Key facts
- Australia is preparing new targeted sanctions against Israel regarding West Bank settlements and settler violence.
- The UK has banned goods from Israeli settlements and introduced new export restrictions.
- Australia will not join the UK in a broad ban on goods from Israeli settlements.
- Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong cited concerns about unintended consequences for businesses and populations.
- Wong stated that Israeli actions are extinguishing the possibility of a two-state solution.
Australia is preparing to implement additional sanctions against Israel, focusing on illegal settlements and settler violence in the West Bank. However, the government has stated it will not follow the UK's lead in imposing a broad ban on trade with these settlements. Foreign Minister Penny Wong indicated that such a blanket ban could have unintended consequences for Australian businesses, as well as for Palestinians and Israelis. Wong also criticized the Israeli government's actions, stating they are undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.
The UK has taken a stronger stance, with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband condemning the occupation and announcing a ban on goods from illegal settlements, along with new export restrictions and planned sanctions against individuals. This move was part of a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, emphasizing a push for a two-state solution.
Australia has previously enacted financial sanctions and travel bans against some Israelis in response to violence in the West Bank, including targeting ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Labor backbencher Ed Husic has urged the government to adopt stronger measures, arguing that sanctions are impactful and necessary to address the undermining of a future Palestinian state by illegal settlements.
Conversely, Coalition frontbencher Julian Leeser criticized the government's approach, suggesting it often targets Australia's "democratic ally." The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council's executive director, Colin Rubenstein, rejected the notion that Israel or its settlements are preventing peace, instead blaming the Palestinian Authority and warning that sanctioning Israel would be counterproductive. New Zealand's Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters also expressed deep concern over the West Bank situation but indicated New Zealand does not typically use trade measures for foreign policy issues.