Two government MPs and human rights experts have called for Israel’s largest weapons companies to be removed from a defence conference in Sydney next week, which is sponsored by the state government.
The call comes after a UN commission of inquiry found Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, and after warnings the Australian government may be breaching its international obligations by trading with weapons companies linked to alleged war crimes.
An Australian subsidiary of Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, and the state-owned company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are listed as exhibitors at the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition. The event will provide an opportunity to showcase weapons to buyers.
The companies have been criticised by a former member of the UN commission of inquiry, Chris Sidoti, for being “key enablers 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”.
That claim has been supported by the Australian international law expert Donald Rothwell, who said “the Israeli military-industrial complex is directly implicated in Israel’s alleged acts of genocide in Gaza”.
The Labor MP Cameron Murphy, a long-term supporter of Palestine, said he was “appalled we are hosting companies that are complicit in genocide to exhibit in Sydney”.
“We’ve got serious legal obligations in terms of what we do, given the findings about a plausible case for genocide, so why on earth are we allowing them to exhibit?” Murphy said.
“It just seems extraordinary that we have an event like this with these people involved. It becomes a lightning rod for action and protest.”
Elbit Systems and Rafael were both contacted for comment.
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Another Labor MP, Anthony D’Adam, told Guardian Australia he agreed that the companies should not be allowed to exhibit.
Earlier this week, the City of Sydney council condemned the conference. The lord mayor, Clover Moore, was expected to write to the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, urging him to “support the course of peace, not violence”.
Key stakeholders of the event include the defence department and a group called AMDA Foundation, which facilitates discussions between the military and weapons companies. The foundation was also a key organiser of the Land Forces conference in Melbourne last year, which attracted significant protest.
Sidoti said the defence department’s involvement in the conference as a “key stakeholder” raised questions about whether it was complying with its international obligations after the inquiry’s report.
“Clearly, it shouldn’t be happening,” Sidoti said. “[Defence’s] involvement constitutes failing to act to prevent genocide, failing to act to ensure respect for the fourth Geneva convention and aiding and assisting the perpetuation of Israeli unlawful acts.”
Defence was contacted for a response to Sidoti’s comments. Elbit Systems has been paid close to $1bn to work on defence projects. Rafael also has major projects with the Australian government.
Marcus Strom, the convener of Labor against War, said the grassroots group that includes branch members from across the country was “very concerned” by the presence of Elbit Systems and Rafael at the expo.
“The NSW government needs to consider whether this makes it liable for any complaints of aiding and abetting such crimes,” Strom said.
A spokesperson for the NSW industry minister, Anoulack Chanthivong, said the state government was not paying international companies to attend and was not involved in planning the expo, despite sponsoring it.
“The commonwealth government retains full responsibility for all matters relating to the procurement of defence assets,” the spokesperson said.
Lara Khider, the acting executive director of the Australian Centre for International Justice, said allowing the companies to showcase their weapons raised “profound ethical questions” and allowed them to “expand their profits and operations”.
Rafael’s website states it plans to highlight its “combat-proven capabilities” at the conference and outline how it can “deliver the range, lethality and impactful projection needed to deter through denial”.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the AMDA Foundation said the conference enabled “access to emerging technologies, industrial solutions and global expertise that contribute to Australia’s sovereign capability and maritime security”.
The Palestine Action Group has warned it plans to “peacefully blockade” the event from early Tuesday morning.
“It’s up to us, the people of this country, to yet again standing up for international law,” a spokesperson for the group, Josh Lees, told reporters on Tuesday.
