Australia will formally recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly next month, joining a growing list of Western nations in a move Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says is aimed at breaking the cycle of violence in the Middle East.
Speaking in Canberra on Monday, Albanese said the recognition would be based on commitments from the Palestinian Authority (PA) to demilitarise, hold democratic elections and maintain recognition of Israel’s right to exist. Other conditions include governance and education reforms, the abolition of payments to the families of prisoners and those killed in conflict, and international oversight to curb incitement to violence.
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“A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza,” Albanese told reporters. “Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own, predicated on the commitments we have received from the PA.”
The announcement aligns Canberra with the United Kingdom, France and Canada, which are also expected to formally recognise Palestine at the UN gathering in New York in September. Of the UN’s 193 member states, 147 already recognise Palestinian statehood, representing about three-quarters of the world’s countries and population.
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The move comes amid rising international condemnation of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, launched after the October 7 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says over 61,000 people have been killed since, while hundreds of thousands face acute food shortages. UN officials describe the humanitarian situation as “starvation, pure and simple.”
Last week, hundreds of thousands marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to demand an end to the conflict. Penny Wong, Australian foreign minister said there was a “risk there will be no Palestine left to recognise” if action is delayed, describing recognition as “a matter of when, not if.”
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The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Israel and Australia’s opposition Liberal Party. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the recognition by Western nations “shameful” and accused them of “falling into a rabbit hole.” Opposition deputy leader Sussan Ley said the Albanese government was acting while Hamas still controls Gaza and hostages remain captive.
Neighbouring New Zealand is also considering recognition. Foreign Minister Winston Peters said Wellington’s decision, expected after a September cabinet meeting, would be guided by “principles, values and national interest,” while acknowledging the issue is “complicated” and divisive.
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If New Zealand proceeds, four of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – will have recognised Palestinian statehood, leaving Washington isolated among its closest intelligence partners on the issue.
For the Palestinian Authority, the growing Western support signals momentum for its bid for self-determination. But with Israel unmoved, the political and humanitarian realities on the ground remain fraught – and whether recognition alone can shift the trajectory of the conflict is still an open question.
