SYDNEY (Dispatches) – The Australian government has reiterated its stance that the Golan Heights is occupied territory, following recent comments by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who referred to the area as a “northern Israeli town,” The Guardian reported on Wednesday.
Wong’s remarks, made in a statement posted on social media platforms X and Instagram, sparked a wave of online reactions questioning whether she had acknowledged the Zionist regime’ sovereignty over the region, which the regime captured from Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War.
It follows a rocket attack on a town football pitch in the Golan Heights that killed 12 children.
The controversy arose from Wong’s post, which began with the statement: “Australia unequivocally condemns the strike on the northern Israeli town of Majdal Shams.” Notably, the statement did not refer to the Golan Heights as occupied territory.
This omission prompted concern from groups such as the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, which described the language used as “alarming,” highlighting that international recognition of the Zionist regime’s ‘sovereignty’ over the Golan Heights is limited, predominantly acknowledged only by the regime and the U.S. under the Trump administration.
In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade clarified that there had been no change in Australia’s policy. “There is no change in our position that the Golan Heights are occupied by Israel, as determined by the UN Security Council,” the spokesperson told Guardian Australia. “Our longstanding position is that the Golan Heights are a matter for Israel and Syria to determine through negotiations in the context of a comprehensive peace settlement.”
A government source explained that the intent behind Wong’s statement was to underscore the dangers of escalation and to condemn the strikes that resulted in civilian casualties in Majdal Shams. The source added that the post “acknowledged the fact that the town is administered and occupied by Israel.”
The issue gained further attention following a visit by Zionist prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Majdal Shams, a predominantly Druze village. Netanyahu’s visit was met with protest from local residents. 
The international community has long contested the regime’s occupation of the Golan Heights.