Wellington, New Zealand (AP) – Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will join the leader on Monday, saying he will recognize the Palestinian province. France, England, Canada In signaling, they will.
His remarks were called a “humanitarian catastrophe” on Monday, weeks after he tried to acknowledge the Palestinian state from many people in his cabinet and in Australia, and amid growing criticism from government officials over his suffering in Gaza.
The Australian government is also criticising it Recent plans have been announced Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu for a new military attack in Gaza.
Albanese told reporters that Australia, which would recognize the Palestinian state, will be officially made at the UN General Assembly in September after a cabinet meeting on Monday. The approval was “based on the commitment Australia received from the Palestinian authorities,” Albanese said.
These commitments did not include Hamas’ role in the Palestinian government, demilitarization of Gaza and election retention, he said.
“The two states’ solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and end the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza,” said Albanese.
“The situation in Gaza exceeds the worst fears of the world,” he said. “The Israeli government continues to ignore international law and deny adequate assistance, food and water to hopeless people, including children.”
Prior to the Albanese announcement, Netanyahu on Sunday criticized Australia and other European countries for accusing the Palestinian states.
“To do European countries and Australia in that rabbit hole… this canard is a shame and in fact embarrassing,” said the Israeli leader.
Australia designated Hamas as a terrorist entity, and Albanese repeated on Monday, repeating his government’s call to return Israeli hostages to the group, held since October 7, 2023.
The Australian leader spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last week. Mahmoud Abbas manages parts of the West Bank, where its powers are occupied, supports solutions from the two states and works with Israel on security. As Abbas prepares to recognize the Palestinian state, he has agreed to terms with Western leaders, including Albanese.
“This is an opportunity to deliver self-determination in a way that separates Hamas to the Palestinians, disarms it and drives it out of the region entirely,” Albanese said. He added that Hamas does not support the two states’ solution.
Nearly 150 of the 193 members of the United Nations Already aware of the Palestinian stateMost of them were decades ago. The US and other Western countries say that Palestinian states should be part of a final agreement to resolve the Middle East conflict decades ago.
Announcements of recognition are largely symbolic and have been rejected by Israel.
The two states’ solutions were the state of Palestinians created with Israel in most or all of the occupied West Bank, the annexation of the war-torn Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, and Israel was seized in the territory the Palestinians wanted from their nation in the 1967 Mid-East War.
Albanese on Monday rejected the proposal that the move was symbolic.
“This is a practical contribution to building momentum,” he said. “This isn’t just acting alone in Australia.”
He said the Albanese were discussing Australia’s decisions with leaders of Britain, France, New Zealand and Japan. He also had a “long discussion” with Netanyahu this month, he added.
In neighbouring New Zealand, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Monday that his government would “cautiously oppress that position” on recognizing the Palestinian state before making a formal decision in September.
“New Zealand has been thinking about when, not when, the Palestinian state will be aware of, for some time,” Peters said in a statement.
