Australia to recognise Palestinian state - War on Gaza
"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 told reporters in Canberra.
"Until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary.
"Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own. We will work with the international community to make this right a reality."
The Israeli on Gaza has revived a global push for Palestinians to be given a state of their own.
According to an AFP tally, at least 145 of the 193 UN members now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, including France, Canada and Britain.
"There is a moment of opportunity here, and Australia will work with the international community to seize it," Albanese said.
He said that Australia's decision was predicated on reassurances from the Palestinian Authority that there would be "no role for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state".
The Palestinian Authority, however, does not have a presence in Gaza, which has been governed by Hamas for nearly two decades.
International concern is growing about the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the fighting has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis and warnings of mass starvation.
Albanese further criticised the Israeli government on Monday, saying it continued to defy "international law and deny sufficient aid".
As the global movement to recognise a Palestinian state grows, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country would carefully consider whether to do the same over the next month.
He added that New Zealand's recognition of a Palestinian state was a "matter of when, not if".
"The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is rightly at the forefront of the global agenda," he said.
Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 61,430 Palestinians.
Follow us on:
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 minutes ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Greta Thunberg, activists plan new aid flotilla to Gaza - War on Gaza
Greta Thunberg said she and a Palestinian activist group plan to sail a new flotilla loaded with humanitarian aid to Gaza to break the "illegal Israeli siege". Two other attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza, in June and July, were blocked by Israel. Troops boarded their vessels and detained the activists before expelling them. "On August 31st we are launching the biggest attempt ever to break the illegal Israeli siege over Gaza with dozens of boats sailing from Spain," the Swedish campaigner wrote on Instagram late Sunday. "We will meet dozens more on September 4th sailing from Tunisia and other ports," she said. The group will mobilise activists from 44 countries for the initiative dubbed "Global Sumud Flotilla", which will also include simultaneous demonstrations. Humanitarian activists, doctors and artists -- including actors Susan Sarandon of the US, Gustaf Skarsgard of Sweden and Liam Cunningham of Ireland -- are due to take part. The exact number of ships sailing to Gaza this time was not specified. The "Global Sumud Flotilla" describes itself on its website as an "independent" organisation not affiliated with any government or political party. Israel's 22-month war on Gaza has killed at least 61,430 Palestinians. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
6 minutes ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
RSF blasts Al Jazeera journalist's 'murder by Israeli army' - War on Gaza
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Monday condemned the "acknowledged murder by the Israeli army" of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif in Gaza, who the armed forces admitted they had targeted. Dismissing Israel's claim that al-Sharif was a "terrorist" affiliated with Hamas, the press freedom campaign group told AFP he was "one of the most famous journalists from the Gaza Strip (and) the voice of the sufferng Israel has imposed on Palestinians in Gaza". The NGO "strongly and angrily condemns the acknowledged murder by the Israeli army" of al-Sharif and other journalists in a Sunday strike on their tent in Gaza City, it added. Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera said Sunday that five of its journalists had been killed in an Israeli strike. Al-Sharif, 28, was one of the channel's most recognisable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports in regular coverage. He was killed alongside fellow correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and camera operators Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and Moamen Aliwa, Al Jazeera said. The Israeli military said it had targeted al-Sharif, saying he "posed as a journalist" but was in fact "the head of a terrorist cell... responsible for advancing rocket attacks . RSF called the Israeli allegations "baseless". Almost 200 journalists have been killed in the war Israel launched on Gaza , according to RSF. The media has filed four complaints against Israel at the International Criminal Court for alleged "war crimes committed against journalists in Gaza". "In (Sunday's) deliberate attack, the Israeli army reproduced a known method already tested, notably against al-Jazeera journalists," RSF said, pointing to the killings of two reporters on July 31 last year. Israel labelled one of those men, Ismail al-Ghoul, a "terrorist". RSF called on other countries to intervene, saying the UN Security Council should meet to insist on protection of journalists in conflict zones. "Without strong action from the international community to stop the Israeli army... we're likely to witness more such extrajudicial murders of media professionals," RWB said. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
