And I’m quoting from the UK’s Guardian on purpose because it’s just so much fun to see them have to report this:
The Abbott government has ruled out using the term “occupied” when describing Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, prompting suggestions about a shift in Australia’s foreign policy.
The government on Thursday delivered a statement to clarify its stand on the controversial question of the legality of settlements after the issued flared up at a Senate hearing the night before.
The attorney general, George Brandis, on behalf of the minister for foreign affairs, Julie Bishop, said it was “unhelpful” to refer to historic events when describing these areas, given the ongoing Middle East peace process.
“The description of East Jerusalem as ‘occupied’ East Jerusalem is a term freighted with pejorative implications which is neither appropriate nor useful,” Brandis told a Senate estimates hearing.
“It should not and will not be the practice of the Australian government to describe areas of negotiation in such judgmental language.”
So basically one of the central planks of the delegitimisation of Israel: declaring disputed places that should always have been in Israel as “occupied” when the international law is at best confused and at worst down right wrong, is not good enough to fool the Government of Australia any longer.
Contrast this with 12 ways in which the Obama administration has acted unlike a friend.
I’m proud, this day, to be blogging on a site with Aussie leanings. And I’ve no doubt who I’ll be cheering for at the next Ashes match up.
And might I just add, tremendous use of the word “freighted”. Love it!
freight |fre?t|verb [ with obj. ]
2 (be freighted with) be laden or burdened with: each word was freighted with anger.
