According to the Australian newspaper, FM Bishop indicated the gov’t would not have supported the Security Council’s move, saying, “In voting at the UN, the Coalition government has consistently not supported one-sided resolutions targeting Israel.”
The US may have worked for the passage of last Friday’s anti-settlement resolution in the UN, and western countries like Britain, France, Japan and Spain may have supported it, but if Australia was on the UN Security Council, it would likely not have voted for it, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop indicated on Thursday.
PM Netanyahu with Australian FM Julie Bishop. – Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom/Israel’s GPO
By doing so, Australia would have broken with New Zealand, which was one of four states that brought the resolution to the Security Council, and with the US, which enabled it to pass.
According to the Australian newspaper, Bishop said that the current government of Malcolm Turnbull is “firmly committed to a two-state solution,” but indicated it would not have supported the UN move.
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“Australia is not currently a member of the UN Security Council and therefore not eligible to vote on UNSC resolutions,” Ms Bishop said.
“In voting at the UN, the Coalition government has consistently not supported one-sided resolutions targeting Israel.”
Bishop visited Israel in September, and Netanyahu is scheduled to make the first ever visit by a sitting prime minister to Australia in February. During that trip he is also scheduled to travel to Singapore and Fiji.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Australia-indicates-it-would-not-have-supported-UNSC-resolution-476912
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