Australia ‘deeply concerned’ as Netanyahu promises settlement expansion
The response from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade comes just weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Australia’s “extreme anti-Israel position”.
The Australian government says it is “deeply concerned” by Israel’s plans to double illegal settlements in the Golan Heights, weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised Australia’s “extreme anti-Israel position”.
Netanyahu has pledged to ramp up settlements in the Golan Heights, where it has increased its military presence since the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. The region is Syrian territory which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Six Day War. Israel and the US are alone in recognising the Golan Heights, which Israel unilaterally annexed in 1981, as Israeli territory.
Travelling to the area on Tuesday — further into Syria than any previous Israeli leader had gone — Netanyahu declared that Israeli forces would occupy the region “until another arrangement is found that will ensure Israel’s security”.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said Australia supported Israel withdrawing from its previous position, urging all parties to “ensure respect for their obligations under international law”.
