Zomi Frankcom killing. Press Club takes on Israel’s ambassador
Israel’s ambassador, Hillel Newman, spoke at the National Press Club today and encountered something he perhaps did not expect: Journalists are doing their jobs. Joshua Barnett reports.
Hillel Newman was a controversial but unsurprising choice as Israel’s new ambassador to Australia. He is a vocal supporter of Israel’s war against humanity and openly discredited The legitimacy of the UN.
Given our mainstream media’s tacit support for Israel, Newman might have expected the typical softball questions, but instead he was faced with a fairly wide range of important questions that Australians would like answered; These include the case of Australian Aid worker Zomi Frankcom, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike in 2024.
The most notable view came from SBS World News’ Anna Henderson, who used her question to conflate the deaths of journalists and aid workers into one clear challenge. Henderson began to speak:
“I would also like to use this opportunity to commemorate the journalists and aid workers who were killed while doing their jobs internationally.”
Before moving directly to the murder of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom. He told Newman:
“Israeli defense sources tell us that the investigation into the Israeli drone strike that killed Zomi Frankcom in Gaza has been shelved and no investigation will be opened for two years.
“What is the status of the military Chief Prosecutor’s investigation into the death of Zomi Frankcom, will the Israel Defense Forces release the audio of the drone strike so that the evidence is transparent, will anyone be prosecuted, or was this, in your opinion, one of the tragic mistakes?”
Newman did not answer these questions clearly. His first reaction was, “I’ve never heard of it being on the shelf,” and then he said, “It may not have been updated, I’ll check.”
As for the missing drone audio, he claimed that Australian special Counsel Mark Binskin had been given “full access to what was available”, but when Henderson and others pointed out that Binskin was, in his words, unable to pick up the audio, Newman eventually conceded: “I should have checked that out.”
The mood was tense as Sky News presenter Tom Connell pressed Newman further, pointing out that Binskin had personally admitted that the IDF would not give him the audio.
Murder of Zomi Frankcom
The public record is already clear on some basic issues. Zomi Frankcom was killed along with six other World Central Kitchen employees in Gaza on April 1, 2024.
The Australian special counsel’s report said: The IDF’s initial investigation found that the strike “should not have occurred”, that workers were not deliberately or knowingly targeted, and that the Chief Military Prosecutor (MAG) was considering possible follow-up action. The report also recommended that Australia seek regular updates on the MAG process.
But almost two years later, the audio file has still not been made public, and in September 2024, Penny Wong said that Israel had not responded to Australia’s request.
Elbit: How did Australia help finance the IDF’s killing of Zomi Frankcom and the massacre in Gaza?
Then came the simplest question of the day from Nine’s Andrew Probyn: “Will Israel apologize to Zomi Frankcom’s family?” Newman wouldn’t do that. The only thing he could do was “be patient with the families.” As for compensation, he said it would depend on the final outcome.
Who gains from this? Governments are buying time. Military systems evade scrutiny. Diplomats are keeping the script.
So who pays? Dead journalists Dead aid workers. Their families. And the people
They were once again asked to accept sympathy over transparency.
Now the questions are very simple. Has the Zomi Frankcom investigation been shelved or not? If not, what is the situation? Why hasn’t the drone audio been released yet? Why was this audio recording of Binskin rejected? If Israel says it can distinguish between journalists and militants, how many confirmed facts are there?
This was the surprise of the Press Club. Journalists did their duty. The ambassador mostly did what diplomats do best: deny, deflect, and ignore questions.
Frankcom investigation summary
Josh is a professional musician and videographer and currently works with Michael West Media to develop The West Report and other visual content across major social media channels.
