The head of Australia's peak Jewish body, Peter Wertheim, has criticized the Labor Party for omitting a call for Hamas to disarm from its draft policy platform, accusing the party of lacking balance.

The dispute has intensified as former Labor MP Michael Danby accused Josh Burns, a Jewish MP, of acting as a 'human shield' for Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

Burns and Bassem Abdo were set to jointly present the platform section on Israel/Palestine at the party's national conference, but infighting over wording threatens to derail the event.

Wertheim argued the platform fails to reflect the government's stance on Hamas and Palestinian Authority commitments, including the requirement for governance reforms.Albanese and Wong have consistently opposed Hamas's role in Gaza, yet the draft platform excludes explicit references to this position.

Danby demanded the platform be rewritten to include these points, highlighting tensions within the party over its stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict.The article also notes the broader implications of the platform's wording for Australia's foreign policy and internal party dynamics.