The government’s sudden decision to refer to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza as ‘occupied Palestinian territories’ is in marked contrast to its relative silence on Iran and other issues in the Middle East.
The decision follows the government’s refusal to sign on to a quite moderate June 2022 US-led statement, endorsed by 22 other countries including the UK, Germany and Canada, criticising the UN Human Rights Council’s plan for a commission of inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. The statement noted that this was a ‘further demonstration of long-standing, disproportionate attention given to Israel’ at the UN. However, at the same time, Australia did deliver a statement at the council expressing fundamental concerns about the commission of inquiry. It reiterated those concerns at the council’s June 2023 session.
In October 2022, Labor reversed the previous government’s position recognising West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Foreign Minister Penny Wong told the parliament: ‘Today the Government has reaffirmed Australia’s previous and longstanding position that Jerusalem is a final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people.’ Wong also said: ‘We’ve rebalanced Australia’s positions in international forums while opposing anti-Israel bias in the UN.’
This has been contradicted by the government’s recognition of East Jerusalem, along with the West Bank, as ‘occupied Palestinian territory’.
Gaza, meanwhile, has not had a physical Israeli presence since 2005 and it has been ruled by Hamas, which has been regarded by Australia as a terrorist entity for financial sanctions since 2001 as part of implementing UN Security Council resolution 1373. It should therefore not be considered ‘occupied’. Moreover, none of the territories in question have ever been part of any Palestinian state, so referring to them as occupied Palestinian territory is objectively incorrect.
Read the article by Oved Lobel in The Strategist.