January 17, 2024
Security experts and MPs have demanded a Sydney council tear up its sister-city agreement with a known Hezbollah terrorist stronghold in south Lebanon, arguing the "unwise" pact risks giving legitimacy to the militant group.
Bayside Council has a longstanding formal agreement "to explore educational and economic opportunities" with Bint Jbeil, where Hezbollah fighters have launched attacks on northern Israel since the onset of the war.
Two Lebanese-Australian brothers were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Bint Jbeil last month, the older of whom, Ali Bazzi, was claimed by Hezbollah as one of its fighters.
Younger brother Ibrahim was not associated with the organisation and was killed while there to help his wife, who was also killed, migrate to Australia. The three were commemorated in a military-style funeral.
Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson questioned the appropriateness of Bayside's link to a Hezbollah stronghold, despite the community's large Shia Lebanese population.
"Under the Foreign Relations Act, the Foreign Minister has the power to cancel or vary any arrangement that isn't consistent with Australia's foreign policy," Senator Paterson said.
"Minister (Penny) Wong should review this agreement to determine whether it is in the national interest for a council to have links with a city controlled by Hezbollah, a listed terrorist organisation." Hezbollah's military wing was listed as a terrorist organisation in 2003 by the Howard government, before Scott Morrison listed it in its entirety in 2021.
Councils must register any international arrangements including sister-city ties with DFAT under its Foreign Arrangements Scheme to ensure they "do not adversely affect Australia's foreign relations".
Strategic Analysis Australia director Peter Jennings said the agreement "unwise in the extreme" should be cancelled. "The government has the power to end it instantly," he said, citing Mr Morrison ending a controversial Victorian Belt and Road agreement with China in 2021.
"There's also a problem of councils being motivated by the symbolism of international relations . undermining what is a federal responsibility.
"There's a real risk of (it giving Hezbollah legitimacy)." Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, founder of security-focused centre Alma, said Hezbollah "hid and launched" missiles in Bint Jbeil, often from "in between civilian buildings".
A source with intimate knowledge of Lebanon's political landscape, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Bint Jbeil had long been a Hezbollah stronghold after Israeli forces withdrew from the town in the late 1990s. The district is represented by three MPs in the Lebanese parliament, one from Hezbollah's political party and two from the Hezbollahaligned Amal Movement.
The source said in Bint Jbeil there was only a "nominal distinction" between Hezbollah's political and military wings, and Amal worked with the organisation across the area.
"Currently, you can't differentiate between the two (Hezbollah's military and political wings, in southern Lebanon)," he said.
"Amal and Hezbollah work in tandem together, there's little distinction now, because of the conflict." The source said that given Hezbollah's intimidation tactics, it was impossible for any non-aligned politician or party to get a foothold in Bint Jbeil and southern Lebanon. "They have arms, intimidation, and are in total control of the south," he said. "No independent politician can win anyone who tells you they're independent is by name only." The Bayside link, established in 1996, came about given the area's large Lebanese Shia community, many of whom emigrated to Australia from the mid-1970s some as refugees after Israeli occupation of the area and subsequent conflict.
NSW Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig, the area's MP, declined to comment. Bayside Council didn't respond to a request for comment.
