Albanese said the decision follows weeks of pressure from members of his Cabinet and the wider public amid mounting concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The prime minister said Australia’s recognition is conditional on commitments from the Palestinian Authority: excluding Hamas from any future government, demilitarizing Gaza, and holding democratic elections. “A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering, and starvation in Gaza,” Albanese told reporters. He rejected claims the move is merely symbolic, calling it a “practical contribution towards building momentum” for peace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday criticized Australia and several European nations for considering recognition, calling the idea “shameful.”
Nearly 150 of the UN’s 193 member states already recognize Palestinian statehood, many for decades. The United States and several other Western powers have held back, saying recognition should follow a final peace agreement. A two-state solution envisages a Palestinian state alongside Israel, comprising the occupied West Bank, Gaza and annexed East Jerusalem — territories seized in the 1967 war.
In neighboring New Zealand, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Wellington will consider its position ahead of September, noting that “recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if.”
The announcement comes as Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong urged ‘Israel’ to abandon plans to occupy Gaza, warning such a move could worsen the humanitarian catastrophe and breach international law. In remarks to Guardian Australia, Wong said, “Australia calls on Israel to not go down this path, which will only worsen the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” and warned that “permanent forced displacement is a violation of international law.”
The announcement comes shortly after Netanyahu, amid rising criticism concerning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, denounced Australia and European nations as “shameful” for their consideration of recognizing a Palestinian state.
The Australian Greens, the fourth-largest party in Australia’s Parliament, has welcomed Canberra’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state, while criticising the government for failing to “meet the moment.”
“What Australia has done today is take a tiny step away from a shrinking and discredited minority of states, centred on the US and Israel, to join the overwhelming majority of nations that already recognise Palestine,” David Shoebridge, the Greens spokesperson on foreign affairs, said in a statement.
Source: Agencies (edited and translated by Al-Manar English Website)
