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 live Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast ‘This bloke is clearly an unacceptable representative’: Sidoti tells Wong to send ambassador home Chris Sidoti says the foreign minister Penny Wong should send the current Israeli ambassador, Hillel Newman , home, but not break diplomatic ties with Israel. 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. The Israeli military constantly announces internal investigations and then we hear nothing more, at least here in five cases they have announced the results of the investigations … And only now are we being told that these matters, some of these matters, are going to be referred to criminal investigation. Well, what the hell have they been doing for the last two, two and a half years? There’s no confidence either in the appropriateness, the thoroughness of the internal investigations or of any criminal prosecutions that may flow. The review conducted by the Australian appointee was itself a very soft touch, I have to say. The recommendations that were made, apology, reparations were the very least that could have been expected. And yet the Israeli authorities are not even responding to those. It’s a ridiculous situation. Continue reading...