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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to condemn Israel, saying “no country is perfect”, following a report by Amnesty International stating that the country was “practicing apartheid”.
“Australia has been one of Israel’s closest and strongest friends of any country in the world except the United States. “And we continue to be a very strong friend of Israel,” Morrison told reporters in Sydney when asked if he would condemn Israel and reconsider relations after the report.
“There is criticism of all countries, but I can assure you that Australia and my government, in particular, will remain a staunch friend of Israel,” he added.
Prime Minister Morrison’s comments were criticized by the Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network, which said Canberra was defending Israel from responsibility.
“We know that not all countries are perfect, but not all countries commit crimes against humanity,” Nasser Mashni, the group’s vice president, was quoted as saying by ABC News.
He urged the Australian government to take Amnesty’s report seriously and to impose an arms embargo on Israel and withdraw its envoy.
Shadow Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also urged the Morrison government to carefully consider the report.
“The report’s findings are worrying and we expect the government to take a closer look at it, assess the situation on the ground and make representations about Australia’s views,” Wong told the Australian broadcaster.
London-based human rights watchdog Amnesty International released a report Tuesday claiming that Israeli authorities were implementing “a system of repression and domination against the Palestinian people wherever they have control over their rights.”
“Mass confiscations of Palestinian land and property, illegal killings, violent transfers, drastic restrictions on movement and denial of nationality and citizenship to Palestinians are all components of an apartheid system,” the report said.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch published a similar report last year that labeled Israel an “apartheid” state.
The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is occupied territory under international law, making all Jewish settlements illegal.
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