Israel Criticizes Australian Labor for Focusing on Israel While Downplaying Hamas
By The Media Line Staff
Israel issued strong criticism of the Australian Labor Party’s proposed policy platform ahead of its national conference, saying the draft presents an unbalanced account of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by focusing heavily on Israel while failing to adequately address Hamas’ role and the responsibilities of the Palestinian leadership.
In a four-page statement released by the Israeli Embassy in Canberra, Israeli officials challenged several proposals set to be debated at the party’s conference this week, arguing that the draft does not accurately reflect the causes and conduct of the conflict.
“The Embassy of Israel notes these policy motions are still in draft form, and will continue to engage constructively with the Australian Labor Party through the usual diplomatic channels,” the statement said.
“However, the embassy respectfully submits that several elements of the draft platform risk placing responsibility for the conflict on one party while giving insufficient attention to the decisions, conduct and continuing obligations of the Palestinian leadership and terrorist organizations such as Hamas.”
The embassy also rejected what it described as allegations that Israel is committing genocide and objected to the emphasis placed on violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Calling settler violence a “reprehensible but marginal phenomenon,” the embassy argued that the issue occupies an outsized place in the draft platform.
“Those seeking peace would be better served to focus its scrutiny on the terrorism experienced by both Jewish and Arab Israelis at the hands of terrorist groups such as Hamas,” the statement said.
The intervention comes before Labor’s triennial national conference in Adelaide, where delegates are scheduled to determine the party’s official positions on a range of domestic and international issues, including Israel and the Palestinians.
The proposed 2026 platform expands significantly on the party’s 2023 document, which addressed the issue only in relation to recognizing a Palestinian state—a policy formally adopted by the Australian government last August. The new draft includes language opposing the annexation of Palestinian territory and calling for an end to settler violence and what it describes as “the occupation.”
Israeli officials also pointed to changes made during the drafting process. A provision in an earlier version stating, “Hamas must disarm and can have no role in the State of Palestine,” was removed before the conference draft was finalized. The current version, however, still identifies Hamas as responsible for terrorism and violent extremism.
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong declined to comment.
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