Western leaders have called for an end to the construction of Israeli settlements they say breach international law, with Australia joining a coalition of nations condemning the expansion.
Joint Statement from Western Leaders
In a joint statement issued on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and leaders from the UK, Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, and New Zealand said the situation in the West Bank has deteriorated significantly, with settler violence at unprecedented levels. They stated: "The policies and practices of the Israeli government, including a further entrenchment of Israeli control, are undermining stability and prospects for a two-state solution. International law is clear: Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal."
Focus on the E1 Settlement Project
The statement specifically highlighted the E1 Israeli settlement project, which would connect occupied territories in East Jerusalem with another Israeli settlement in the West Bank. According to a tender published by the Israel Land Authority in January and first reported by the Guardian, the project would contain 3,401 housing units.
Israel's far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who is himself a settler, said when the project was approved in August last year that it would "bury" the idea of a sovereign Palestine. "Those in the world trying to recognise a Palestinian state will get an answer from us on the ground," he said at the time. "Not through documents, not through decisions or declarations, but through facts. Facts of homes, neighbourhoods, roads and Jewish families building their lives."
Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir were sanctioned last June by the governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom for inciting extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights.
Call to End Settlement Expansion
In the statement, the international leaders called on businesses not to bid for construction tenders for E1 or other settlement developments, warning of legal and reputational consequences. They urged the Israeli government to end its expansion of settlements and administrative powers, ensure accountability for settler violence, investigate allegations against Israeli forces, respect the Hashemite custodianship over Jerusalem's Holy Sites, and lift financial restrictions on the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian economy.
The leaders also spoke out against those who support such settlements, stating: "We strongly oppose those, including members of the Israeli government, who argue for annexation and forcible displacement of the Palestinian population." They reaffirmed their commitment to a negotiated two-state solution based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Australian Government's Position
Chris Bowen, the energy minister, told reporters on Saturday that the statement did not represent a new stance by the Albanese government. "Look, we've been very clear about settlements in the West Bank," he said. "This is not a new position for Australia. We've joined other countries, sure, that is new, but that is a consistent position that the government has held."
The Israeli government did not immediately comment on the statement. In March, a coalition of Australian civil society organisations called for the Albanese government to block the E1 settlement. Andrew Witheford, the international and crisis campaigner at Amnesty International Australia, said at the time: "We welcome that the Government, along with 20 other countries, last year condemned Israel's moves to illegally annex the Occupied Palestinian Territory in the West Bank. The time has come to act decisively, before that annexation becomes a brutal reality."
–with Reuters
