Australian politics live: Penny Wong says government ‘outraged’ and will call in Israel ambassador over IDF decision not to investigate Frankcom killing

Foreign affairs minister says timing of decision was ‘especially insulting’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast‘A gratuitous insult’: government ministers react to IDF not investigating Frankom’s deathThe emergency services minister, Kristy McBain, who says aid worker Zomi Frankom supported communities in her own electorate impacted by the 2019 bushfires, is deeply disappointed by the IDF’s decision not to pursue a criminal investigation into her death.It’s a significant loss not only to her family, but to the Australian community, because she was the best of us. The people that run into danger, that try to help others. So it is deeply disappointing that this news was obviously released on world humanitarian day, but deeply disappointing no further action taken … I think we’re all really concerned that nothing more is going to be done about this.It’s difficult not to see that this is a gratuitous insult to Zomi Frankom’s family, to her memory, to her colleagues, indeed to Australia, that this announcement was made on World Humanitarian Day, it beggars belief. And pleased to see, rightly, that the minister will be calling in the Israeli ambassador, that Australia’s ambassador in Israel will be conveying these views directly to the Israeli government.The minister, when she sees the ambassador, should tell him that he’s going home. I don’t support breaking diplomatic relations with Israel. I don’t support the closing of embassies, but this bloke is clearly an unacceptable representative.They counted 335 bullet holes in that family’s vehicle. Why is it that only now this matter is being referred for criminal investigation when we have known more about that incident than any other incident in Gaza in the last three years? Why are they taking so long? … [it] leaves me entirely cynical about any prospect of justice coming out of the internal processes of the Israeli system. Continue reading...