The Australian Labor government’s decision to diverge from the United States and support a U.N. resolution calling for Israel to end its “unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” continued to dominate political discussions a day later.
Australia joined 157 countries backing the resolution, with eight countries voting against it, including the United States, Israel, and the Javier Milei-led Argentina.
Cabinet Minister Mark Butler defended the decision, emphasising that Foreign Minister Wong took the resolution seriously and consulted with key allies before making the decision.
“We did so in pretty broad company, I might say, not just 156 other countries, I think, but countries like Canada, the UK, New Zealand, with whom we’re maintaining a very close dialogue as we step through this dreadful conflict in the Middle East,” he told ABC TV on Dec. 5.
“Minister Wong did that carefully and in a way that she thought would contribute in the best way as a middle power, quite remote from the actual conflict, to creating a climate for a two-state solution and I think that’s what everyone wants here.”
The resolution calls for Israel to “bring to an end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible” while recognising the “inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, primarily the right to self-determination and the right to their independent state.”
Foreign Minister Wong’s spokesman told ABC before the vote that Australia’s approach was shaped by the belief that its individual influence in the Middle East is limited.
“We don’t always get everything we want, but if, on balance, we believe the resolution will contribute to peace and a two-state solution, we will vote for it,” the spokesman said.
Liberal MP Julian Leeser criticised the government’s position.
“I’ve got a very big question to ask the Labor Party here,” Leeser told Sky News.
“Labor claims to have within its ranks people like Richard Marles and Mark Dreyfus, who claim to be supporters of the state of Israel, but they have been silent for more than a year,” Leeser said, questioning when the ministers would “resign” on principle.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton also spoke out on the government’s stance.
“There was a lot of anger, understandably with the way in which the government has sold out the Jewish community,” Dutton told reporters in Sydney.
“When you ask yourself, why would the government, why would the prime minister sacrifice his credibility ... it’s for votes.”
Domestically, the Labor government is balancing the interests of its left-wing factions, who demand strong support for Palestine, while also maintaining a firm stance on the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
Additionally, key Labor electorates in western Sydney include a significant population of voters with Middle Eastern backgrounds.
