Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she believes Israeli solider sexual assault allegations by flotilla activists

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says she believes allegations from Australian women of sexual assault by Israeli forces while detained as part of a flotilla trying to reach Gaza.

In a fiery Senate Estimates exchange with Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi on Thursday, Senator Wong labelled the claims by Global Sumud Flotilla activists as “horrific”.

“My principal position is to always believe women when allegations of sexual assault are made,” Senator Wong said.

“We have made our representations to Israel at Prime Minister level and at diplomatic level in relation both to treatment and in relation to Israel’s refusal to grant consular access in accordance with its international obligations.

“Those allegations are terrible, they are horrific, and that treatment is unacceptable.

“I express my empathy to those women for whom that was done.

“If you look at my career, my view is that you should believe, and I believe, women who come forward with these assertions.”

Senator Wong also questioned if Senator Faruqi had sought consent to raise the allegations, some of which she detailed, in Parliament House on Thursday.

“I feel a difficulty in responding to specific private details in a public forum like this, it’s not the way in which I would like the discussion of these awful events to be conducted,” Senator Wong said.

Senator Faruqi responded by saying “this is public information”.

Eleven Australians were among 430 flotilla participants on the vessel attempting to deliver aid to Gaza when they were intercepted and detained on May 18.