Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten maintains he trusts the judgment of his MPs when it comes to sponsored travel to Israel.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had urged Mr Shorten to intervene after NSW Labor Friends of Palestine made a bid to ban ALP politicians taking up travel opportunities to Israel while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues settlement policies and denies a Palestinian state.
Ms Bishop warned Labor MPs would be clinging to "ignorant prejudices" if they are denied the opportunity to increase their understanding of the situation on the ground.
She had been on one of the sponsored trips and said MPs received the opportunity to talk to key representatives from both sides and make up their own minds.
Mr Shorten said he supported MPs to exercise their own commonsense.
"I trust Labor representatives, I don't see the need to start giving them travel instructions," he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese, who is co-founder of the Federal Parliamentary Friends of Palestine, echoed his leader's views and said sponsored trips should be a matter for individual politicians.
But he encouraged Labor MPs travelling to Israel to seek a "balanced" view of the country's dispute with Palestine.
"I think anyone who visits the Middle East should have discussions with both the Israeli side and the Palestinian side," Mr Albanese said.
"There's a need to make sure we don't reinforce a division that is not in the interests of either Israelis or Palestinians."
Mr Albanese maintained his belief in a two-state solution to the conflict.
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