Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said that she believes the Australian women who say they were raped and brutalised by Israeli forces while detained as part of a flotilla trying to reach Gaza.
During a fiery exchange at Senate hearings with Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi, Wong described herself as a feminist as she pushed back on criticism that she had not done enough to defend the activists who have made disturbing allegations against Israeli officials.
“I think if you look at my career, my view is that you should believe, and I believe women who come forward with these assertions,” Wong said on Thursday afternoon.
“Those allegations are terrible, they are horrific, and that treatment is unacceptable.”
Wong said she was open to meeting the Global Sumud Flotilla activists who had returned to Australia if they approached her office directly rather than via a Greens press release.
Wong said Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had behaved in an “unconscionable” way by taunting the flotilla participants in an inflammatory video posted online.
She said she had raised her concerns directly with her Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar and called for a thorough investigation into the allegations.
Israel’s ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman was also called in for an official rebuke.
“We are not happy with any of this,” Wong said.
Independent senator David Pocock pressed Wong on why she had not demanded an independent investigation from Israel, saying: “You don’t get what you don’t ask for.”
Faruqi said Juliet Lamont, one of the flotilla activists, “has said she was sexually assaulted and beaten, cable-tied, and had so much water thrown in her face that at one point she thought she was going to drown.
“She says: ‘They wrenched my trousers and underwear down, and I was raped by one of the soldiers. My daughter was syringed with an unknown substance. Other people had guns inserted inside them.’”
Three members of the flotilla – Lamont, Gemma O’Toole and Neve O’Connor – held a press conference at Parliament House earlier on Thursday to call on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Wong to meet them to hear their allegations of abuse.
“I’m really glad that Penny recently said that she believes us,” Lamont said.
“I think the extension of that is she needs to meet with us, she needs to hear our testimony and she needs to sanction Israel. What other country would be allowed to rape and torture 11 ordinary citizens from this country and get away from it.”
The 11 Australians, who were detained in international waters by Israel on May 18, have provided evidence to The International Criminal Court at The Hague alleging they were subject to sexual assault and being injected with unknown substances.
Australian lawyer Bernadette Zaydan, part of the legal team taking evidence to the court, said war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and other serious violations of international law were committed by Israeli forces.
The flotilla of 50 boats with an estimated 400 people from almost 50 countries was attempting to deliver food, medicine and baby formula to the war-torn Gaza Strip.
The Israeli embassy said in a statement last week that the flotilla’s “provocateurs’ false allegations were scripted in advance, for one goal only: defaming Israel”.
“The provocateurs were neither tortured nor raped. Such claims are entirely baseless and are intended solely to advance the provocateurs’ smear campaign against Israel,” the embassy said.
With Nigel Gladstone
If you or anyone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (and see lifeline.org.au), the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service (1800RESPECT) on 1800 737 732, or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.
Matthew Knott is the foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X, Facebook or email.