The Australian union movement has written to Foreign Minister Marise Payne to call on the Australian Government to strongly condemn Israel’s plan to annex Palestinian land in the West Bank. This move is in serious violation of the Charter of the United Nations (UN), the Geneva Conventions, UN resolutions, and the rights of the Palestinian people. This annexation plan must not be allowed to proceed.

The proposed annexation is a stark violation of international law and unilaterally de facto nullifies the prospects for genuine negotiations leading to the realisation of a two-state solution based on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and the pre-1967 borders. The ACTU supports the end of the occupation of Palestine and a just and sustainable peace in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, the removal of illegal settlements, the withdrawal of Israel from all Palestinian lands and the dismantling of the separation wall.