Israeli embassy criticises the federal government’s draft national platform
The Israeli embassy in Australia criticized the Albanian government’s draft national platform, saying it placed too much responsibility on Israel rather than Palestinian leaders and Hamas.
The draft platform will be discussed at Labor’s national conference in Adelaide this week.
The 2023 national platform called on Labor to recognize the state of Palestine in September last year.
The new draft includes opposing Israel’s “illegal settlement activities” and settler violence, and condemning Israeli laws that sanction the death penalty for Palestinians who kill Israelis.
This also includes support for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But the Israeli embassy said in a four-page statement that Israeli settlements do not violate international law because the borders between Israel and the Palestinian state are “final status issues that must be resolved through direct negotiations.”
He also described illegal settler violence as a “marginal phenomenon.”
“Unlike the frequent Palestinian attacks against Israelis, which are not condemned by the Palestinian Authority, Israel condemns all unlawful attacks and actions aimed at bringing them to justice,” the statement said.
“In most cases, settler violence targets property, while Palestinian violence aims to kill or injure Israelis.”
The embassy also criticized Australia’s recognition of the state of Palestine.
“Such recognition does not bring the parties closer, it only pushes them further apart,” the statement said.
“In the absence of real reform, recognition empowers radicals, is perceived as a reward for terrorism, and sends a message that terrorism and intransigence work.”
Regarding the ICC and ICJ, he argued that both bodies have become “politicized and disproportionately focused on the Jewish state.”
Meanwhile, the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network made its stance clear on a national platform last week, saying “the biggest political risk is not speaking honestly about Palestine.”
“Labour cannot claim to defend human rights and international law while continuing policies that contribute to Israel’s abuses,” APAN executive officer Katie Shammas said.
“This conference is the moment when Labor may choose to draw a red line on Australia’s complicity.
“This means ending defense exports that risk contributing to atrocities, confronting illegal settlement enterprise and ensuring Australia meets its obligations under international law.
“History will remember what Labor chose to do while Palestinians were killed, starved and driven from their homes.”
