Israel’s ambassador to Australia has warned the Albanese Government that imposing a UK-style ban on goods from Israeli settlements would be a “deep mistake”, as Labor faces mounting pressure to take tougher action over escalating violence in the occupied West Bank.
Dr Hillel Newman’s intervention came after Britain announced plans to prohibit imports from settlements and impose sanctions on companies and individuals involved in construction, infrastructure, finance and other activities linked to settlement expansion.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Canberra was not currently pursuing a blanket import ban, but indicated that further targeted measures were being considered in coordination with international partners.
“Australia is not at this time pursuing a blanket-style import ban,” Senator Wong told the Senate, according to the Australian Greens, who have urged the Government to follow Britain’s lead.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, said the new British sanctions regime would be aimed at settlements and settlement expansion rather than Israel itself. He said the import ban was expected to come into force within six to nine months, alongside restrictions on British advertising for illegal settlements.
Pressure grows on Australia over settlement policy
Britain’s decision followed warnings from Western governments that settlement expansion and settler violence were threatening the prospect of a future two-state solution. A joint statement issued by 12 countries, including the UK, France, Canada and Australia, described the situation in the West Bank as rapidly deteriorating.
The statement also condemned Israel’s decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project, which critics say would cut across the West Bank and isolate East Jerusalem from the rest of the Palestinian territories.
Australia has previously said Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. In June, the Government imposed targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on three additional Israeli individuals and four entities over what it described as escalating settler violence against Palestinians.
Those measures built on earlier sanctions imposed in co-ordination with Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, including action against Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
The Greens have accused Labor of failing to match the response of other Western governments, while pressure has also come from within the party for Australia to restrict trade with businesses operating in settlements.
Israel has strongly opposed the growing international campaign, arguing that sanctions and trade restrictions will not resolve the conflict. Mr Newman’s warning places the Australian Government under renewed diplomatic pressure as it weighs further measures against settlement expansion and violence in the West Bank.
