Australian government confirms policy on Golan Heights after Foreign Affairs Department mentions 'Israeli village'
LONDON: The Australian government has reaffirmed its position that the Golan Heights are occupied territory, following recent comments by Foreign Minister Penny Wong referring to the Golan as a “city in northern Israel”, the Guardian reported on Wednesday.
Ms Wang's comments were prompted by statements posted on social media platforms X and Instagram, which sparked an online response questioning whether she recognized Israel's sovereignty over the area it captured from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967.
The incident follows a rocket attack on a soccer field in a village in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children.
The controversy stemmed from Wong’s post, which began with the statement, “Australia unequivocally condemns the airstrikes on the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams.” It is noteworthy that the statement did not mention the Golan Heights as occupied territory.
The omission raised concerns from groups such as the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network, which described the language used as “astonishing” and highlighted that international recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights is limited and, under the Trump administration, largely reserved for Israel and the United States.
A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said there had been no change in Australian policy. “Our position that the Golan Heights is occupied by Israel as determined by the UN Security Council has not changed,” the spokesperson told Guardian Australia. “Our long-standing position is that the Golan Heights is a matter for Israel and Syria to resolve through negotiations in the context of a comprehensive peace settlement.”
Government sources said Wong's statement was intended to highlight the dangers of escalation and condemn the airstrikes that killed civilians in Majdal Shams. The post “acknowledged that the town is under Israeli control and occupation,” the source added.
The issue gained more attention after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the predominantly Druze village of Majdal Shams and vowed a “harsh” response to a recent rocket attack that killed 12 children. Netanyahu’s visit was met with protests from some local residents. Israeli and U.S. officials blamed the attack on Hezbollah, a claim denied by the Lebanese militant group.
The international community has long objected to Israel's control of the Golan Heights. A November 1967 UN Security Council resolution declared that “territorial gains by war are unacceptable” and called on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories. Furthermore, in 1981, the Security Council unanimously declared that “the decision by Israel to impose Israeli law, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights is null and void and has no international legal effect.”
In a marked departure from international consensus, former US President Donald Trump announced in 2019 that the US would recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He justified the decision as essential to Israel’s security and regional stability.
The situation has led to calls for clarity on Australia's position. The Australian Greens' foreign affairs spokesman, Jordan Steel-John, urged Wong to align her statement with the department's official policy, saying: “The community has a right to know why the minister's position appears to contradict her own department.”
The controversy followed Australia's decision in August to formally designate the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip as occupied Palestinian territory, in line with international law and the positions of some allies, including Britain.
