Australia to recognize Palestine in September: Premier Albanese

ANKARA

Australia will formally recognize an independent State of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday.

Albanese, along with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, told reporters that the Palestinian Authority has given commitments to disarm, recognize Israel, and exclude Hamas from any future governance of Palestine.

Asked whether the announcement could further embolden Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to continue its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, Albanese said he expressed his concerns to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Israel's military action in Gaza.

"I think that I expressed it in a very clear way. But the prime minister's comments were similar to what he had made a year ago, which is that they were determined to remove Hamas," he said.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry welcomed the Australian plan to recognize the State of Palestine and expressed gratitude for what it called Australia’s “historic and courageous” position.

“We consider this declaration to be in compliance with international law and UN resolutions and an effort to achieve peace in accordance with the two-state solution,” the ministry said in a statement.

France has announced its intention to recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York in September, while the UK has moved to support the recognition of Palestine if Israel fails to meet a set of conditions.

Situation in Gaza 'gone beyond world's worst fears'

Reiterating Australia's calls for the release of hostages and an immediate ceasefire, Albanese said that Australians want the "killing to stop" and "peace and security in the Middle East."

"This conflict, which has gone on for such a long period of time, I think Australians want to see an end to it. And an end to it can only be secured when both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security," he said.

Responding to a question about whether Australia's decision is a "symbolic gesture" and whether the government expects the US to veto this at the UN Security Council, Albanese said the announcement is part of a "practical contribution to build momentum."

Asked about comments from Netanyahu that recognizing Palestine won't bring peace, Albanese said that the Israeli prime minister put the same arguments to him that he's made internationally.

"I put arguments that are consistent with what I have said publicly over a long period of time as well," he added.

He said he told Netanyahu that the situation in Gaza had "gone beyond the world's worst fears."

The prime minister said the international community is moving to establish a Palestinian state, and it is opposing actions that undermine a two-state solution.

"The Netanyahu government is rapidly expanding illegal settlements. Settler violence in the West Bank has increased. There have been threats to annex the occupied Palestinian territories and to propose the permanent forced displacement of the Palestinian people. These actions, together with the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, risk putting a two-state solution out of reach for a generation," he went on to say.

Albanese noted that the Israeli government is continuing to defy international law and deny sufficient humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Asked whether Australia's decision to recognize Palestine was discussed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister Wong said she spoke to Rubio "as a matter of diplomatic courtesy."

According to US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, Rubio and Wong discussed issues in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, "along with global efforts to combat antisemitism."

Notably, Albanese statement comes as Australia has seen growing support for Palestine and increasing criticism of Israeli actions since the war began in Oct. 2023, which has also led to a few court cases.

However, in a significant ruling, the Australian Federal Court last month noted political criticism of Israel, “however inflammatory or adversarial, is not by its nature criticism of Jews in general or based on Jewish racial or ethnic identity.”

Israel condemns Australia's move

Netanyahu has called Australia's plans to recognize a Palestinian state, saying it's "shameful" for countries, including Australia, to seek recognition of a Palestinian state.

He said that Australia's move would not bring peace to Israel.

​​*Writing by Aamir Latif