TIMES OF ISRAEL
by Raphael Ahren
June 5, 2014
Canberra’s decision to stop calling East Jerusalem ‘occupied’ territory is partially a result of the PA’s impolitic behavior.
Australia’s decision to stop referring to East Jerusalem as “occupied” territory and to adopt additional similar steps that will likely please Israel and anger the Palestinians came as a retaliatory measure against Palestinian officials who in recent months repeatedly and ferociously attacked Canberra’s Middle East policies in public, The Times of Israel has learned.
“The Australian government is irritated by how the Palestinians have chosen to pursue their disagreements with us in public,” a senior Australian source told The Times of Israel Thursday. “This is the kind of behavior you’d expect from the leaders of a student union but not from a government-in-waiting.”
On Wednesday, Australia’s Attorney General George Brandis offered an explanation of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s position that using the word “occupied” is judgmental and does not contribute to dialogue about the contested area.
ArchitectGuy on Israel 