Labor is vowing to strengthen its objections to ‘illegal’ Israeli settlements ahead of next week’s national conference.
The Australian government will reinstate the term “Occupied Palestinian Territories”, vowing to strengthen its objections to “illegal” Israeli settlements before next week’s Labor party national conference.
The move sparked claims from the Coalition opposition that “the faceless men and women of the Labor party” were dictating foreign policy, but the government maintained it was acting in line with Australia’s key allies.
Some delegates at the Labor national conference in Brisbane are expected to agitate for the party to take a stronger position and commit to a timeframe to recognise Palestinian statehood.
The government has given no indication it is ready to go that far, but has signalled a return to more forthright language about the occupation.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, outlined the position to Labor MPs and senators at Parliament House on Tuesday. In a sign of internal concerns, it was the second time members of caucus have raised questions about Israel in two weeks.
Wong later told the Senate the Australian government was “gravely concerned about alarming trends that are significantly reducing the prospects of peace”.
“The Australian government is strengthening its opposition to settlements by affirming they are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace,” she said.
Read the article by Daniel Hurst and Josh Butler in The Guardian.