37 minutes ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
UPDATED: Israel assassinates prominent Al Jazeera reporter Anas Al-Sharif among 5 other journalists in Gaza - War on Gaza
The Israeli army killed five Al Jazeera journalists, including prominent correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, along with a sixth freelance journalist in a targeted strike on their media tent outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Al Jazeera correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal, and Moamen Aliwa were in a tent for journalists at Al-Shifa Hospital's main gate when it was struck, the Qatar-based network reported. Another local freelance reporter, Mohammad Al-Khaldi, was also killed in the airstrike, medics at Al-Shifa Hospital said on Monday. Al Jazeera condemned Israel's "targeted assassination" of its five journalists as a heinous crime and "yet another blatant and premeditated attack on press freedom." Shortly after the strike, the Israeli army confirmed that it had targeted Anas Al-Sharif. The attack was the latest to see journalists targeted in the 22-month Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, with around 200 media workers killed, according to media watchdogs. In a Telegram post, the occupation army claimed that Al-Sharif served as the head of a terrorist cell in the Hamas organization, reflecting a broader Israeli pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence. Rights advocates insist that Al-Sharif had been targeted for his frontline reporting on the Gaza war and that Israel's claim lacked evidence. Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli strike had killed seven people in total. It initially said four of its staff had been killed, but revised it to five a few hours later. Al-Sharif's nephew, who was with him to learn journalism, was killed as well. In 2023, Israeli forces bombed Al-Sharif's home in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp and killed his 65-year-old father, Jamal Al-Sharif. "The order to assassinate Anas Al-Sharif, one of Gaza's bravest journalists, and his colleagues is a desperate attempt to silence the voices exposing the impending seizure and occupation of Gaza," Al Jazeera said in its farewell statement. Al-Sharif, 28, was one of the channel's most recognizable faces working on the ground in Gaza, providing daily reports in regular coverage. He appeared to be posting on X in the moments before his death, warning of intense Israeli bombardment within Gaza City. Fully aware of the dangers of working as a journalist in Gaza, Al-Sharif had prepared what he described as his "final will" to be published in the event of his death. "If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice," Al-Sharif said in his final message, which appeared on his social media after the airstrike. 'Do not forget Gaza, and do not forget me in your sincere prayers,' he concluded. In July, the Al Jazeera Media Network, along with the United Nations and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), issued separate statements warning that Al-Sharif's life was in danger and calling for his protection. Back then, the CPJ issued a statement accusing the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee of stepping up online attacks on Al-Sharif by alleging that he was a Hamas fighter. Following the attack, the CPJ said it was "appalled" to learn of the journalists' deaths. "Israel's pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom," said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. "Journalists are civilians and must never be targeted. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable," she added. The Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate also condemned the assassination as a "bloody crime." The deadliest war for journalists With Gaza sealed off by the Israeli authorities, many media groups around the world depend on photo, video, and text coverage of the conflict provided by Palestinian reporters. In early July, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said more than 200 journalists had been killed by the Israeli army in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, including several Al Jazeera journalists. In August 2024, Ismael Al-Ghoul was hit by an Israeli airstrike as he sat in his car; a harrowing video shared on social media showed his decapitated body. Cameraman Rami Al-Rifi and a boy passing on a bicycle were also killed. According to the International Federation of Journalists, the Israeli war on Gaza has been the deadliest conflict on record for journalists. The situation is dire for the journalists who are still in Gaza. Besides the airstrikes, there is the threat of starvation. In July, the BBC and three news agencies — Reuters, AP, and AFP — issued a joint statement expressing "desperate concern" for journalists in the strip, who they say are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families. International criticism is growing against Israel over the plight of the more than two million Palestinian civilians in Gaza, with UN agencies and rights groups warning that a famine is unfolding in the territory. Israel's genocidal war on Gaza has so far killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
