December 4, 2024
The government is looking to switch its voting at the UN to expedite a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine, which a senior shadow minister has claimed would “put an enormous gulf” between Australia and the United States.
The United Nations General Assembly is preparing to vote on three motions regarding the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict on Tuesday evening, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
One resolution demands Israel end its “unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as rapidly as possible” and “cease immediately all new settlement activities and to evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.
It includes an annex on charting “an irreversible pathway towards the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution”.
Another calls for Palestinian representation at the UN, while another condemns Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong is reportedly looking to vote against Israel on these issues as the government seeks to create momentum towards a two-state solution.
“As a constructive middle power, Australia approaches UN resolutions to try to achieve the best outcomes we can,” a spokesperson for Senator Wong said.
“We don’t always get everything we want. But if, on balance, we believe the resolution will contribute to peace and a two-state solution, we will vote for it.”
The move triggered backlash from shadow home affairs minister James Paterson who claimed Australia’s vote, which opposes the United States as a staunch Israel ally, would create division with the major superpower.
“Not only have they abandoned our values, not only have they abandoned our interests, they've also put an enormous gulf between Australia and our closest and most important ally, the United States,” Mr Paterson told Sky News’ Sharri Markson.
The shadow home affairs minister’s comments come as incoming US president Donald Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social that there will be “hell to pay” if Israeli hostages are not released prior to his inauguration.
Mr Paterson said that if Australia votes against Israel’s interests, there could be a wider rift between the United States and Australia under Trump considering his fervent support for Israel.
“The Trump administration will be even more forthright in its support for Israel than the Biden administration has been and that Gulf is getting bigger and bigger,” the minister said.
“I don't see how it's in our national interest in an uncertain strategic environment to have distance between Australia and the United States, but apparently the Foreign Minister does.”
Labor's vote comes after the government failed to denounce the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu in November.
It also denied Israeli ex-minister Ayelet Shakad a visa, which a spokesperon for Israel's Foreign Ministry called "unacceptable" on X.
