Australia Refuses to Call East Jerusalem 'Occupied'
Australia has decided to remove the term "occupied" when referring to East Jerusalem in a move blasted by an opposition party leader Friday as "inflammatory" and "at odds with the peace process.”
The issue flared in the upper house Senate this week with Attorney-General George Brandis issuing a statement to clarify Canberra's stance on the controversial question of the legality of settler homes.
"The description of areas which are the subject of negotiations in the course of the peace process by reference to historical events is unhelpful," he said in the statement Thursday.
"The description of East Jerusalem as 'occupied' East Jerusalem is a term freighted with pejorative implications which is neither appropriate nor useful.
"It should not and will not be the practice of the Australian government to describe areas of negotiation in such judgmental language."
He added that Canberra supported a peaceful solution to the dispute "which recognizes the right of Israel to exist peacefully within secure borders and also recognizes the aspiration to statehood of the Palestinian people".
Israel's army seized the West Bank, including Arab east Jerusalem, in the Six-Day War of 1967.
It later annexed the entire eastern sector, in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.
Brandis sparked a heated debate on Wednesday evening in the Senate when he stated that no Australian government of either political persuasion "acknowledges or accepts" the use of the word "occupied".
A number of senators disagreed, pointing out that Australia had voted in support of U.N. resolutions in 2011 and 2012 where such language was used to describe the East Jerusalem settlements.
Independent senator Nick Xenophon suggested that dropping the term "occupied" would represent a "massive shift" in Australia's foreign policy, Australian Associated Press reported.
The leader of the Australian Greens Christine Milne Friday called it "an outrageous backdown" by the Tony Abbott-led government.
"It is inflammatory behavior and at odds with the peace process," she said in a statement.
"The use of the term 'Occupied Palestinian Territories' is the accepted term used by the U.N.
"The Israeli settlements built after 1967 are illegal. The settlements contravene the Fourth Geneva Convention."
over 10 years
jerusalem should be neither arab nor israeli... it should be an international city under the supervision of the UN as it belongs to humanity not just one people!
over 10 years
@Southern : no offence but you're late in the game. Jerusalem was here long before the arabic language and Islam ever existed. It's not an Arabic city, never was and never will be :)
If you need to answer the question of "who" was here first, Muslims are actually the last people who can claim any belongings there.
Needless to say that Jerusalem is a symbol for all "monotheistic" religions, source of wars and conflicts much older and larger than "arabs". It has witnessed human stupidity and greed throughout millennia and as such should become an independent and open city managed by a council of all religions, independent, the same way the Vatican is today in its own right.
over 10 years
Well, you're calling Jerusalem an Arabic city. All 3 religions originated here. There are Arab Muslims, Christians and Jews.
But Jerusalem was founded long before Arabs. The Arabic Language, Islam and Christians came to "existence" long after the city came to light. In fact, the Christian religion appeared long before Arabic appeared too.
So there can be no claim that Jerusalem is an Arabic city.
However, the descendants of the people of this land, originaly pageans and jews have become christians, muslims and jews today which means all have a claim on the land. It happens that most of those speak Arabic or are Arabs today.
I'm just saying it's wrong to call Jerusalem an Arabic city.
over 10 years
hey southern seems you forgot that jerusalem DOES NOT belong to anyone...but to everyone... so the best thing and smartest thing to do is to place it under international control... but no wonder you cannot understand smart things....
over 10 years
then i guess russia china who are part of UN and security council are also imperialistic neo zionist americans...
grow a brain southern....
over 10 years
@Southern, I have no more jewish roots than you do... accept your ancestry however unfortunate you find it!
We are all semites by the way !
over 10 years
I have a better idea, kick out the whole country and give it back to the dinosaurs, they were there first.
over 10 years
Ibn-Iran it's funny how you all risk your lives to live in the WEST.
over 10 years
Australia and like Germany..... fully backing the zionists and HA/Syria/Iran.
over 10 years
Jerusalem should be the capital of one democratic state where jews and muslims and christians live side by side. Abolish zionism now.
Not use "judgmental language".
Right.