Published on
•Updated
Australia will recognise a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday, joining the leaders of France, Britain, and Canada in signa they would do so.
Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Albanese said that Australia’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state will be formalised at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The acknowledgement was “predicated on commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,” Albanese said.
Those commitments included no role for Hamas in a Palestinian government, demilitarisation of Gaza, and the holding of elections, he said.
“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 said.
Situation in Gaza beyond words, Albanese says
“The situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world’s worst fears,” he said. “The Israeli government continues to defy international law and deny sufficient aid, food and water to desperate people, including children.”
Albanese’s announcement comes after weeks of pressure from his Cabinet and many Australians to recognise a Palestinian state, as well as mounting criticism from his government’s officials over the suffering in Gaza, something he called a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
Australia’s government has also criticised plans announced in recent days by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu for a sweeping new military offensive in Gaza.
Ahead of Albanese’s announcement, Netanyahu on Sunday criticised Australia and other European countries that have moved to recognise a Palestinian state.
“To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole … this canard is disappointing and I think it’s actually shameful,” the Israeli leader said.
On Monday, Albanese reiterated his government’s demands that Hamas return Israeli hostages held since 7 October 2023, citing Australia’s designation of Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
Palestinian statehood has already been acknowledged by about 150 of the 193 UN members, the majority of which did so decades ago. The United States and other Western nations have refrained, arguing that a final deal settling the long-running Middle East conflict should include Palestinian statehood.
