In capitulating to left-wing pressure to make another futile gesture against Israel, the Albanese government is wrong on the international law, wrong on the morality of the situation and probably wrong on the politics.
The previous Coalition government decided very deliberately not to refer to the West Bank and Gaza Strip as occupied territories.
They are, rightly, described as disputed territories.
Here’s a news flash for Canberra. The Ottoman Turks are unavailable to resume sovereignty.
Prior to Israel taking control of the West Bank in a war of self-defence, the previous occupying power of the West Bank was Jordan.
Jordan bears this resemblance to the Ottoman Turks: it, too, is not available to resume sovereignty of the territory.
If Israel’s presence in the West Bank is illegal, that implies Israel should simply withdraw. Yet if it did so, there would immediately be a Palestinian civil war, as happened in Gaza when Israel withdrew from there. The extremists would take over and begin launching attacks on Israel, as they constantly promise to do. This would lead to all-out war and reoccupation by Israel.
Read the article by Greg Sheridan in The Australian.