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Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, who was called in for formal talks on Thursday, offered no concession, insisting the process was appropriate while refusing to apologise for the death of the Australian and her six humanitarian worker colleagues, citing legal implications. “There are a lot of haters of Israel in Australia,” Newman said as he left Parliament House. “We have seen this time and time again.” “A court came to decision that there’s no criminal liability, so we’re not going to lynch people on the streets, no.” In parliament, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, slammed the decision. “Israel’s decision to close their investigation without criminal proceedings is an outrage and it falls far short of the accountability that we expect and consistently called for on behalf of Australia,” he said. “The Australian government will not stop pressing Israel for justice for Ms Frankcom and her colleagues.” In a statement released on Thursday, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong called the timing of the decision not to open a criminal investigation, on World Humanitarian Day, “especially insulting”.
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