Labor MP urges crackdown on Australians funding illegal Israeli settlements in West Bank

Australian citizens should be banned from funding Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Labor MP Julian Hill has suggested, calling on his own government to take a stronger stance against settler activity deemed illegal under international law. As foreign affairs minister Penny Wong prepares to travel to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories as part of a Middle East visit this week, Hill said the government should consider bolder action – such as visa bans for settlers – against settlements considered a major impediment to a “two state solution” with Palestine.

“It’s clear that firm words and stern finger pointing are not enough. The international community needs to attach consequences for settlers and the Israeli authorities of this continued illegal behaviour,” Hill said. “Amidst the horror occurring in Gaza , we must not lose focus of a sustainable resolution to this long running conflict.” Wong will fly to the Middle East on Monday, travelling to Jordan, Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories and the United Arab Emirates.

She will advocate for a “pathway” out of the Gaza conflict, for increasing humanitarian assistance, upholding international law and greater protection for civilians. Penny Wong warns there are ‘increasingly few safe places’ for civilians in Gaza as conflict spreads Read more The foreign affairs minister will meet Israeli and Palestinian counterparts.

She will also meet families of hostages and survivors of the 7 October attack by Hamas, as well as those affected by West Bank settler violence. Hill is a member of federal parliamentary committees on intelligence and security, as well as foreign affairs and defence. The member for the Melbourne seat of Bruce, he is also a national convener of Labor’s left faction.

As conflict rages and the civilian death toll rises in Gaza, after the 7 October attack where Hamas killed about 1,200 Israeli citizens and took hundreds hostage, international observers have also raised alarm about settler violence in the other Palestinian territory, the West Bank. While more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the United Nations in December also warned of a “rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, after 7 October 2023”.

The UN human rights office said in a report in late December that it had verified the deaths of 300 Palestinians since 7 October, including 79 children, in the occupied West Bank. The UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, said the intensity of that violence “has not been seen in years”.

He called on Israel to “take immediate, clear and effective steps to put an end to settler violence against the Palestinian population”, including investigating the violence, protecting Palestinian communities from forcible transfer and allowing displaced communities to return to their lands. One of the major structural impediments to a two state solution is the rapid expansion of illegal Israeli settlements In a press conference alongside the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, in Washington DC in October, the US president, Joe Biden, said he was “alarmed about extremist settlers attacking Palestinians in the West Bank”.

“They’re attacking Palestinians in places that they’re entitled to be. It has to stop. They have to be held accountable,” Biden said. A briefing paper from the federal parliamentary library, requested by Hill, outlines an “alarming surge in violence, particularly involving Israeli settlers” since 7 October.

“These include shootings, the burning of homes and vehicles, and the destruction of Palestinian owned trees,” the paper reported, noting the December UN report. Hill called for further attention on the issue as the international community discusses the future of the region beyond the Gaza conflict, claiming more must be done to deter further settlement.

More than 1,000 ‘distressing’ social media posts removed at Australian government’s request during Gaza war Read more “One of the major structural impediments to a two state solution is the rapid expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank,” he said. “Australia should, as an initial response, issue visa bans for extremist settlers, as has already occurred in the United States and United Kingdom and being considered in the EU.” Hill raised concern about violence and forcible evictions against Palestinians in the West Bank, as well as comments from some Israeli government ministers suggesting the “emigration” of Palestinians from Gaza.

He said the federal government should consider “broader measures targeting those engaged in settlement activity and the Israeli authorities”, including making it illegal for Australians to fund settlement activities. Hill also called for an investigation into whether the federal government had granted tax deductible gift recipient status to any groups supporting West Bank settler activity.

A Guardian investigation in December found an Israeli crowdfunding platform had allowed US residents to donate millions of dollars to causes including illegal West Bank settlements. In a statement before her trip, Wong said Australia continued to “unequivocally” condemn Hamas’s terror attack and call for the release of all Israeli hostages, as well as advocating for Israel to respect international humanitarian law – including in its military operations.

“Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected,” she said. “I will express our profound concern that there are increasingly few safe places for Gazans. I will reiterate our call for safe, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access so that food, water, fuel, medicine and essential assistance to reach people in desperate need, and so civilians can get to safety.” Wong said Hamas must “lay down its arms” as part of steps towards a ceasefire.

“We are committed to working with partners toward a just and enduring peace in the form of a two state solution, where Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognised borders,” she said..