Australia to recognize Palestinian state, leaving US increasingly isolated among key allies
A formal recognition will be made at the United Nations General Assembly next month, where 'Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,' Albanese said at a press conference.
On Monday, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country was also considering recognizing a Palestinian state, and would make a decision at a cabinet meeting in September.
'New Zealand has been clear for some time that our recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of when, not if,' Peters said in a statement, echoing the language used by Australian officials in the weeks leading up to Monday's announcement.
Describing the situation in Gaza as an 'absolute human catastrophe,' New Zealand Prime Minister Chrisopher Luxon said in a press conference that it was 'entirely appropriate that we take the time to actually make sure we weigh up our decision and work that through in a sensible way.'
Australia joins the United Kingdom, France and Canada in announcing plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September. The move leaves the United States increasingly isolated from some of its closest allies in its defense of Israel's escalating military campaign that's decimated the besieged enclave after almost two years of war.
If Wellington also moves, it will mean that four of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network comprising the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, will recognize Palestinian statehood.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she'd spoken to US Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio in a call Sunday to give him advance notice of Australia's impending announcement. A read-out of the call released by the US did not mention Palestinian statehood.
In an interview with Catholic broadcaster EWTN last week, Rubio said that declarations of support for a Palestinian state were 'largely symbolic' and only 'emboldened Hamas and made it harder to achieve peace.'
Albanese said Australia had sought and received assurances from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that Hamas would play no role in any future Palestinian state.
Other conditions include a commitment to demilitarize and to hold general elections, abolish a 'system of payments to the families of prisoners and martyrs,' and governance and education reform, as well as 'international oversight to guard against the incitement of violence and hatred,' Albanese said.
'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.
'This is about much more than drawing a line on a map. This is about delivering a lifeline to the people of Gaza.'
Canada and France have both said they would recognize a Palestinian state in September, when world leaders meet in New York for the UN General Assembly. The UK has said that it will, too, if Israel does not meet conditions that include agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a rare press conference with international media in which he called steps by Western nations to recognize Palestinian statehood 'shameful.'
'To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole, just like that, fall right into it, and buy this canard is disappointing,' Netanyahu said. 'But it's not going to change our position. We will not commit national suicide to get a good op ed for two minutes.'
Australian Foreign Minister Wong said, 'we cannot keep doing the same thing, and hoping for a different outcome. We can't keep waiting for the end of a peace process that has ground to a halt.'
Wong framed the decision as an 'opportunity as a nation to contribute to momentum towards two states' which she underscored was 'the only prospect for peace.'
Israel announced an expansion of its war in Gaza on Friday, with a planned military takeover of Gaza City that is expected to involve the forced evacuation of up to a million people.
On Sunday, United Nations officials and UN Security Council member states condemned the plan, saying it would lead to 'another calamity' and constitute 'further violations of international law.'
Ramesh Rajasingham, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva said what is unfolding in Gaza 'is no longer a looming hunger crisis – this is starvation, pure and simple.'
Last month, the UN-backed food security agency the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that 'the worst case scenario of famine' was unfolding in Gaza, its starkest alert yet as starvation spreads.
Hunger-related deaths are rising in the enclave, especially among children, Rajasingham told the UN Security Council. Since October 2023, 98 children have died from severe acute malnutrition — 37 since July 1 alone, he said, citing health authorities in Gaza.
Israel is facing growing global condemnation over its conduct in Gaza, with large protests breaking out in major cities - including London and Australia's Sydney - as people demonstrate their horror and anger over starvation in the territory.
