This week in Australian foreign affairs: Foreign Minister Penny Wong demands full investigation into wounding of Australian citizen in West Bank; and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles responds to reports of Russian request for Indonesian base access for long-range bombers.

On 15 April, according to the Guardian, Foreign Minister Penny Wong demanded a full review into the wounding of Ranem Abu-Izneid, an Australian dentistry student who lost her eye after being struck by shrapnel in the West Bank in November last year. Palestinian-Australian student Ranem Abu-Izneid, 20, was sheltering with her friend on 15 November 2024 at “Al-Quds University in Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, when she says a bullet fired by Israeli forces penetrated the window. She later lost her right eye.” According to a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, “the Australian government continues to seek updates from Israel into the incident and has made clear that it expects a comprehensive, thorough and transparent investigation to be conducted.” In recent talks with the Israeli foreign minister Wong called for a transparent review.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Richard Marles responded to claims Russia was seeking access to an Indonesian air base to station long range aircraft on 16 April. US military website Janes reported on 15 April that Russia had officially requested to base aircraft at the Manuhua Air Force Base at Biak Numfor in the Indonesian province of Papua. Marles indicated that he was in touch with his Indonesian counterparts who have responded that no Russian aircraft will be station in the country.

Disclaimer: Due to the ongoing Australian government election and disruption to government office media announcements on foreign affairs, we will be sourcing some information from reputable media outlet such as the ABC and SBS.

Dr Adam Bartley is the managing editor for AIIA’s Australian Outlook and weekly columnist for The Week in Australian Foreign Affairs. He is a former Fulbright Scholar and non-resident fellow at the Elliot School for International Affairs, the George Washington University. Adam also has positions as post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation RMIT University and as program manager of the AI Trilateral Experts Group. He can be found on Twitter here.

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