Palestinians threaten Australia after East Jerusalem announcement

William A. Jacobson    

Seek “review [of] the relations of the Arab and Islamic world with Australia”

We wrote about how Australia just made an enormous contribution to the Middle East peace process by refusing to refer to East Jerusalem as “occupied” territory.
Australia is historically and legally correct.  ”East” Jerusalem was illegally seized and occupied by Jordan during Israel’s War of Independence, and the Jewish residents ethnically cleansed.  Its recapture by Israel was simply returning the territory to its rightful owner.
The reason that Australia’s announcement was important, I wrote, was:

Because the history of Middle East peace negotiations is the refusal to speak the truth to the Palestinians, and instead, to cower at false claims of illegal occupation and Apartheid. Such diplomatic cowering, evidenced by John Kerry’s futile shuttle diplomacy, simply encourages even more unreasonable and unrealistic Palestinian demands.
If peace ever is to be achieved, it will be when the Palestinians accept that they can get no more from international boycotts and pressure than they can get through direct negotiations and meaningful concessions. The Australian announcement brought that moment a little closer.

True to form, Palestinian Authority through one of its most senior leaders and negotiators is calling for the Muslim world to reevaluate ties to Australia, as reported by The Times of Israel, PA to seek wider Arab reprisal against Australia:

The Palestinian Authority intends to lobby Arab and Muslim countries to reevaluate relations with Australia after Canberra announced last week that it would stop referring to East Jerusalem as “occupied” territory, a senior PA official wrote in a letter to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
“Palestine will request that the Arab League and the Islamic Conference [Organization of Islamic Cooperation] review the relations of the Arab and Islamic world with Australia in light of Australia’s unlawful recognition of the illegal settlement regime in occupied Palestine,” Saeb Erekat wrote in the letter, dated June 5.

The Palestinian Ma’an News Agency confirmed the threat.
I hope Australia stands strong.  And others join it.