Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has distanced the Turnbull government from a communique agreed by ministers and diplomats of 70 nations, including Australia, concerning the pathways to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The concluding statement called on both sides to “take urgent steps in order to reverse the current negative trends on the ground”, including acts of violence and the construction of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories.
The communique specifically welcomed resolution 2334, passed by the UN Security Council last month, which declared the settlements violated international law and called on Israel to immediately cease all settlement activity.
Following the conference, Ms Bishop distanced the Australian government from the contents of the concluding statement, insisting the government did not necessarily agree with everything its diplomats had agreed to in Paris.
Read the full article by Michael Koziol at The Sydney Morning Herald.