Susiya must stand: Australia must break its silence

The Greens have urged Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop to join with her counterparts in the United States and the EU in calling on Israeli authorities to not proceed with the wholesale demolition of the Palestinian village of Kirbet Susiya in the southern West Bank.

"The proposed destruction of this village is unjustifiable. It has sparked international attention and outrage, and it is time the Australian Government broke its silence," Greens foreign affairs spokesperson Senator Scott Ludlam said.

"While other governments including EU Foreign Ministers and even the United States have demanded that the community be protected from demolition, the Government of Israel seems determined to proceed with wiping Susiya off the map with army bulldozers.

"The Australian Government regularly declares itself a friend of Israel: sometimes the best thing friends can do is be honest with each other," said Senator Ludlam.

"A US State Department Spokesperson has declared the proposed demolition "harmful and provocative". The UK consul-general in Jerusalem has pointed out that such evictions are "... in all but the most limited circumstances contrary to international humanitarian law". It is time that the Australian Government added its voice."