Anthony Albanese has hardened Labor’s position on Israel, declaring the West Bank and Gaza as “Occupied Palestinian Territories” and Israeli settlements as “illegal”, in a move to appease the party’s Left and avoid embarrassing challenges to his authority at next week’s national ALP conference.
The policy shift, orchestrated by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, will place the government out of step with its closest ally, the United States, while aligning Australia’s position more closely with those of the EU, Britain and New Zealand.
The Labor caucus signed off on the move on Tuesday in its last meeting before the ALP conference in Brisbane, where hard-Left unions and party activists have threatened motions attacking the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact and seeking recognition of a Palestinian state by the next Labor government.
But Senator Wong said the new policy position was consistent with that of past Australian governments and UN Security Council resolutions “which determined the settlements had no legal validity and constitute a violation of international law”. She said Australia remained a “committed friend of Israel”, recognising the country’s right to defend itself in a “uniquely challenging security environment”.
Read the article by Ben Packham in The Australian.