Will Penny Wong anger Israel for the third UN vote in a row?
The federal government is working to water down a forceful United Nations resolution at the end of the week calling for an arms embargo on Israel and demanding the Jewish state withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza within a year.
The United Nations General Assembly is scheduled to vote on Thursday (Friday AEST) on a Palestinian motion demanding Israel comply with an International Court of Justice (ICJ) opinion, delivered in July, that found Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank was illegal.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has instructed Australian diplomats to soften the wording of the draft resolution.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
While Palestinian advocates are urging the government to back the resolution, Jewish groups said it would be “inconceivable” for Australia to vote any way but against the motion because it was inconsistent with the nation’s longstanding support for a negotiated two-state solution.
The Albanese government has angered Israel with its past two high-profile UN votes on the Israel-Palestine issue by backing a December resolution calling for a ceasefire in the war on Gaza and a May resolution expanding Palestinians’ right to participate at the UN.
Government sources, who were not authorised to speak publicly, said they were concerned the latest resolution, as currently drafted, went beyond the confines of the ICJ finding and that the timing of the vote was an unwelcome distraction from diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war in Gaza.
The sources said Foreign Minister Penny Wong had instructed Australia’s mission to the UN and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to “pursue all diplomatic efforts to address concerns with the draft resolution, including working with like-minded countries”.
A spokeswoman for Wong said: “As you would expect of a responsible government, we are engaging with other countries on the text of the resolution, its implications, including with regards to international law, and whether it appropriately reflects the ICJ advisory opinion.
“Australia respects the independence of the International Court of Justice and its critical role in upholding international law and the rules-based order.
“We have been clear with Israel that it must respect the ICJ’s decisions.”
The eight-page motion calls for nations to implement sanctions on people who are helping Israel maintain control over the Palestinian territories and to take steps to prevent the transfer of arms or munitions that could be used in the West Bank or Gaza.
The resolution demands Israel end its presence in the Palestinian territories within 12 months, stop settlement building and make reparations to Palestinians for any damage caused by the occupation.
Zionist Federation of Australia president Jeremy Leibler and Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion said: “For the government to vote for or abstain on this motion would represent a fundamental change in its foreign policy.
“This motion seeks to rewrite longstanding principles for resolving the conflict which have been supported over the decades by the United States, Australia and its allies, including the objective of a two-state solution ... It is inconceivable that any Australian government would support it.”
The non-binding resolution is expected to easily pass the General Assembly, where most nations are strongly critical of Israel.
Izzat Abdulhadi, the Palestinian Authority’s top representative in Australia, said it would be more difficult for the government to back the current motion than the May resolution expanding Palestinian representation at the UN.
“If they say yes, it will be a big step,” he said.
Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni urged Australia to support the resolution, saying: “We call on the ALP to uphold its own policies and support Palestinian initiatives that seek to end the illegal Israeli occupation and achieve the right to self-determination.”
Greens foreign affairs spokesman Jordon Steele-John said: “This is a chance for Australia to be on the right side of history, to acknowledge and help work towards the resolution of decades of intentional provocation by the State of Israel.”
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the government should not support such a “counterproductive and one-sided motion”.
“The decision for the Albanese government should be clear-cut,” he told Sky News.
“That should be to oppose it, to stand with friends and allies, and to continue to support long-standing bipartisan policy in Australia about how we ultimately negotiate a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinian people.”
Display monitors show the result of a UN General Assembly vote on a ceasefire in Gaza, Tuesday December 12, 2023.Credit: AP
The government announced in July that it was imposing financial sanctions on seven Israeli settlers, following moves by the United States and United Kingdom.
The Israel-Hamas war was triggered by Hamas’ attack on October 7, when the militant group killed about 1200 people and took about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The resulting Israeli military campaign has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
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