Source : Perth Now news
Furious protesters have descended on the Israeli embassy in Canberra demanding “justice” for slain Australian aid worker Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom
The Israeli military said last month it would not pursue criminal charges for those behind the strike that killed Ms Frankcom and six of her World Central Kitchen colleagues in Gaza in 2024.
The update fell on World Humanitarian Day and came after a lengthy internal investigation found “no reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct”.
The group of protesters on Tuesday demonstrated outside the embassy, leading chants of “Israel is a terrorist state”.
“Zomi was killed in a deliberate targeting by Israel, through which three clearly marked humanitarian vehicles were repeatedly struck, even as survivors attempted to move from one car to another,” pro-Palestine activist Neve O’Connor told her fellow protesters, stirring a chorus of “shame”.
“Zomi’s life, along with six of her colleagues were tragically taken during this act of barbarity.
“Zomi’s family has described her as brave, beloved, kind, selfless and an outstanding human being.
“Her life’s work exemplified this, with her last actions being dedicated to working with World Central Kitchen, delivering comfort and food to Palestinian suffering an active genocide.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong condemned the Israeli decision as an “outrage” when it broke and hauled in ambassador Hillel Newman.
But Ms O’Connor dismissed Senator Wong’s response as “painfully repetitive and shallow”.
“These words are not accountability or justice, nor is privately chastising the Israeli ambassador behind closed doors,” she said.
“Zomi was a tornado of happiness.
“Her tragic murder is yet another example of the depravity of the apartheid regime of Israel – a genocidal and barbaric state.
“We join Zomi’s family’s call for the Australian government to do better, to be more than a lapdog of Israel.”
Officially, the protesters called for an independent Australian investigation, Mr Newman’s expulsion, the closure of Australia’s embassy in Israel and what they said was the “full implementation of Australia’s obligations under the Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel”.
Mr Newman defended his the “thorough investigation” that informed the Israeli military’s decision when he was summoned last month.
He said at the time that soldiers “genuinely thought there were Hamas people on the convoy (that) had taken control of the convoy”, reasoning that “there was no criminal liability”.
“One has to respect international bodies that work according to law and evidence and come to a conclusion,” he said.
“One cannot judge a conclusion and say it’s (not right) or unjustified just because it doesn’t tally with what I want.”
Mr Newman also expressed “deep sorrow” to Ms Frankcom’s family.
“My message to the family is that Israel is full of sorrow and solidarity with the family, but it was not intentional … there was no intentional attack on the workers, on Zomi,” he said.
‘Wiped out’: Anti-Semitic chants
One protester approached the Israeli embassy’s gates shouting that the country “should be wiped out”.
“Shame on Israel and shame on the agents in this country and shame on the politicians that support this evil,” he yelled to cheers of support.
Anti-Semtic chants were also prominent at the rally, including “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which has historically meant the elimination of Israel and the expulsion of Jews from the region.
Other chants included “Israel is a fascist state” and “Israel is a rapist state”.
Among those to speak at the rally was Greens-turned-independent senator Lidia Thorpe.
An Indigenous parliamentarian, she claimed Israel did not have First Nations’ “consent to be here”.
“First peoples of this country do not invite war criminals to our land,” she said.
Senator Thorpe went on to say she spotted Israel’s envoy on Monday dining in the Members’ Lounge at Parliament House without an MP or senator present.
“So he has a free rein in that parliament,” she said.
“He is given the most privileges in that parliament, and it was unsafe for me and my staff to be in the vicinity of someone who’s committing a genocide.”
Israeli has rejected claims it committed genocide in the two-year war in Gaza, which was sparked by Hamas’ October 7 assault in 2023.
The Islamist group’s militants tortured and slaughtered their way across southern Israel, killing some 1200 and injuring thousands more.
Many of the atrocities, which marked the worst loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, were celebrated by sympathisers online.
Israel’s unrelenting response killed tens of thousands, while its chokehold on aid sparked starvation fears and denied civilians desperately needed medical supplies.
The International Court of Justice has not determined the Israeli action genocidal.
