Albanese demands explanation why Australia voted against Gaza inquiry

Anthony Albanese has asked the government to explain why Australia voted against a UN human rights council push to hold an independent investigation into the killings of Palestinian protesters in Gaza.

The council voted on Friday night to establish an investigation into the Gaza killings, which left at least 60 people dead and more than 1,000 injured following violent clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters.

The “March of Return” protests coincided with the United States opening its embassy in Jerusalem, the culmination of Donald Trump’s promise to recognise the city as Israel’s capital, reversing almost 70 years of American foreign policy.

Following the deaths, 29 countries sitting on the council voted in favour of an independent investigation while another 14 abstained. Only Australia, which joined the UNHRC last October, and the United States voted no.

Speaking on Insiders, Albanese questioned whether the response from the Israeli forces was equal to what they were facing from protesters.

“International law requires a proportionate response, and those people who have guns on one side and, on the other side has rocks, the people with guns have a responsibility to act in a way which is proportionate and people have seen this acted out on their television screen in the last week,” the shadow minister for transport and infrastructure said.

“Certainly, I think the government needs to explain why it has opposed this independent investigation.”

In opposing the vote, Australian officials said they were concerned the investigation was biased towards finding fault before any investigation began. “Australia was of the opinion that the inquiry must also acknowledge the role of Hamas, which was not mentioned at all,” the summary of the meeting read.

“Furthermore, the draft resolution did not just cover Gaza where the events had occurred and the time period during which it had occurred, but had an unlimited time period and all areas. Australia was very concerned that it was not independent and impartial.”

But Albanese, who sits on the left of Labor’s factional divide, said an investigation was “in the interests of all”.

“And no doubt, as with everything in the Middle East, it would find, if it were an appropriate investigation, that all the fault wasn’t on one side, no doubt there has been provocation in Gaza,” he said.

Albanese would not state his position in regards to recognising Palestine as a country ahead of the Labor national conference, to be held in July.

“I’ll wait and see what the debate is at the national conference and determine my position based on my longstanding view that you need a two-state solution in the Middle East, with a state of Palestine, with a state of Israel, both of them having secure borders and making sure that is in the interests of Palestinians and Israelis,” he said.

Australia’s decision to oppose the vote has been roundly criticised by human rights groups, who said Australia had broken the promises it made when joining the UNHRC, to uphold human rights.