The Australian government confirmed the policy on the Golan Heights after FM referred to an 'Israeli city'
London: The Australian government has reiterated its stance that the Golan Heights is occupied territory, following recent comments by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who referred to the area as a “northern Israeli city,” The Guardian reported on Wednesday.
Wong's comments, in a statement posted on social media platforms X and Instagram, sparked a wave of online responses questioning whether he accepted Israeli sovereignty over the region, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War.
It was after a rocket attack on a town football pitch in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children.
Controversy was sparked by Wong's post, which began with the statement: “Australia categorically condemns the strike in the northern Israeli city of Mazdal Shams.” Notably, the statement did not mention the Golan Heights as occupied territory.
The boycott sparked concern from groups such as the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, which described the language used as “appalling”, highlighting the limited international recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, mainly under the Trump administration, which is recognized only by Israel and the US. .
In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade clarified that there had been no change in Australia's policy. “There has been no change in our position on Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights as determined by the UN Security Council,” the spokesman told Guardian Australia. “Our longstanding position is that the Golan Heights is a matter for Israel and Syria to be determined through negotiations in the context of a comprehensive peace agreement.”
A government source said Wong's remarks were intended to highlight the threat of escalation and condemn the strike that resulted in civilian casualties in Majdal Shams. The source added that the post “acknowledged the fact that the city is administered and occupied by Israel.”
The issue gained further attention after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the predominantly Druze village of Majdal Shams, where he vowed a “tough” response to a recent rocket attack that killed 12 children. Some local residents protested Netanyahu's visit. Israeli and US officials have attributed the attack to Hezbollah, although the Lebanese militant group has denied involvement.
The international community has long opposed Israel's control of the Golan Heights. A UN Security Council resolution in November 1967 emphasized the “inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war” and called for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories. Furthermore, in 1981, the Security Council unanimously declared that “the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and without international legal effect.”
In a notable departure from the international consensus, former US President Donald Trump announced in 2019 that the US would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a decision deemed necessary for Israel's security and regional stability.
The position calls for clarity on Australia's position. Australian Greens foreign affairs spokesman Jordan Steele-John urged Minister Wong to reconcile his comments with the department's official policy, saying, “The community deserves to know why the minister's position appears to contradict his own department.”
The dispute comes after Australia's decision last August to describe the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza as occupied Palestinian territories, along with international law and the stance of many allies, including the UK.
