Why these strategies are imminently reasonable:

Recognition of Palestine

• Australia was one of the first countries to recognise Israel in 1948, even though it was unilaterally declared after a military assault;
• The original UN resolutions was for two states;
• There are now 135 countries in the world that recognise the State of Palestine.  This is 70% of the world’s states.  Sweden was the most recent;
• Australia cannot allow Israel to continue to defer recognition of Palestine;
• There is a consensus worldwide, including the US that 1967 borders are the basis for a Palestinian state;
• A 2014 Morgan poll shows that 57% of Australians support the immediate recognition of the State of Palestine, with only 8% stating we shouldn’t.

Opposing Illegal settlements:

• Israel has continually sabotaged peace talks sponsored by the United States by announcing the building of more Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land needed for a viable Palestinian State. The US negotiators indicated that this was a major factor in the breakdown of the US brokered talks ending in 2014;
• Israeli settlements have been found to be illegal under international law by the International Court of Justice, the UN Security Council and General Assembly and the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions;
• The settlers now number 600,000 in at least 130 settlements and 100 more unrecognised ‘outposts’;
• The location of the settlements are strategically placed to prevent the establishment of a viable Palestinian State.

Working with other countries to setting an end date to the Israeli Occupation:

• In 2014, Jordan brought a resolution to the UN Security Council to seek an end date to the Israeli Occupation of Palestine, which would have brought negotiations into a UN framework.  Australia was on the UN Security Council and opposed it.
• France is currently working on a revised resolution for the UN Security Council.  The ALP should support it as a reasonable move in a reasonable for a.
• Palestine joined the International Criminal Court(ICC) on 1 April 2015, as is its right as a State recognised by the United Nations.  As a punitive response, Israel withheld Palestine’s tax revenue and also lobbied for countries’ to reduce their funding to the ICC.  There should be no barriers to Palestine pursuing justice through courts.

Working with other countries towards a solution for Palestinian refugees

• 750,000 Palestinians were displaced in 1948 during the establishment of Israel;
• According to UNWRA, there are now 7 million Palestinian refugees worldwide, the largest and longest lasting refugee population in the world;
• Many Palestinian refugees live in neighbouring Arab countries, most with limited rights and opportunities.  Because of their status as Palestinian refugees, those living in Syria and Iraq have not been given the same opportunities to seek refuge during recent conflicts and have been far more vulnerable;
• A number of UN resolutions make it clear that Palestinians have unalienable right to return.