanyahu’s regime? Surely, you don’t mean he’s-a-crazy-SOB-but-I’ll-send-him-some-more-bombs-anyway Biden? Or is it Sunak?
If anyone truly wanted to influence Netanyahu they just need to stop giving him money and arms and demand sanctions to be imposed, you know, like they did with Russia. No struggle at all, just action. I guess, Netanyahu might be a ‘crazy SOB’ but he’s our SOB and so his crimes are not as upsetting to our ‘leadership’. Oof.
Close down Pine Gap, which provides necessary intel for the genocide, making us complicit.
We could close their embassy. Its symbolic, but at least it would show some backbone.
And yet no-one is ever concerned about ‘inflaming’ anything when it comes to condemning terror attacks by Muslim extremists. They claim less victims, yet are condemned swiftly and repeatedly and often it’s implied that Islam and therefore all Muslims are somehow responsible. It sets citizen against citizen. But I guess that’s different somehow…?
That joint communique didn’t condemn Israel’s actions, didn’t call for an immediate and permanent stop to the violence – you know a ceasefire, not a truce -, nothing. The fact that it was reported doesn’t mean it wasn’t just a calculated attempt at a pretence of concern. Calculated not to upset the state that is committing unspeakable crimes against Palestinians. Calculated to allow the signatories to claim that they ‘always’ called for peace like Albanese did when confronted with accusations of doing nothing. And as others pointed out, even though Australia is a country at the bottom end of the world that no-one cares much about the government could do a lot. It might not change anything but at least they’d have done the right thing. As is, Australia is complicit. The government knows exactly what’s going on and yet it chooses not to intervene in any way.
Who is asking for chest beating, some humanity would do, Australians will be held to account for waving at this genocide every time they wave their little rules based flag.
Really? Firstly what leverage does any leader have over the current Netanyahu – Israel regime, or any other globally, and noise created? None.
If you think we do, then compare with other leaders of larger nations who also struggle to bring pressure to bear and outcomes on Israel? None.
Look at the allies or collaborators of Netanyahu past & present, private & public e.g. Trump’s son in law, Putin, Morrison & LNP on Jerusalem etc.; in the US RW MSM wedging Biden-Dems, disappearing GOP & Evangelicals and UK RW MSM wedging Starmer’s Labour, who are not even in government.
Australia has chosen to be a small nation following UK and US, especially after a decade of LNP, US KOch linked think tanks, RW MSM & you know who.
On the latter, those on the right who loudly support Israel &/or Palestine are coy on the strong whiff of both anti-semitism and Islamophobia coming from their own, in an effort to dog whistle and denigrate centrist governments locally; see Trump and Proud Boys on Israel.
Putting aside rhetoric, we could be denouncing Israel’s actions a whole lot more strongly than we are currently. We could stop sending the Israelis military aid, we could get out of a $900 million contract with Israeli defence contractor Elbit systems. There are plenty of material actions we could take to slow down the genocide taking place.
What is it about the Israel lobby that makes western governments like those of Australia and Germany and the UK so unwilling to call a spade a spade? We know they are always ready to weaponize accusations of anti-semitism to shut down debate. But now that we can all see a genocide occurring in real time, it is becoming harder for them to use that slur to defend the indefensible. The International Court of Justice, the UN Security Council and others have called for an immediate ceasefire and for Israel to stop its murderous assault on Palestinian civilians. Now the IDF is deliberately killing aid workers – Australians and Brits among them – and orchestrating a famine to kill the remaining Palestinian population and clear Gaza for another bunch of Jewish ‘settlers’. In the meantime, Netanyahu’s regime is trying to provoke a war with Iran, so he can drag the US into what looks like an inevitable wider conflagration in the Middle East. And you can bet your bottom dollar that in this case, Canberra will be called on by its imperialist leaders in Washington to join another ‘coalition of the willing’. Why are our democratic leaders failing us on this? How do supposed progressives like Wong and Albanese become so complicit in a genocide? Who will stand up for the Palestinians?
Yes, it is a matter of standing up for the Palestinians, the Palestinian people – not their government, not the actions of the handful of Palestinians on 7 October, not the ideology of Hamas, but the Palestinians as a whole.
October 7 started 75 years ago when the Jewish settlers started killing Palestinians shortly after arriving in Palestine as WW2 Refugees. The Palestinians were kind enough to take them in. What a huge mistake that was!
Yep, over 7000 Palestinians were murdered by Zionist Militias in just a few months, and half a million were driven into exile. A fact the Zionist brigade want you to forget.
Even the USA wasn’t dumb enough to start a war with Iran.
