Australia: Israeli land appropriation 'not useful' and 'unsuitable'

The Australian government has asked the Israeli authorities to withdraw their decision to confiscate Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, particularly the latest appropriation of 4,000 dunams in Hebron near the Israeli settlement of Etzion.

In a telephone call Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop expressed to her Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman the concerns of her country regarding the reports.

Bishop said it might undermine the possibility of a two-state solution through negotiations, where a Palestinian state with recognised borders lives safely and securely side by side with Israel. This is the goal Australia is seeking to achieve.

The head of the Australian foreign policy called for Israel to review this decision, which she described as “not useful” and coming at an “unsuitable” time after the Israeli war on Gaza.

She noted that the priority today is for the immediate implementation of the terms agreed upon in the latest ceasefire deal.