Australia reviews military export permits to Israel: Report

Australia is carrying out a review of all the 66 military export permits for Israel that were approved before the invasion of Gaza last year, the Guardian reported on Saturday, citing Defense Ministry sources.

The licenses are being weighed up by the Department of Defense on a case-by-case basis, and considering how it fits with Australia's international obligations, including with regard to human rights.

"As circumstances in the Middle East evolve, Australia continues to scrutinize pre-existing export permits to Israel to ensure they align with our calibrated approach," the newspaper cited an unnamed defense spokesperson as saying.

The review comes after an application from the Australian Centre for International Justice to Defense Minister Richard Marles in April, calling for annulment of all current export permits to Tel Aviv and to other countries which might later make them available to Israel.

Canberra has repeatedly said it has not supplied weapons or ammunition to Israel since the war broke out, and it continues to maintain that position.

The federal government, however, has faced criticism for failing to be transparent about what each permit covers.

Canberra has also defended its supply of parts for the global supply chain for the F-35 fighter aircraft. Israel has used F-35 aircraft in Gaza, where it has killed more than 42,000 people since the Hamas cross-border incursion and reduced the enclave to a rubble.

According to the Defense Ministry, Australia is not a major defense exporter to Israel, but permits are required for a range of items, including IT equipment, software, radios, electronic components and dual-use goods.

Australia has issued about 247 permits that relate to Israel since 2019, of which about 66 remain active, according to officials.

The Greens, Australia's third-largest political party, has demanded an end to all two-way military trade with Israel, with the party's defense spokesperson, David Shoebridge, saying Australia must not do anything to "embolden Israel to continue the genocide."

But the government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pushed back at the idea of ending contracts with Israeli companies that supply goods for use by the Australian Defense Force and police.

The Australian Centre for International Justice welcomed the review, saying the development is the result of a sustained pressure from the protest movement, and the public to cut exports to the "rogue" state.

"For the past 12 months, the Australian government has been put on notice from the ICJ, the ICC, UN bodies, and countless international organisations about Israel's long catalogue of violations of international law. We're calling for a full arms embargo, no imports, no exports, no transfers," the center said in a statement posted on X.

Human rights defender Rawan Arraf said: "For 12 months the Govt has been happy to muddy the waters & feed misinformation on its arms exports regime to the rogue state."

"There is no excuse for the long delay in reviewing current arms exports. The review must also include scrutiny of exports that are ending up in Israel," she said in a post on X.