Ministers Stand by Decision to Back Resolution Against Israel’s Occupation of Palestine

Liberal MP Julian Leeser criticises Labor’s silence on Israel.

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaks during a joint press conference following an Australia and South Korea Foreign and Defence Ministers meeting on May 1, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. Asanka Brendon Ratnayake-Pool/Getty Images

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.