Australia reverses position to support vote calling on Israel to end occupati

Australia  reverses position to support vote  calling on Israel  to end occupation of Gaza, East Jerusalem and West Bank
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Australia supports a UN resolution calling  on Israel to end its presence in the  occupied Palestinian  territories.
February:
Australia voted in favour of a UN resolution demanding  that Israel  promptly end its occupation of the Palestinian  territories.
The vote represents a  long-standing change of position. Australia  has abstained on similar resolutions at previous General  Assembly meetings. What next? An international conference to work towards a two-state solution  will be held next  year.

Australia has  reversed its position to support a UN resolution  calling on "Israel to end its  illegal presence in the  occupied Palestinian  territory as  soon as  possible".
The resolution,  adopted by the UN General Assembly, also calls for an end to all new settlement  activity and  the withdrawal of settlers from the occupied  territory.
Australia was one of 157  countries that voted in favour of the resolution. Seven  countries abstained and eight voted  against, including the  United States and  Israel.
Australia has abstained from  voting on similar resolutions at  previous General  Assembly meetings, including a vote in  September.
Since then, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former  Defense Minister Yoav Gallant,  charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Australia is a party to the ICC and has a legal obligation to arrest  these men if they  turn up.
Palestinians stand among the ruins of destroyed buildings, in the  background of other  buildings
Gaza (pictured), East Jerusalem and the West  Bank, two war-torn territories, constitute the  occupied territories. (Reuters: Dawoud Abu Alkas)
Australia's ambassador to the United Nations, James Larsen, said Australia had returned to  the position it held until  2001.
He said that  at the  time, "the international community and the parties themselves came together to chart a path  to a two-state  solution" and  that the vote "reflects our determination that the international community  will work together  again to build momentum towards  that goal."
The Occupied Palestinian Territory includes Gaza, which has been almost completely  cleared of Israeli bombardment since the October 7  terrorist attack by Hamas, and the West Bank. It also includes East Jerusalem.

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