Penny Wong, the Foreign Minister, has asked Israel to take explicit actions to stop expanding settlements and address violence from extremist settlers. This follows the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land.
The court’s essential, though not binding, ruling found that Israel violated international law in multiple ways, including actions that amounted to apartheid. The court ordered Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories quickly and to make full reparations for its “internationally wrongful acts.” The advisory opinion stated that the occupation violated international law.
In a statement on Saturday, Wong said the Albanese government has been clear and consistent that settlement activity is illegal under international law and is a significant barrier to peace. She called for specific actions from Israel to address “extremist settler activity” and added that the federal government is carefully considering the details of the opinion to understand the conclusions fully.
“We respect the independence of the court and its critical role in upholding international law and the rules-based order,” the statement said. She added that it has been made apparent by the Australian government that anyone who is suspected of being an extreme settler will not be granted a visa to enter the country.
“A just and lasting peace will require the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for self-determination to be realized,” the statement said. “We want to see clear actions taken by Israel to stop the expansion of settlements and to address extremist settler activity.”
The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network welcomed the ICJ’s ruling, which concluded that Israel was forcibly taking Palestinian lands, amounting to an annexation of large parts of occupied territory. Its president, Nasser Mashni, urged the federal government to support the ICJ ruling and take concrete steps to sanction Israel, including ending trade ties and recalling the Australian ambassador.
“The ICJ has no enforcement powers of its own, and it is now up to the international community – that is, governments – to pressure Israel to dismantle its apartheid regime and its illegal settlements, end decades of systemic oppression, and restore justice for Palestinians,” Mashni said. “This ruling leaves no room for compromise – Australia must take urgent and decisive steps to hold Israel accountable, including strong diplomatic measures and sanctions. Anything less would be a betrayal of this government’s commitment to justice and international law.”
The New Israel Fund Australia said it had warned for many years that Israel couldn’t maintain its status as a liberal democracy while also maintaining a military occupation. “It is possible to invest in peace and security instead of occupation,” it said.
Although it has continuously supported a two-state solution, the federal government has yet to state when it would be ready to acknowledge the state of Palestine. Due to this position, former Labor senator Fatima Payman sided with the Greens on a motion last month stating that the Senate must act quickly to recognize the state of Palestine. Payman left the party shortly after that. Wong had attempted in vain to change the language of the motion to make it clear that Palestine could be recognized as long as a peace process that promoted a two-state solution and a fair and durable peace was in place.
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