Australia’s $20m purchase of missiles from an Israeli arms company for its “iron fist” weapons system on infantry vehicles has been condemned as “morally questionable” and reflective of a “troubling acceptance” of Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
The Australian defence department signed a contract with Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, on 1 September, two weeks before a UN commission of inquiry found Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. Details of the contract were not published on the Australian government’s contract database until last week.
The $19.8m contract, which did not go to competitive tender, is for “countermeasure munitions” that can be used by the “iron fist” protection system designed by Elbit Systems. The Israeli arms company won a $917m contract to build the system early last year.
While the defence department argues the system is necessary to protect soldiers, the contract with Elbit Systems has been strongly criticised by the Australian human rights expert Chris Sidoti, who was a member of the UN commission of inquiry.
“Elbit is a key supplier of the Israeli military, a key enabler of the Israel Defense Forces in its commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza over the last two years,” Sidoti said.
“No Australian company should be dealing with Elbit and certainly no part of the Australian government should be dealing with Elbit.”
Elbit Systems has described itself as the “backbone” of the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) drone fleet, which has been used extensively in the assault on Gaza.
Prof Donald Rothwell, an expert in international law at the Australian National University, said Israeli defence companies like Elbit Systems were “directly implicated in Israel’s alleged acts of genocide in Gaza”.
“As such, Australia should not be engaged in any trade that supports that type of activity,” Rothwell said.
Rothwell said Australia was bound by the genocide convention to not supply arms to Israel, but may be legally permitted to buy them from an Israeli company.
“This one-way arms trade from Israel to Australia does not fall within the ambit of the genocide convention [or] the ICJ’s 2024 provisional measures orders,” Rothwell said. “However, it remains morally questionable given this arms trade supports the Israeli military industrial complex.”
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Sidoti, who is also a former Australian human rights commissioner, said “buying any goods or technology from Elbit finances its research and development of further, more sophisticated means of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide”.
“It is a violation of Australia’s international obligations to prevent genocide, to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and not to aid or assist the continuation of Israel’s unlawful activities in any way.
“It is not simply a matter of not providing arms and munitions to Israel. Australia must not have any commercial dealings with Elbit whatsoever.”
A defence spokesperson said the government was unable to ask another weapons company to supply the iron fist munitions as there were only produced by Elbit Systems.
“Australia is not making weapons or ammunition in this country and supplying them to Israel,” the defence spokesperson said.
Lara Khider, the acting executive director of the Australian Centre for International Justice, said the government’s contracts with Elbit Systems were a “clear violation of its obligations to prevent genocide”.
“The interpretation of the obligation to prevent should not be so shallow as to only cover the transfer of arms,” Khider said.
Dr Juliette McIntyre, a specialist in international courts at the University of South Australia, said Australia had an obligation to not provide aid or assistance that would continue Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
“Economic relations that support the ongoing occupation must end,” McIntyre said.
“Moreover, trading arms with a state that is accused by multiple agencies of committing war crimes and genocide erodes the credibility of the rules-based international order, and signals a troubling acceptance from Australia regarding Israel’s conduct.”
The prime minister and senior government ministers have repeatedly condemned Israel’s conduct in Gaza. In May, Anthony Albanese described the blockade of aid into Gaza as “an outrage”. Last month, he formally recognised the state of Palestine.
Greens senator David Shoebridge said international law was “crystal clear” and that “all countries must stop the two-way arms trade with Israel due to the genocide in Gaza”.
Elbit Systems was contacted for comment.
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