Australia reportedly withdrew from a British-led coalition of 12 Western governments planning to impose trade restrictions on Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. Like much of the international community, Australia officially regards Israeli communities beyond the Green Line as illegal settlements on what it considers occupied territory.
Israel disputes this position, stressing that the Jewish people have historical ties to Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and regards the territories as legally disputed. According to sources who spoke to ABC on condition of anonymity, the Australian government was initially open to supporting stronger measures against Israeli communities but eventually decided not to join the United Kingdom-led initiative. European Union officials reportedly tried unsuccessfully to persuade Australia to join the initiative.
The 12 governments that issued the Sept. 8 statement were Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. They said they intended to introduce or support European restrictions on trade in goods from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. Canada ultimately became the only non-European country to join the group, while Australia withdrew late in the process, according to diplomatic sources cited by ABC.
Although declining to join the trade restrictions, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stressed that Australia and its allies were “working closely together towards the same objective, even if we are not all taking exactly the same measures at the same time.” “We are concerned blanket import bans present practical challenges, including how to ensure they do not inadvertently harm Palestinian businesses, workers and livelihoods.
The UK government has acknowledged these challenges as they work on their legislation over the next year,” the Australian foreign affairs department said in an official statement.