'Cold and indifferent': Australian human rights lawyer in Tel Aviv calls Penny Wong's response to Israel 'disappointing' amid escalations with Iran

Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky has criticised the Albanese government for urging Israel to exercise 'restraint' as tensions between the country and Iran continue to escalate.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also called for 'de-escalation' following strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites by Israel last week, which Iran responded to by launching rockets and drones at Israel.
'Obviously this is a very perilous situation. It's a very risky situation,' Senator Wong told the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday.
'We urge de-escalation, we urge restraint, we urge dialogue and diplomacy, and that call has been reflected by like-minded partners.'
Speaking from outside a damaged building in a residential area of Tel Aviv, Mr Ostrovsky told Sky News on Monday there were 'no military targets in sight' of the area hit by the strike.
'Every single person has been in a shelter, myself, my family included. So whereas Israel is acting in its' inarguable right of self defence, what Iran is doing is a gross war crime,' he said.
The human rights lawyer called Senator Wong's call for restraint 'disappointing' and questioned if such restraint would be urged if Australia faced the threat that Israel currently is.
'Australia's response, and I say this as also an Australian that's been in and out of shelters, has been somewhat, perhaps, cold and indifferent,' Mr Ostrovsky said.
'I can tell you that if Australia was threatened with annihilation, if Australia had to sustain hundreds upon hundreds of ballistic missile attacks... I don't think Australia would show such restraint and nor should Israel be expected to.'
Bar-llan University professor of politics Gerald Steinberg, who also spoke to Sky News from Israel, described dramatic scenes of Israelis seeking refuge in bunkers as Tehran launched strikes at the country.
'It's been four relatively sleep deprived days and mostly nights... it's a very surrealistic scenario here,' professor Steinberg told Sky News Host Chris Kenny on Monday, speaking from Jerusalem.
He said locals only had around 15 minutes to retreat to bunkers after warnings were issued of incoming Iranian missiles - which could be launched in 'batches of 50, sometimes 100'.
'There are public shelters all over the city of Jerusalem, all over Israel... so you meet your neighbours, you sit there, you listen to the booms of the interceptions,' professor Steinberg said.
'Unfortunately, sometimes some of the missiles hit and you wonder if everybody's OK afterwards. It's a very stressful time.
'I think the children are having the roughest time of it because you have to explain to them why these people who are thousands of miles away from us in Iran hate us so much, they want to kill everybody.'
Former deputy mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum shed light on the cost to human life in the deadly conflict, adding the military drones do not "discriminate on who they are wanting to kill", before revealing a six day old baby was pulled from the rubble on Monday morning.
"Our civilian centres are under attack in a war that we didn't start," she told Sky News host Andrew Bolt.
"It's not that this has come out of nowhere. We know that the Islamic Republic of Iran was going towards a point of no return with nuclear weapons.
"We know they've called for the annihilation of Israel many, many, times. It is their aim."
"We know that for the past 20 years all they've done is build their proxies around Israel to choke Israel with Hamas, with the Houthis, with Hezbollah, with Shia elements in Iraq."
Ms Nahoum further asserted Israel's ultimate obligation is to defend its civilians and its country.
"Unfortunately, we are going now through those pains of having to fight a war for Western civilisation, because the Islamic Republic of Iran only wants to start with Israel, but wants to finish with complete caliphate around the world," she said.
"There are ideologues and this is what they want.
"They say death to Israel, death to America.''
Sky News contributor Chris Uhlmann also shared his support for Israel in the escalating war and argued the nation had no other choice "than to do what it did".
"Don't forget that Iran is dedicated to the destruction of Israel," he said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has defended the nation's right to benefit from nuclear energy and research to serve national interests following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim its attack on the country was essential to prevent the creation of nuclear weapons.
'We stand firm in achieving this right and fear no power in securing what is rightfully ours,' Mr Pezeshkian said.
'No one has the right to deny this right to the Islamic Republic.'
In a recorded message Mr Netanyahu said Israel's deadly attacks on Iran are intended to destabilise the country's nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile factories and many of its military capabilities.
As both forces in the Middle East embark on a retaliatory war, Mr Netanyahu affirmed Operation Rising Lion will continue for 'as many days as it takes to remove this threat'.

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