While Albanese was en route to the United States, 25 Republicans – including former presidential candidate Ted Cruz and other senior members of the Senate – urged him to drop plans to recognise a Palestinian state.
“Proceeding with recognition will put your country at odds with longstanding US policy and interests and may invite punitive measures in response,” the Republicans warned in a letter also sent to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Macron.
“Proposed recognition is coinciding with sharp increases in anti-Semitic activity in each of your countries. Jews are facing unprecedented harassment and attacks against them are becoming a common occurrence … Sadly, your actions to legitimatize a Palestinian terror state will only provide greater motivation to the violent anti-Semitic mobs.”
Among those who signed the letter were Florida Senator Rick Scott, Texas Senator John Cornyn, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and House of Representatives member Elise Stefanik, who was Trump’s original choice to serve as the US ambassador to the UN.
Trump said during a trip to the United Kingdom last week that he disagreed with Starmer on Palestinian recognition, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has vigorously opposed the recognition push.
Rubio said moves to recognise Palestine had encouraged Israel to retaliate by threatening to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.
“We warned them that we thought that was counterproductive,” Rubio told reporters during a trip to the Middle East. “We actually think it’s undermined negotiations because it emboldened Hamas, and we think it undermines future prospects of peace in the region.”
The Albanese government said in a statement that the creation of a Palestinian state, alongside Israel, “has always been the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and Palestinian people”.
“The President of the Palestinian Authority has restated its recognition of Israel’s right to exist, and given direct undertakings to Australia, including commitments to hold democratic elections and enact significant reforms to finance, governance and education,” the statement said.
“Terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine.”
But the move was criticised by the Coalition, with Liberal leader Sussan Ley saying the recognition should take place at the end of the peace process and not during the conflict.
“Today the Albanese Government extends a hollow gesture of false hope to the Palestinian people. For the Israeli people, it extends a chilling act of concession to the Hamas terrorists who continue to seek their annihilation,” she said.
Albanese will speak later in the week at a two-state solution conference being hosted by France and Saudi Arabia at UN headquarters.
The government does not need to pass legislation to recognise Palestine, and a vote is not required at the United Nations for individual countries to recognise new states.
Belgium and Portugal will also use the UN General Assembly to formally recognise Palestinian statehood, a step the vast majority of UN member states have already taken.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a fierce opponent of Palestinian statehood, will address the UN this week before travelling to Washington for his third White House meeting with Trump this year.
Trump will also host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a White House meeting this week.
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