Amnesty International has called on the Australian government to unequivocally condemn “crimes against humanity” after the prime minister dismissed the group’s assessment that Israel is perpetrating apartheid against Palestinians.
Scott Morrison told reporters “no country is perfect”, in response to Amnesty’s 280-page report on Israel. A spokesperson for the foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, told Guardian Australia: “We do not agree with the report’s characterisations of Israel, and we remain a firm supporter of the state of Israel.”
The Labor opposition also said the use of the term apartheid was “not helpful” – but it described Amnesty’s detailed report as “concerning” and urged the government to “stand up for human rights everywhere”.
Amnesty International said it had concluded that Israel had “perpetrated the international wrong of apartheid, as a human rights violation and a violation of public international law”.
The London-based human rights organisation said it had “demonstrated that Israel has imposed a system of oppression and domination over Palestinians wherever it exercises control over the enjoyment of their rights – across Israel and the OPT [Occupied Palestinian Territories] and with regard to Palestinian refugees”.
Israel’s government swiftly dismissed the report, saying the findings were “divorced from reality”. It also accused Amnesty of antisemitism.
When asked directly about the report’s findings, and whether his government would condemn Israel over the matter, Morrison said Australia – together with the US – had been among “the closest and strongest friends of Israel”.
“No country is perfect,” Morrison said. “There are criticisms made of all countries, but I can assure you that Australia and my government, in particular, will remain a staunch friend of Israel.”
Nikita White, a campaigner with Amnesty International Australia, said the prime minister’s response to the report was “particularly disappointing”.
“While he’s right that no country is perfect, not all countries commit crimes against humanity, and when they do, Amnesty International believes that Australia has an obligation to condemn these crimes but also an obligation to act,” White said in an interview.
“The prime minister needs to consider whether remaining a staunch friend will contribute to this system of apartheid and the suffering of Palestinians who are living under that system.”
White said it was not good enough to raise concerns behind the scenes, because the Amnesty report “builds on a growing consensus that what Israel is doing amounts to apartheid”.
Payne’s spokesperson said Australia was a strong supporter of a two-state solution “with Israel and a future Palestinian state establishing internationally recognised borders”.
“The conflict between the Palestinians and Israel must be resolved so that peace and security can become normalised,” Payne’s spokesperson said.
“We have always urged all parties to refrain from actions and statements that undermine the prospects for peace.”
The Greens senator Janet Rice said she would be writing to Payne “to urge a response to Amnesty’s powerful report”.
“The PM’s ‘no country is perfect’ is a feeble and absurd response,” Rice said.
Labor’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Penny Wong, said the report’s findings were concerning. “We expect the government to review it closely, assess the situation on the ground, and make representations about Australia’s view,” Wong said.
“Labor does not agree with the use of the term ‘apartheid’. It’s not a term that’s been found to apply by any international court and is not helpful in progressing the meaningful dialogue and negotiation necessary to achieve a just and enduring peace.”
Israel’s foreign minister, Yair Lapid, had earlier rejected the report, saying: “Amnesty quotes lies spread by terrorist organisations.”
“I hate to use the argument that if Israel were not a Jewish state, nobody in Amnesty would dare argue against it, but in this case, there is no other possibility,” Lapid said, adding: “Israel is not perfect, but it is a democracy committed to international law and open to scrutiny, with a free press and strong supreme court.”
White said the foreign minister’s response was “not unexpected” and said Amnesty International “stands against discrimination of any kind, including antisemitism”.
She said Amnesty had “a long history of reporting on Hamas’s human rights abuses and the human rights abuses of several Palestinian armed groups and the Palestinian Authority as well”.
The executive director of the Australian Centre for International Justice, Rawan Arraf, said Morrison “would benefit from looking up the crime of apartheid in our criminal code”.
“It’s a serious criminal offence which Australia has an obligation to prevent and punish,” Arraf said.
“Australia was also a strong supporter of the apartheid regime in South Africa, and it took a widespread movement of ordinary people, civil society and unions to come together and force change, this needs to happen again here.”
Israel’s embassy in Canberra was contacted for comment but directed Guardian Australia to the statement from the foreign minister.
