Published: 15 August 2023
Last updated: 19 March 2024
The Zionist Federation’s defence of settlements has drawn opposition from several constituent organisations who say criticising the government’s new language on Israel is "politically naïve and morally wrong".
Representatives of Ameinu Australia, Meretz Australia, Habonim Dror Australia and Hashomer Hatzair Australia wrote to Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) president Jeremy Liebler objecting to the official Jewish communal response to last week’s announcement by Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Wong announced that Australia would harden its language on Israel-Palestine, referring to the West Bank as “occupied” and settlements as “illegal”.
A joint statement from the Zionist Federation of Australia and Executive Council of Australian Jewry described the new official language as “inaccurate, ahistorical and counterproductive, pre-empting the outcome of negotiations between the parties and final status issues”. The statement was also endorsed by the Australian Progressive Movement.
But the dissenting organisations said they had not been consulted or even advised before the statement was issued and they disagreed with its content.
“International law is clear on the status of the territories captured by Israel in the Six-Day War. The territories are occupied and civilian Israeli settlements on the land are considered illegal. Israel’s own foreign ministry acknowledged as such in 1967. Criticising the Australian government for upholding its obligations under international law is politically naive and morally wrong,” the letter said.
“The Albanese government has done an admirable job of separating legal claims of sovereignty by Israel from the religious, historical, national and cultural claims of the Jewish people. As the foreign minister clearly stated, the government remains a clear friend of Israel and supports its right to defend itself. We stand with them.”
The letter accused the ZFA and Jewish community’s leadership more broadly of anti-Labor partisanship and of failing to recognise the threat to Israel’s democracy and security posed by the settler movement.
