Australia will refer to West Bank as ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ in policy change
Australia said its strengthening its opposition to Israeli settlements by “affirming they are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace.”
Australia will resume referring to the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza as the “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” an unofficial policy change after the term fell out of favor over the past decade.
At the Labor Party’s caucus briefing on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government was strengthening its opposition to Israeli settlements in the West Bank by “affirming they are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace.”
The West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza were occupied by Israel following the 1967 Six-Day War.
Most Australian ministers have avoided using the words “occupied” and “occupation” since 2014, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
In a Senate hearing that year, then-Attorney General George Brandis, a member of the centre-right Liberal Party, said the phrase “’occupied’ East Jerusalem” was “freighted with pejorative implications which is neither appropriate nor useful.”
Wong’s announcement was criticised by members of the parliamentary opposition, who questioned her timing just before the Labor Party’s national conference next week.
Simon Birmingham, the opposition’s foreign affairs spokesman, said the decision had “everything to do with managing factional differences ahead of their national conference and nothing to do with advancing a lasting two-state outcome,” according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
The decision also drew ire from the Zionist Federation of Australia and the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which issued a joint statement calling the change in language “inaccurate, ahistorical and counterproductive.”
“Describing East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza as ‘occupied Palestinian territories’ effectively denies any Jewish claim to the West Bank and Jerusalem,” said the groups.
However, Wong said the language is consistent with United Nations Security Council resolutions and used by Australia’s key partners, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the European Union.
The UN Security Council’s resolution 2334 states that “the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under law.”
Last month, the Australian government issued a joint statement with Canada and the United Kingdom to express “grave concern” about Israel approving over 5,700 new settlements in the West Bank, after changing the approval process to allow for faster construction of settlements.
A similar statement from the governments of Australia, Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and the United States condemned Israel’s plan to build 10,000 settlements in the West Bank earlier this year.
After announcing her government’s change in nomenclature, Wong said that she had briefed the Israeli ambassador and Australia remained “a committed friend of Israel.”
The controversy over language comes amid the bloodiest period the West Bank has seen in decades.
More than 190 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military raids and settler violence this year, setting 2023 on track to be the deadliest year for Palestinians since the UN began recording fatalities in 2004. Over two dozen Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian attacks this year.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
