Building and Construction Minister Uri Ariel on Wednesday met with the Australian Ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, in the governmental complex in eastern Jerusalem, located north of the Arab-majority neighborhood of Shimon Hatzaddik ( Sheikh Jarrah ). In the meeting, Ariel called on Sharma to relay to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott his thanks for Abbott's, and Australia's, support for Israel. Ariel also asked Sharma that Australia act in the international arena against the calls for a boycott against the Jewish state, while giving a clear message to the Palestinian Authority (PA) that a unilateral breach of the 1993 Oslo Accords by turning to the United Nations (UN) is unacceptable. After the PA breached peace talk conditions in early April by applying to 15 international conventions, including a number of UN conventions, Ariel declared that Israel must " respond in kind - by canceling the Oslo Accords , which have only brought terror and murder." Sharma for his part thanked Ariel for the friendly meeting, saying that Israel and Australia have a strong and courageous shared history that is over 100 years old, and that Israel has a warm place in the hearts of the Australian people. The Australian ambassador added that Israel has a large Jewish community which is staunchly Zionist. At the conclusion of the visit, Ariel invited Sharma to visit Israel again in the future as his personal guest. US Secretary of State John Kerry threatened Israel with international boycotts should the peace talks fail in late January, after reports earlier in the month revealed Kerry was orchestrating the European boycotts against Israel. "Our nation is strong and will not give up land just for money," remarked Ariel at the time. "I say to our dear friends overseas: be logical in your demands, and don't threaten us - not with boycotts and not with ostracisms."
