Joins Australia, Britain and Canada in calling for a halt to new settlements in the West Bank
Key Point
- The Foreign Ministers of the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada have issued a joint statement on settlements in the West Bank.
- The statement calls on the Israeli government to “overturn these decisions.”
- Anthony Albanese said Australia “understands the need for a peaceful solution”.
Israel approved more than 5,700 new settlements in the West Bank this week and earlier this month introduced changes to the settlement approval process that will facilitate faster approval for construction. Settlements are considered illegal under international law in many countries.
The foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada said in a joint statement: “The continued expansion of settlements is an obstacle to peace and will adversely affect efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution. We urge the Israeli government to We ask that the decision be reversed,” he said. statement.
“We also understand that settlement in Palestinian territory makes it more difficult. I want to see the right of Israelis and Palestinians to live peacefully behind secure borders. And we need to ensure that any action we take supports it, not undermines it.”
Violence intensifies in West Bank
Nasser Mashni of the Australian Advocacy for Palestine Network welcomed the foreign minister’s statement.
“The Israeli government has condemned all manner of violence by its settlers and has long insisted it is open to resuming negotiations to finally end this needless conflict. The ball is in the Palestinian court.”
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australia-joins-uk-and-canada-in-calling-for-a-stop-to-new-settlements-in-the-west-bank/zuu19cjra Joins Australia, Britain and Canada in calling for a halt to new settlements in the West Bank
