Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that "no country is perfect" in response to a new report by Amnesty International stating that "Israel" has committed the international injustice in apartheid, as a violation of human rights and a violation of public international law.

"Australia has been one of Israel's closest and strongest friends of any country in the world except the United States. And we continue to be a very strong friend of Israel," Morrison told reporters in Sydney when asked if he would condemn "Israel" and re-evaluate government relations after the report.

"No country is perfect and there is criticism of all countries, but I can assure you that Australia and my government, in particular, will remain a firm friend of Israel," he added.

Morrison is a longtime supporter of Israel, which at the beginning of his tenure flirted with the relocation of the Australian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, brushing off Amnesty's findings.

"We do not agree with the claims of Amnesty's report, and we remain ardent supporters of the State of Israel," said Foreign Secretary Spokeswoman Mary Payne.

The Labor opposition also said the use of the term apartheid was "unhelpful" - but it described Amnesty's detailed report as "touching" and urged the government to "stand up for human rights everywhere".

The "shadow" foreign affairs spokeswoman Janet Rice criticized Morrison's remarks as "weak and unfounded" and said she would write to Secretary of State Payne to "spur a response to Amnesty's strong report".

"The Australian government needs to start recognizing Palestine," Senator Rice said.

"The Australian Greens have called for a halt to military trade with governments that they claim have committed human rights violations, including Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines and Saudi Arabia as well as Israel."

"If we refuse to make violations of the human rights of Allied countries, we have no position to call them anywhere."

Australian Shadow Secretary of State Penny Wong has urged the Morrison government to scrutinize the report.

"The report's findings are worrying, and we expect the government to take a closer look at it, assess the situation on the ground and make presentations about Australia's views," Wong told the Australian Broadcasting Network.

"We do not agree with the use of the term 'apartheid'. It is not a term recognized by any international court and is not helpful in advancing the meaningful dialogue and negotiations necessary to achieve a just and lasting peace," Wong added.

Nikita White, an activist at Amnesty International Australia, said the prime minister's response to the report was "particularly disappointing".

"While he is right that no country is perfect, not all countries commit crimes against humanity, and when they do, Amnesty International believes that Australia has a duty to condemn these crimes but also a duty to act," White said in an interview.

"The prime minister should consider whether remaining a sworn friend will contribute to the apartheid system and the suffering of the Palestinians living under this system."

Amnesty International also called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to consider "apartheid crime in its current OPT investigation" and called on all countries to "exercise universal jurisdiction to prosecute apartheid crime perpetrators".

On Monday, one day before Amnesty International published its report, Israel called on the group not to publish the report, saying that the conclusions of the London-based international human rights organization were "false, biased and anti-Semitic".

In a statement issued that day, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said that Amnesty "is just another radical organization that echoes propaganda, without seriously examining the facts," and that it "echoes the same common lies of terrorist organizations."

"Israel is not perfect, but we are a democracy committed to international law, open to scrutiny, with a free press and a strong and independent judiciary," Lapid argued.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry also said that Amnesty's report "denies the right of the State of Israel to exist as the nation state of the Jewish people."

"The extreme language and distortion of its historical context are intended to demonize Israel and pour oil on the bonfire of anti-Semitism," they added.