Community members divided over Australia's decision to recognise Palestinian state

Australia Broadcast Center

4 hours ago

Australia's move to recognise an independent Palestinian state has been welcomed by some but has disappointed both pro-Palestinian groups and supporters of Israel.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday said at the United Nations General Assembly next month Australia would recognise a state of Palestine with a condition that terror group Hamas has no role in its governance.
"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," he said.
It followed similar announcements from the United Kingdom, France and Canada.
At the moment, 147 of the 193 UN member states recognise Palestine as a sovereign state, with the notable exception of the United States — Israel's most influential ally.
Mr Albanese's announcement was dismissed by the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) as a move to help shield Israel from legal accountability for its war on Gaza.
Nasser Mashni, the the president of APAN, said the federal government's recognition of a Palestinian state was "meaningless" without Australia cutting ties with Israel.
"Australia continues to trade, to supply arms, to have diplomatic relations and to diplomatically protect and encourage other states to normalise with this very state that is committing these atrocities," he said hours after Mr Albanese's announcement.
The government has repeatedly denied it has sold arms to Israel.
Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said the Jewish community was not surprised by the announcement, but it was disappointed.
"Australia is now committed to recognising a state with no agreed borders, no single government in effective control of its territory, and no capacity to live in peace with its neighbours," he said.
Mr Ryvchin said he wanted to see the end of the war in Gaza, aid deliveries resumed, Hamas disarmed and defeated and the hostages returned home.
"No one who supports the recognition of a Palestinian state has so far made the argument compellingly as to how recognition will achieve these aims," he said.
Mohamed El Helou, a Palestinian from Gaza who came to Australia last year, said he has lost 300 family members in Gaza.
He told the ABC that while the decision had come "very late" it was an important one.
"The decision will support the two-state solution, which is the solution the entire international community is asking for," he told the ABC in Sydney.
"Applying the two-state solution will contribute to ending the wars and having stability in the Middle East.
Mr El Helou said Palestinians wanted to live in peace and stability.
Another woman who spoke to the ABC said the recent massive protests in Sydney had likely played a roll in pressuring the government to recognise a Palestinian state.
Zaenab Yusuf in Melbourne said the recognition was "a great start, but a bit too late".
"This is something that should have happened a long time ago, but we're grateful that it's at least happening," Ms Yusuf said during a rally outside the ABC's building in Melbourne.
Ms Yusuf said the Australian government needed to sanction and cut ties with the Israeli government.
The ABC has spoken with different Abrahamic religious groups in Australia, including Christian Palestinians in Western Australia.
One of the members, who didn't want to be identified, told the ABC that he "finally feels Australian" after Mr Albanese's announcement.
Although he said some critics said the recognition wouldn't "do anything" to improve the situation in Gaza, he said it was "a step-by-step process to achieving justice".
Susan Wahhab, the president and co-founder of Palestinian Christians in Australia said recognising the state of Palestine would acknowledge the existence of Palestinians and might end "the genocide and the starvation".
"By recognising the state of Palestine, the world acknowledges that there are Palestinian people, and that the Israelis need to stop killing us," said Ms Wahhab, who was born in Jerusalem.
She also said that the recognition would make Australia have "a proper relation" with the state of Palestine.
Ms Wahhab said Christian Palestinian groups in Australia have joined with other religious groups, including Muslim and Jewish organisations to ask the Australian government to sanction Israel.
"Sanctioning Israel, sanctioning the leaders who commit all these crimes, together with recognising Palestine would also put pressure on the Israelis to change the course," she told the ABC.