LONDON: The Australian government has reiterated its stance that the Golan Heights is occupied territory, following recent comments by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who referred to the area as a “northern Israeli town,” The Guardian reported on Wednesday.
Wong’s remarks, made in a statement posted on social media platforms X and Instagram, sparked a wave of online reactions questioning whether she had acknowledged Israeli sovereignty over the region, which Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.
It follows a rocket attack on a town football pitch in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children.
The controversy arose from Wong’s post, which began with the statement: “Australia unequivocally condemns the strike on the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams.” Notably, the statement did not refer to the Golan Heights as occupied territory.
This omission prompted concern from groups such as the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, which described the language used as “alarming,” highlighting that international recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights is limited, predominantly acknowledged only by Israel and the US under the Trump administration.
In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade clarified that there had been no change in Australia’s policy. “There is no change in our position that the Golan Heights are occupied by Israel, as determined by the UN Security Council,” the spokesperson told Guardian Australia. “Our longstanding position is that the Golan Heights are a matter for Israel and Syria to determine through negotiations in the context of a comprehensive peace settlement.”
A government source explained that the intent behind Wong’s statement was to underscore the dangers of escalation and to condemn the strikes that resulted in civilian casualties in Majdal Shams. The source added that the post “acknowledged the fact that the town is administered and occupied by Israel.”
The issue gained further attention following a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Majdal Shams, a predominantly Druze village, where he vowed a “harsh” response to a recent rocket attack that claimed the lives of 12 children. Netanyahu’s visit was met with protest from some local residents. Israeli and US officials have attributed the attack to Hezbollah, although the Lebanese militant group has denied involvement.
The international community has long contested Israel’s control of the Golan Heights. A UN Security Council resolution in November 1967 asserted “the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war” and called for Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories. Further, in 1981, the Security Council unanimously declared that “the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and without international legal effect.”
In a notable departure from international consensus, former US President Donald Trump announced in 2019 that the US would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a decision justified by him as essential for Israel’s security and regional stability.
The situation has led to calls for clarity on Australia’s position. Jordon Steele-John, foreign affairs spokesperson for the Australian Greens, has urged Minister Wong to reconcile her statement with the department’s official policy, saying, “The community deserves to know why the minister’s position is seemingly contradictory with her own department.”
This controversy comes in the wake of Australia’s decision last August to formally describe the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza as Occupied Palestinian Territories, aligning with international law and the stance of several allies, including the UK.
