CAIRO, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) welcomed the Australian government's decision to officially refer to the Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian territories as "illegal," said the Cairo-based pan-Arab organization in a statement on Sunday.
The AL also appreciated Australia's announcement that it would officially reinstate the term "Occupied Palestinian Territories" when referring to East Jerusalem and other Palestinian lands occupied by Israel in 1967.
The move is considered by the AL as very important "as it sends a clear message of the necessity to respect the decisions of international legitimacy and to oblige Israel with them and the rules of international law," the AL's Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Sector said in the statement.
Several Arab states and organizations have also hailed the move made by Australia last week in favor of the Palestinian cause, including the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait and the Arab Parliament affiliated with the AL.
Israel seized the West Bank, along with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war and has maintained control over these territories despite international criticism.
The Palestinians seek to establish their own independent state based on the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the internationally-recognized two-state solution. ■