Dan Tehan declares Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s decision to not visit Hamas massacre sites is a ‘missed opportunity’

Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s decision not to visit the site of Hamas massacres during her Israel visit is a “missed opportunity” according to shadow immigration minister Dan Tehan.

Senator Wong de[arted for Jordan on Monday, before heading to Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the United Arab Emirates in a diplomatic tour of the Middle East.

The Foreign Minister said she would use the trip to push for  a “pathway out of the current conflict,” as well as “advocating for an increase in the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance, the upholding of international law and greater protection of civilians, and avoiding regional escalation.”

However, her decision not to tour kibbutzim which saw horrific violence on October 7 has been criticised by the opposition and is likely to concern some Israeli officials.

Speaking to Sky News Australia on Monday, shadow immigration minister Dan Tehan urged Senator Wong to reconsider, arguing the parliament would support her taking “extra time” to view the sites due to their importance.

“While it’s welcome that Penny Wong is travelling to the Middle East, I think it’s taken too long for her to do so,” he said.

“She has to get the balance right and it’s very hard to see how she’s going to get the balance right if she doesn’t travel to the sites where those heinous Hamas massacres took place.

“So, I think the parliament will say to Penny Wong please take a little bit of extra time and go there, because it’s incredibly important on this mission that you get the balance right.

“It’s important for social cohesion back in Australia and I think she should take some extra time and make sure she visits those sites.”

It is understood Senator Wong will not travel to the kibbutzim due to time constraints, with the towns located about 90 minutes away from Jerusalem in southern Israel.

However, the Foreign Minister will meet with survivors of the massacres, along with the families of Israelis taken hostage by Hamas on October 7.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of her departure, the Senator expressed hope that Australia could help bring about an end to the now 100-day war, adding Australia was a “respected voice” in international negotiations.

Despite this, Mr Tehan insisted Senator Wong’s decision represented a “missed opportunity” to send a clear message in support of Israel, arguing it would also have an impact on Australian “social cohesion.”

“I don’t think it points well to how the government has handled this issue right along, it doesn’t seem to have got the balance right, the Israeli community in Australia doesn’t think the government has got the balance right and by omitting this key part of her visit to the Middle East she’s once again not getting the balance right,” he said.

“That is not good for social cohesion in this nation and that is the number one priority of the government, of the Prime Minister, of the Foreign Minister especially when it comes to this issue.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Jewish groups, including the Australian Jewish Association, which said the Foreign Minister’s decision was a source of shock and disappointment.

“Frankly, this is an insult to Israel, to the victims of the terrorism including those still hostage and to the Australian Jewish community. It would have been preferable for Foreign Minister Wong not to go than to behave like this,” said AJA President Dr David Adler.

“The Hamas terror attack and the subsequent war has been the dominant international issue for the last three months. The refusal of our Foreign Minister to visit the place where it began and gain a better first-hand understanding is a clear dereliction of duty.”