Australian government confirms Golan Heights policy after FM refers to 'Israeli city'
LONDON: The Australian government has reiterated its position that the Golan Heights is occupied territory, following recent comments by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who described the area as a “northern Israeli town”, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.
Wong's remarks, made in a statement posted on social media platforms X and Instagram, sparked a wave of online reactions questioning whether she recognized Israeli sovereignty over the region Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.
This is followed by a rocket attack on a municipal football field in the Golan Heights, in which 12 children were killed.
The controversy arose from Wong's post, which began with the statement: “Australia unequivocally condemns the strike on the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams.” Notably, the statement did not refer to the Golan Heights as occupied territory.
The omission raised concerns from groups such as the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, which called the language used “alarming”, highlighting that international recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights is limited, recognized largely only by Israel and the US under the Trump administration. .
In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade clarified that there had been no change in Australia's policy. “There is no change in our position that the Golan Heights are occupied by Israel as decided by the UN Security Council,” a spokesman for Guardian Australia said. “Our long-standing position is that the Golan Heights is a matter for Israel and Syria to determine through negotiations in the context of a comprehensive peace settlement.”
A government source explained that Wong's statement was intended to highlight the danger of escalation and condemn the strikes that resulted in civilian casualties in Majdal Shams. The source added that the post “acknowledged the fact that the city is administered and occupied by Israel.”
The issue gained further attention after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Majdal Shams, a predominantly Druze village, where he promised a “tough” response to a recent rocket attack that claimed the lives of 12 children. Netanyahu's visit was met with protest by some local residents. Israeli and US officials have attributed the attack to Hezbollah, although the Lebanese militant group has denied involvement.
The international community has long challenged Israel's control of the Golan Heights. A November 1967 UN Security Council resolution declared “the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war” and called for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories. Further, in 1981 the Security Council unanimously declared that “Israel's decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and of no international legal effect”.
In a significant departure from international consensus, former US President Donald Trump announced in 2019 that the US would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a decision he justified as essential to Israel's security and regional stability.
The situation led to calls for clarification of Australia's position. Australian Greens foreign affairs spokesman Jordon Steele-John urged Minister Wong to bring her statement into line with official department policy, saying: “The community deserves to know why the minister's position appears to be at odds with her own department.”
The controversy comes in the wake of Australia's decision last August to formally describe the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza as occupied Palestinian territory, in line with international law and the position of several allies, including the UK.
