Australian government tightens policy on Golan Heights after FM writes 'Israeli cities'
LONDON: The Australian government has reiterated its view that the Golan Heights are occupied territory, following recent comments by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who referred to the area as “Israel's northern cities”. said The Guardian on Wednesday.
Wong's remarks, made in a statement posted on social media platforms X and Instagram, sparked a wave of online comments questioning whether he had accepted Israeli sovereignty over the area, which was taken Israel in Syria during the Six Day War in 1967.
After a rocket attack on a soccer field in the city of Golan Heights in which 12 children were killed.
The controversy arose from Wong's post, which began with the statement: “Australia strongly condemns the strike in the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams.” It should be noted that the statement did not identify the Golan Heights as occupied territory.
The withdrawal drew concern from groups such as the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, which described the language used as “worrisome”, highlighting the limited international recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. which is accepted by most Israelis and the US under the Trump administration. .
In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade explained that there had been no change in Australia's policy. “There is no change in our position that the Golan Heights are occupied by Israel, as determined by the United Nations Security Council,” a spokesperson told Guardian Australia. “Our long-standing position is that the Golan Heights is an issue for Israel and Syria to resolve through negotiations on a comprehensive peace process.”
A government source explained that the purpose behind Wong's statement was to highlight the dangers of escalation and condemn the strike that caused civilian casualties in Majdal Shams. The source added that the article “acknowledged the fact that the city is run and occupied by Israel.”
The issue gained more attention after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Majdal Shams, a predominantly Druze town, where he vowed to respond “sternly” to a recent rocket attack that killed 12 people. Netanyahu's visit met with opposition from some local residents. Israeli and US officials attributed the attack to Hezbollah, although the Lebanese militia group denied any involvement.
The international community has long opposed Israel's control of the Golan Heights. In November 1967, the United Nations Security Council reaffirmed that “the acquisition of territory by war is inadmissible” and demanded that Israel withdraw from the occupied territories. . Furthermore, in 1981, the Security Council declared in its voice that “the Israeli decision to establish its law, authority and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is not meaningful and without international legal effect.”
In a notable departure from international consensus, former US President Donald Trump announced in 2019 that the US would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a decision he justified as essential to Israel's security and regional stability.
The situation created a clear demand for Australia's position. Australian Greens foreign affairs spokesman Jordon Steele-John urged Minister Wong to align his statement with the department's official policy, saying: “The community deserves to know why it seems contradictory. the minister's position in his own department.”
This controversy follows Australia's decision last August to officially designate the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza as the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in accordance with international law and the action by many allies, including the UK.
