“That means more than a seat, a voice and a vote in the councils of the world. It means real hope for a place they call home.”
Hamas’ leaders have expressed a willingness to step aside so that a technocratic cabinet can govern Gaza after the war ends, but they have also vowed not to give up their commitment to armed resistance until after a Palestinian state is created.
Albanese will say that Israel “must accept its share of responsibility” for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as he accused the Netanyahu government of taking actions that threaten to put a two-state solution beyond reach.
These actions include the expansion of settlement building in the West Bank, including a surge in settler violence, and threats to annex parts of land earmarked to be part of a future Palestinian state, he will say.
Netanyahu condemned the move by claiming that recognition of a Palestinian state was a “huge reward to terrorism”.
“And I have another message for you: it will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
Israeli deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel, who spent several years living in Australia, said Australia’s recognition decision was “entirely about virtue-signalling, particularly to Muslims and left-wing activists”.
“The people of Israel do not support a two-state solution,” she said. “We are a democracy, so there will not be a Palestinian state.”
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised Australia’s “bold and principled decision”, saying it “reflects a firm commitment to international law, as well as demonstrates a genuine dedication to ending the occupation and achieving lasting peace”.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: “This is the moment – the best opportunity that we have as a country to contribute to momentum towards a two-state solution.”
Wong declined to say when or where Australia would establish an embassy in Palestine, but said such steps would be conditional on the Palestinian Authority meeting its commitments to reform and democratisation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong at a press conference in New York on Australia formally recognising the State of Palestine. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
However, Wong said the government would immediately begin referring to the State of Palestine in official documents, rather than the previous nomenclature of “occupied Palestinian territories”.
Australia and Indonesia would work with the Palestinian Authority to improve the education curriculum for Palestinian students, she said.
Wong held an event at UN headquarters to launch an Australian-led declaration, backed by more than 100 countries, calling for greater protections for aid workers operating in conflict zones.
Almost 700 aid workers have died in conflict zones since the beginning of last year, including Australian Zomi Frankcom, who was killed by an Israeli drone strike last April while working for the World Central Kitchen charity in Gaza.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong with Mal Frankcom, whose sister, Zomi Frankcom, was killed by the IDF in Gaza.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
Frankcom’s brother, Mal, who travelled to the event, said his late sister would have “wholeheartedly” supported the initiative.
“It’s an honour for the family,” he said, adding he believed someone from the Israeli Defence Forces would eventually be held accountable for his sister’s killing, even if it took more than a decade.
Wong said that “humanitarian workers are the best of us. They go into conflict zones to ensure that civilians are provided with aid, and they are protected under international law, and that should be observed.”
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley attacked the government’s decision, arguing that 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,” Ley said. “For the Israeli people, it extends a chilling act of concession to the Hamas terrorists who continue to seek their annihilation.”
Albanese said he hoped there would be “a breakthrough” of whether Australia or Turkey is allowed to host the COP31 climate summit next year.
Adelaide would host the event, which attracts tens of thousands of guests, with the support of Pacific nations.
Loading
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen met his Turkish counterpart on Monday, Australian time, as Albanese pushes to meet Erdogan. No meeting between the leaders has been locked in.
If neither Australia nor Turkey steps aside from the contest, hosting rights will revert to Bonn, Germany.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.
