The United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia have jointly condemned Israel's decision to close its internal investigation into the killings of seven World Central Kitchen (WCK) aid workers in Gaza earlier this year, with Australia summoning Israel's ambassador over the matter. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated her country was "outraged" by the Israeli government's decision.
The killings occurred in April 2024 when an Israeli airstrike hit a WCK convoy. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the presence of an armed guard with the convoy had not been flagged to them and that the individual was falsely identified as a Hamas fighter. The IDF also accused the convoy of deviating from a pre-coordinated route. Despite acknowledging "serious failures" in the process that led to the deaths, the IDF concluded that the decisions of the commanders did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct.
However, Wong highlighted that "many unanswered questions" remain, particularly concerning why two further strikes followed minutes after the initial strike, if it was indeed a "catastrophic error."
Poland's foreign ministry echoed these sentiments, expressing "very disappointment" and summoning Israel's ambassador in Warsaw. WCK founder Jose Andres called the decision "wrong" and "painful," advocating for an independent commission to investigate the incident. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously stated the military had "unintentionally" killed the volunteers.
The diplomatic tension also involves broader disagreements, including a recent exchange between UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. Miliband condemned Israel's plans to issue tenders for approximately 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank, calling it an "unacceptable and destructive act" and urging Israel to "halt E1 plans immediately, retract the tender and stop all settlement expansion."
Saar rejected Miliband's statement, asserting the right of Jewish people to live throughout the Land of Israel, drawing a parallel to the right of British people to live in London and throughout the United Kingdom. International law deems Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank to be illegal, and plans for expansion in the E1 area have faced long-standing international condemnation.
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