Foreign Minister Julie Bishop expresses concern over new Israeli settlements
Updated
The Australian Government is "concerned" about the significant recent settlement announcement in the West Bank, a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says.
On Tuesday, Israel declared it would build 2,500 more homes in the occupied West Bank, just two days after announcing plans for more than 500 new settler homes in occupied East Jerusalem.
The moves indicates the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu is emboldened by the election of Donald Trump, who has signalled he will be less critical of settlements than his predecessor.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told senior ministers he was lifting restrictions on settlement construction "across the board".
Last month, the UN Security Council passed resolution 2334 which condemned Israeli settlements on land the Palestinians want for a future state.
Australia was one of the only countries to speak out against the resolution in support of Israel, with Prime Minister Turnbull calling it "deeply unsettling".
The ABC understands Australia took the strong stance against 2334 because the Turnbull Government thought it was "one sided" and "unfair" against Israel.
But an Australian official, speaking on background, told the ABC Australia's bipartisan position in support of a two-state solution still stands, which is why the office of Ms Bishop felt it had to express its concern over the new settlement announcement.
"This is a significant expansion deep in the West Bank that does have the capacity to undermine the credibility of a two-state solution," the official told the ABC.
"2334 was seen as singling out Israel unfairly which is why it was opposed," the official explained. "But our support for the two-state solution still stands."
The ABC sought comment from Israeli officials on Ms Bishop's new statement but they declined.
On Tuesday, Izzat Abdulhadi, the head of the Palestinian diplomatic delegation in Australia, sent a letter to Ms Bishop, immediately after the new settlements were announced.
The letter, which the ABC has seen, called on the Turnbull Government to apply pressure on Israel to halt its "illegal settlement activities and abide by international law".
"It is evident that the Israeli Government is exploiting the election of the Trump administration to escalate its illegal settlement project and ultimately prevent the existence of an independent Palestinian state," Mr Abdulhadi told Ms Bishop.
Apart from expressing concern at the new settlements, Ms Bishop's office also said Australia continued "to call on both sides to avoid unilateral actions that diminish the prospects of a negotiated two-state solution".
This has already earnt the ire of Palestinian officials, with a spokesman for the Palestinian Liberation Organisation Xavier Abu Eid tweeting "How concerned could Israel be about a statement that equates occupier and occupied?"
The statement of concern regarding the new settlements from Ms Bishop's office comes after a Palestinian official last week called Australia's position on the Middle East Peace Process "extreme".
Dr Hanan Ashrawi, an executive committee member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, said Australia was choosing to stand on the "wrong side of the law" by refusing to back resolution 2334.
Topics: world-politics, unrest-conflict-and-war, israel, palestinian-territory-occupied
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