No but the threat of a war between Israel and Iran means the US is reluctant to do the one thing that would stop the killing of Palestinians in its tracks: stop sending weapons to Israel. The US fears this would embolden Iran to attack Israel, most likely through Hezbollah, once they were convinced Israel’s ability to defend itself was compromised.
You do know Israel has nuclear weapons 200, you think Iran is suicidal or your thinking of ways to defend America which.
Our ‘leaders’ are failing is because they’re not democratic; they’re there to prop up the establishment, which is founded on brutal domination and colonialism.
The power of Zionist Israel is very puzzling. Any right minded person who has seen the atrocities committed against the Palestinians day after day cannot accept the criminality and cold blooded murder before our eyes. I once thought we were a sovereign nation but obviously it is becoming increasingly obvious that we are not. The Republic of Ireland stood firmly as did South Africa against this genocide. These are countries that have known severe injustice against their people. Why does Israel have this power? It’s like the invasion of Iraq – in spite of opposition from the bulk of the population our government and those of the USA and UK continue to go against humanity
It’s not the Israel lobby that’s influencing those governments, it’s the fact that Israel is a client kingdom of the US empire. It might be more accurate to call it a puppet state or, even better, a forward operating base. And those governments fall over themselves to obey their US masters.
You’ve put the cart before the horse there. US Middle East policy is dictated to them by Israel, or more accurately by Israel-supporting US donors. When the US vetoes UN action on Israel, it’s the US reputation and diplomatic credit that is sacrificed. If Israel was a US client, they would be the ones taking a hit for their master.
If that sounds a little tinfoil-hatty for you (and note that I am NOT doing the idiotic “secret Jewish masters of the world” shtick – I refer only to Israel influencing a subset of the US’s foreign policy), then explain how Americans will get frowned upon for expressing anti-US sentiments but lose their jobs and get blacklisted for criticising Israel.
Biden: ‘If Israel didn’t exist we (the USA) would have to invent it.’
Israel works for America far beyond the middle east, it sells occupation equipment all over the world, field tested in Gaza and the west bank it has access to regimes no one else would dare be seen with, a very useful friend, only now its nuclear powered.
Our government has stopped representing us as Australians, shaming us all in the process. They have done this on so many issues lately and this is the worst, supporting genocide. Horrendous treatment of immigrants, seeking to incarcerate those who’ve already paid for their crimes. We have so many Australian criminals walking our streets, why target those from other countries. It all seems to be to appease the bigoted Dutton along with the US. We need our government to represent Australians, not niche groups. We do not support genocide.
So it takes the death of an Australian national to get a twitch from the corpse of moral integrity. Give me a break! A break from the sight of the dying children, the generation which will be limbless, traumatised, brain damaged from malnutrition, and orphaned. The factory where prosthetic limbs were manufactured, destroyed. How pathological does lying have to be before it is addressed – how many lies in how many years, and how many excuses – that only the death of one single national will prompt a question, after the vindictive death dealing and damage to so many? It is disgusting.
So it goes.
Disgusting for sure, but if you’re at all surprised, you haven’t been paying enough attention. The continued hegemony of the ruling class is a recipe for continuous atrocities and mounting catastrophe.
It becomes ever more obvious that the Alternative Liberal Party is bent on seamlessly integrating with the powers that be, and is steadfast in its resolve not to upset a single apple cart. Those seeking hope and change must look elsewhere.
Anyone still clinging to the illusion that Albo et al are the Good Guys is now forced to contort themselves into the full pretzel of cognitive dissonance. Just give it up already. The majors must become minors.
Yet Dutton continues to blame Hamas for the murder of these aid workers.
There’s no ‘yet’ there; of course he does. He’s a cartoon villain who’s job is to con decent folks into seeing Labor as the good guys. The MSM serves to prop up his band of outrageous spivs with a mountain of propaganda to sway the more gullible into actually preferring the cartoon villains, dragging out their relevance as long as possible.
As long a majority of the electorate continues to view the ALP/LNP duopoly as the only two options, nothing changes but the window dressing. That’s the whole point of political parties – subverting democracy.
Sad but true.
Tin foil hats are free at Coalition Central, I believe.
I am getting used to Albo’s carefully considered statements that are designed to avoid both controversy and commitment (remember The Voice Referendum). It is outrageous that the IDF should target aid workers, as it appears to have done; it is tragic that an Australian should be one of the casualties, of course. However, it should not be only the targeting of aid workers or the loss of an Australian life that causes outrage – 33,000 civilians have been murdered by the IDF and we don’t want to offend Jews. Please ….
the Jews I know wouldn’t be offended, only the Zionists
Including Christian Zionists.
The IDF have been targeting aid workers all along.
And targeting reporters.
And hospital staff.
And children.