‘Sanctions': Albo's options on Israel

Perth Now

27-05-2025

Anthony Albanese's scathing rebuke of Israel for continuing to restrict aid into Gaza has sparked speculation his government is eyeing sanctions on Australia's Middle East ally.
Israel last week lifted its months-long aid blockade on Gaza.
But despite thousands of lorries packed full of food and critical supplies waiting on the border, fewer than 700 trucks have entered the Palestinian territory, according to Israeli officials.
With Gazans facing famine and photos emerging of severely malnourished children, Australia has joined other major Western countries in condemning the Israeli stranglehold on aid.
The UK, France and Canada have even threatened sanctions – a step Australia could follow, according to a leading international law expert.
Ex-minister Ed Husic on Tuesday called for the Prime Minister to 'move beyond words'.
He said that looked like 'calling in the Israeli ambassador to stress that Australia … expects that humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, be delivered' as well as boosting humanitarian support for Gazans.
Mr Husic also said he suspected sanctions on Israel were 'under active consideration'.
The Albanese government has several 'diplomatic options' it could take before sanctions, ANU professor of international law Donald Rothman told NewsWire.
He said the two main courses of action were summoning the Israeli ambassador and issuing a démarche – a formal letter expressing 'displeasure directly to another government'.
'The next option would be, what are the mechanisms available in the sort of toolbox for Australia to respond, over and above a verbal or a written statement expressing its concern directly to the Israeli government,' Dr Rothman said.
'To that end, there's a suite of sanctions that could be available to the government.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has criticised Israel for restricting the flow of aid. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia
How and what sanctions were imposed would depend on why, but Dr Rothman said it was a safe bet that any sanctions would have a 'military dimension associated with them'.
'There has been an ongoing debate on this question ever since the events of October 7 (2023) about whether or not Australia should impose sanctions on Israel with respect to military to military co-operation and the level of military engagement that exists between the two countries,' he said.
'So that's an obvious area where the Albanese government could focus on.'
But he noted the 'level of military to military engagement between Australia and Israel is nothing comparable to that which exists between the United States and Israel'.
'It would have a minimal impact on the ability of the Israeli military to exercise its right of self-defence,' Dr Rothman said.
If Australian sanctions were part of broader internationals efforts, it would be another story, he said. Ex-minister Ed Husic has called on Mr Albanese to 'move beyond words'. NewsWire / Philip Gostelow Credit: News Corp Australia
In his comments on Tuesday, Mr Husic said it was 'clear' the UK, France and Canada were considering sanctioning Israel.
He said Australia 'should be ready to move when others move as well, to be able to exert maximum international pressure to stop this blockade and to help people in Gaza'.
Dr Rothman said Australian sanctions could sting in a collective approach.
'If Australia was to join like-minded states … one could certainly see Australia seeking to mirror the types of sanctions which ultimately those three states might be moving to impose,' he said.
'And that would mean that cumulatively, the impact would be much better than Australia acting on its own.'
Another avenue open to Australia would be targeted travel bans for 'certain Israeli officials'.
Dr Rothman said they 'would really just be seen as being very symbolic', but targeting Benjamin Netanyahu directly 'would be a very extreme step'.
'The government has sought to not directly criticise Mr Netanyahu and has been very careful in terms of the way in which it's addressed the question of the (International Criminal Court) arrest warrant against (him),' he said.
Getting aid trucks into Gaza has been slow due to inspections and the threat of looting, according to Israeli authorities.
The Israeli Prime Minister last week said his government was committed to preventing starvation in Gaza but wanted to ensure aid could not be 'looted' by Hamas.
Mr Netanyahu said his country's military would set up secure 'distribution points'.
But the plan has drawn ire from the international community.
Australia was among 23 countries that issued a joint statement saying the 'proposed model cannot deliver aid effectively, at the speed and scale required'.
Criticism has only intensified.
Mr Albanese on Monday condemned the trickling in of aid as 'outrageous'.
'People are starving,' he told reporters.
'The idea that a democratic state withholds supply is an outrage.
'That is my clear position. That is one I have indicated clearly and directly to the Israeli government.'
He also condemned Hamas, which triggered the war after raiding Israel on October 7, 2023, slaughtering more than 1200 Jewish men, women and children and taking hundreds more hostage.
Hamas's October 7 assault was the worst lost of Jewish life since the Holocaust.
'Hamas is a terrorist organisation who should have no role in the future of Gaza or the West Bank,' Mr Albanese said.