London: Britain's Foreign Secretary says he has had "frank" talks with Benjamin Netanyahu over the Israeli Prime Minister's major expansion of "illegal settlements" in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Mr Johnson tweeted on Wednesday local time that he had conducted "friendly and frank" discussions with Mr Netanyahu during his visit to Jerusalem.Â
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Boris Johnson talks peace with Israeli PM
Mentioning trade and peace in the Israel, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson meets with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
"[We] discussed Two State solution, trade & concern over illegal settlements," Mr Johnson said.
Mr Johnson's pointed reference to Israel's "illegal settlements" is in stark contrast to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who has refused to say whether the government considers Israel's expansion into the occupied territories as "illegal".
![British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson previously advocated Australia's points-based immigration system in the Brexit campaign last year.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170310145857im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/k/5/s/z/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1488415842557.png)
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson with Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in London in February. Photo: Jack Taylor/Pool
Fairfax Media asked Ms Bishop if she believes the settlements are "illegal" during her visit to London to meet Mr Johnson two weeks ago.Â
Ms Bishop did not condemn Israel's settlements and said their legality was still to be decided.
I asked Foreign Minister @JulieBishopMP if Australia believes Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal. pic.twitter.com/RvrjcfTJlM
— Latika M Bourke (@latikambourke) February 23, 2017
![Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Wednesday 8 ...](/web/20170310145857im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/t/x/2/4/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gutwy9.png/1489024733166.jpg)
"That's a matter for the final determination of the negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Ms Bishop said.Â
"The point that I've always made is that you can't have unilateral imposition of the state, it has to be negotiated between the Israelis and the Palestinians," she said.
"And the question of the borders that must be internationally recognised will be one of the fundamental issues to be determined in those negotiations," she said.
The international community considers Israeli settlements illegal under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel rejects that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to their activities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
In one of his last acts as US president, Barack Obama did not use the United States' veto power to block a resolution condemning and demanding an end to Israel's building of settlements.
Australia did not have a seat on the UN Security Council and did not have a vote. But Ms Bishop has said Australia would not have supported the resolution. On the day of Mr Netanyahu's recent visit to Australia, Mr Turnbull went further and said Australia would never support "one-sided resolutions criticising Israel".Â
Split on Syria
Australia and Britain are also divided on the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Â
British Prime Minister Theresa May believes Dr Assad must go but Ms Bishop says the international community has moved on from this demand and accepts that the Syrian leader will be part of the transition.
The prime minister's spokesman denied Mrs May was out of step with the international community.Â
"We've been very clear, as you've seen what's happened in Syria there could be no future role for Assad in that country," the spokesman said.
"We've been very clear there needs to be a transition to a new non-sectarian government and we continue to work with our partners in the world to see that brought about," he said.