Australia urges all countries to consider recognising Palestine
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The news: Australia has given the clearest indication it could recognise a Palestinian state within months, hours after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivered an ultimatum to Israel.
The context: In a joint statement with the foreign ministers of 15 countries, Penny Wong urged all countries to consider recognising Palestine as an “essential step towards a two-state solution”.
Australia’s support for a two-state solution, which Israel's far-right government staunchly opposes, is a long-running bipartisan position.
Wong’s language has shifted over the last two years, with the foreign minister indicating recognition could come without the support of Israel. That shift has been opposed by the Coalition.
The government has recognised significant impediments to Palestinian statehood, given it insists militant group Hamas can play no role in governing a future Palestinian state, and must return Israeli hostages it abducted during its attacks on 7 October.
Among the signatories were Norway, Spain and Ireland, which already recognised a Palestinian state in May last year, and countries which have expressed a willingness to do so.
It does not include the US, Israel’s main military backer and closest ally.
The joint statement notably references a meeting of world leaders at the United Nations in New York in September, a similar timeframe laid out by Starmer.
On Wednesday, Starmer said the UK would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes significant steps to end its war in Gaza.
“We must do all we can to end the current suffering and change the situation on the ground,” a statement released by Downing Street said.
This weekend, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese directly accused Israel of violating international law in the besieged enclave – more than a year after human rights groups made the same assessment.
Albanese has also pointedly pushed back against Israel's claim that there is no famine in Gaza. This is a claim categorically disputed by the UN, a host of human rights groups and foreign countries, including the US.
The government has been encouraged by the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank, offering to reform and play a role in a future peace agreement.
The joint statement repeats Australia’s long-running condemnation of Hamas’ 7 October attacks, urges the return of hostages still held by the militant group, and urges all countries to establish normal relations with Israel.
It comes as Labor backbencher Ed Husic, who was dumped from cabinet in May, told reporters there was a “deep feeling” within the caucus that Australia should recognise a Palestinian state.
“There is a moral momentum now that we are all witnessing,” Husic told reporters on Wednesday.
What they said: “[We] have already recognised, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognise the State of Palestine, as an essential step towards the two-State solution, and invite all countries that have not done so to join this call,” the statement said.
