Inexplicable about-face at UN

Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have given no valid reasons for reversing Australia’s long-held position on Israel at the UN. And the explanation from Senator Wong’s office is asinine. On Thursday, Australia supported draft resolutions recognising the “permanent sovereignty” of Palestinians to the occupied territories’ natural resources, and demanded compensation from Israel for a wartime oil spill affecting Lebanon 18 years ago. The vote puts Australia, yet again, at odds with the US as the incoming Trump team seeks to strengthen support for Israel.

Australia has abstained or voted against the first resolution since 2003, and opposed the second since 2006. But the government has failed to explain what has changed to justify the change of stance. A spokeswoman for Senator Wong conceded that the government did not agree with “everything” in the first resolution on Palestinian sovereignty over land, water and energy resources in the occupied territories. But it voted for it anyway. She also said Australia had reservations over the text of the Lebanese oil slick resolution, but backed it to ­express concern over the loss of life in the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, 18 years on. “Australia is disappointed the resolution makes no reference to the terrible and destabilising actions of Hezbollah,” she said. That failure should have made the second resolution unacceptable to Australia, which has been a staunch Israel ally for more than 75 years.

And the hostilities continue, 18 years on. Since Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 last year, Hezbollah has fired 9000 rockets, missiles and other projectiles across the border into northern Israel. Hezbollah’s missiles have killed dozens of Israelis (the number would be far higher without the Iron Dome) and forced at least 60,000 people from their homes. As the Prime Minister and Senator Wong have repeatedly said, Israel has the right to defend itself against Hezbollah. Thursday’s vote renders that rhetoric hollow. It follows the Albanese government’s unfortunate decision to declare that Australia could recognise a Palestinian state ahead of a negotiated two-state ­solution. Education Minister Jason Clare, who has Australia’s largest cohort of Muslims in his western Sydney seat of Blaxland, said backing Palestinian sovereignty was about “building momentum to a two-state solution”. But until it is recognised that moral responsibility for loss and destruction in Gaza and Lebanon rests with Hamas, Hezbollah and their Iranian masters, all Israeli hostages are released, Palestinians find a leader who accepts Israel’s existence, and workable boundaries are drawn, a two-state solution remains a distant prospect.