"Palestine" officially threatens Australia

From AFP:

Australia could face trade sanctions by Arab nations over its decision to stop using the term "occupied" when referring to East Jerusalem, the head of the Palestinian delegation to Canberra warned Friday.

Izzat Abdulhadi said Australia's new stance on East Jerusalem, which was annexed by Israel in a move never recognized by the international community, was a "substantial policy shift."

"We think that it's very provocative and unuseful, and it's not appropriate," Abdulhadi told AFP.

His comments came after 18 diplomats from countries including Indonesia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia protested to Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra on Thursday.

Australia said last week it would no longer refer to East Jerusalem as "occupied" because the term carries pejorative implications and was neither appropriate or useful.

"It is important, as far as you can, not to use loaded terms, not to use pejorative terms, not to use terms which suggest that matters have been prejudged and that is a freighted term," Prime Minister Tony Abbott said.

"The truth is they're disputed territories."

The comments sparked fury in the Arab world, with the Jordanian and Palestinian governments summoning Australia's diplomatic representative in protest. Israel hailed the move as "refreshing."

"We asked the government to reverse this position," Abdulhadi said of the diplomatic protest.

He added that trade sanctions could be put in place against Canberra if the government persisted with its stance, which he said left Australia isolated.

"It depends on the reaction of the Australian government," he said, adding that the issue could also be taken to the United Nations General Assembly.

"Unfortunately I think there will be negative consequences for the (Australian) government."

Abdulhadi was a bit more explicit on a TV interview:

"I'm afraid this will really cast a lot of shadows, negative shadows, over relations between Australia and the Arab world, and there will be a sort of negative consequences. We need Australia to change this position again to be more compatible with international law and United Nations resolutions," Izzat Abdulhadi, head of the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, told ABC.

Abdulhadi stressed the government's decision will affect trading between Australia and the Arabs.

"There are a lot of exports of meat to the Arab world and now also we're talking about the wheat. I think ... the interests of Australia is to work with the Arab world," Abdulhadi warned.

National Farmers' Federation President Brent Finlay saw the issue unfortunate as the Australia-Middle East trade relations had been ongoing smoothly through the years. Australian exports to Arab's 22 member states is worth approximately $3.5 billion, exports to Indonesia is now worth $4.7 billion.

"We are very concerned about it and we are working closely with the agriculture minister. It is an unfortunate hiccup," Finlay said.

Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce refused to address the issue arguing his main responsibility is to ensure trading for agricultural products.

"I will leave all that wondrous stuff on foreign affairs to those who are on a vastly better pay scale and smarter than I am. My job is to make sure we get product moving," Joyce said with sarcasm.