Australia reinstates term ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ for West Bank

The Australian government has described illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank as a breach of international law and decided to officially reinstate the term “Occupied Palestinian Territories” to refer to the area.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said at the Parliament House on Tuesday that Canberra would move to “strengthen the government’s objection to settlements by affirming that they are illegal under international law and a significant obstacle to peace,” Australia’s public news service ABC News reported.

Wong noted that by referring to “Occupied Palestinian Territories,” Australia would be bringing itself in line with the terminology employed by multiple other countries, as well as resolutions from the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.

“Australia is … returning to the term Occupied Palestinian Territories and the point I’d make is that it is consistent with UN Security Council resolutions, it is consistent with the approach taken by key partners including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the European Union,” she said, according to the report.

Watchdog reports record surge in Israeli settlement plans in West Bank

The anti-settlement organization Peace Now says Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet has advanced the highest number of illegal settlers units across the occupied West Bank in the first six months of the current year.

“So, this is a term which has been used, including on past occasions by past foreign ministers and past governments,” Wong added.

“In adopting the term, we are clarifying that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (al-Quds) and Gaza, were occupied by Israel following the 1967 War, and that the occupation continues,” she said.

According to Wong, the Australian government had engaged with the Israeli ambassador on the issue because it remained “a committed friend of Israel.”

Since 2014, Australian officials have avoided using the words “occupied” or “occupation” when referring to the West Bank. According to the Australian Broadcast Corporation, prior to that year, the usage of these terms was inconsistent.

Palestine lauds Australia’s decision

For its part, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry lauded the Australian government’s decision, terming it in line with international law and international legitimacy.

It emphasized that the move reflects not only the position of the Labor Party and its members, but also the Australian people at large, who support the just and legitimate rights of Palestinian people, including their right to establish a sovereign independent state on the 1967 borders with East al-Quds as its capital.

Hamas slams Israeli plan to build new settlements, calls it ‘open aggression’ on Palestinians

Hamas lashes out at an Israeli plan to build over 5,000 new settler units in the West Bank as “open aggression” on Palestinians.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in over 279 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East al-Quds.

While all Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, the occupying regime has stepped up settlement expansion in blatant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed in 2014. Among the major sticking points in those negotiations was Israel’s continued illegal settlement expansion.

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