More than 460 people were arrested at a massive protest in London on Saturday and, last week, more than 90,000 people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to protest the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Organizers put the figure at closer to 300,000 and plan more protests this month.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Anas Al-Sharif became the face of the war in Gaza for millions. Then Israel killed him
As a ceasefire in Gaza took hold in January, Anas Al-Sharif began removing his protective gear live on television, piece by piece, while a jubilant crowd cheered, hoping the day marked the end of the suffering of 2 million Palestinians in the enclave. Nearly seven months later, Israel killed the Al Jazeera journalist and four of his colleagues in a strike in Gaza City. One of the most well-known Palestinian journalists in Gaza – and one of dozens to be killed by Israel during the war – Al-Sharif's death has ignited international condemnation and calls for accountability. The 28-year-old rose to prominence as the face of the Gaza story for millions while Israel has blocked international media outlets from accessing the territory. Little known before the war, he quickly turned into a household name in the Arab world for his daily coverage of the conflict and its humanitarian toll. His reports provided first-hand accounts of critical moments in the conflict, including the short-lived ceasefires in the territory, the release of Israeli hostages and harrowing stories of the starvation that have shocked the world. Al Jazeera recruited Al-Sharif in December 2023 after his social media footage of Israeli strikes in his hometown of Jabalya went viral. Then a professional cameraman, he was initially reluctant to appear on air but was persuaded by colleagues to front his reports, an experience he called 'indescribable.' 'I had never even appeared on a local channel let alone an international one,' he was cited as saying in the Sotour media outlet in February. 'The person who was happiest was my late father.' His father was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Jabalya shortly after Al-Sharif began appearing on Al Jazeera. A father of two, he appeared on the channel nearly every day since he started his job. 'We (journalists) slept in hospitals, in streets, in vehicles, in ambulances, in displacement shelters, in warehouses, with displaced people. I slept in 30 to 40 different places,' he told the outlet. After he took off his protective gear on air in January, crowds lifted him on their shoulders in celebration. 'I am taking off the helmet that tired me, and this armor that has become an extension of my body,' he said live on Al Jazeera at the time as he paid tribute to colleagues killed and injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza. Al-Sharif's reports attracted the attention of the Israeli military, which, he claimed, warned him to stop his work for Al Jazeera, a network that had already lost several staff members to Israeli actions in Gaza, including Ismail Al Ghoul, killed last year, and Hossam Shabat, killed in March. 'At the end, (the Israeli military) sent me voice notes on my WhatsApp number… an intelligence officer told me… 'you have minutes to leave the location you are in, go to the south, and stop reporting for Al Jazeera'… I was reporting from a hospital live.' 'Minutes later, the room I was reporting from was struck,' he said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) didn't respond to CNN's request for comment. Why now? Israel first accused Al-Sharif of being linked to Hamas 10 months ago. Why it decided to target him now is unclear. In a statement confirming his targeted killing, the IDF accused Al-Sharif of leading a Hamas cell in Gaza that orchestrated 'rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces.' In October 2024, the Israeli military published documents it claimed showed 'unequivocal proof' of Al-Sharif's ties to Hamas and named five other Al Jazeera journalists who it said were part of the militant group. 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CNN has established that, before the war in Gaza, Al-Sharif worked for a Hamas media team in the strip. In an audio recording from several months ago, Al-Sharif could be heard criticizing the stance adopted by the Hamas negotiating team. When he was killed on Sunday, Al-Sharif was in a tent with other journalists near the entrance to the Al-Shifa Hospital, according to hospital director Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya. The tent was marked with a 'Press' sign, Abu Salmiya told CNN. The strike killed at least seven people, he added. Al Jazeera said correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh and photojournalists Ibrahim Al Thaher and Moamen Aliwa were also killed in the strike, as well as Mohammed Noufal, another staff member. 'Pattern of accusing journalists' Al-Sharif's killing prompted condemnations from rights groups and officials. The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was 'appalled,' adding that Israel has 'a longstanding, documented pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing any credible proof.' The CPJ said 192 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war nearly two years ago, adding: '184 of those journalists are Palestinians killed by Israel.' Since the start of the war, Israel has not allowed international journalists to enter Gaza to report independently. Just hours before the strike that killed Al-Sharif and his colleagues, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said foreign journalists would now be allowed into Gaza, but only with Israeli military approval and accompanied by them, the same embed policy that has been in place since the beginning of the war. Al Jazeera, based in Qatar, is one of the few global news outlets broadcasting live from Gaza during the conflict, unlike others that primarily rely on local freelance journalists. As one of the most watched channels in the Arab world, its continuous coverage of Gaza has drawn a significant viewership among Palestinians and Arabic-speaking audiences. The network's YouTube channel has more than 21 million subscribers and nearly 16 billion views, with a live stream that attracts millions of viewers Al-Sharif gained prominence in the network as many of its well-known journalists in Gaza were killed or injured by Israeli strikes. Wael Al Dahdouh, the former Gaza bureau chief, was evacuated to Qatar after sustaining injuries and having most of his family killed. Al-Sharif then emerged as a roving reporter across Gaza, providing Al Jazeera with live updates from the north of the enclave. He also regularly posted videos on his Telegram channel highlighting the toll of the war on Palestinians. Last year, Israel banned the Al Jazeera from operating in the country under a sweeping new wartime law that allows the Israeli government to ban foreign media organizations it deems 'harmful' to the nation's security. Al-Sharif was buried in Gaza on Monday in a funeral that attracted large crowds of Palestinian mourners. Anticipating his own death, Al-Sharif had written a will that was released by his colleagues after he was killed. 'I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification… If I die, I die steadfast upon my principles,' he wrote. 'Do not forget Gaza … and do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.'
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Trump Bruins a good time at UCLA
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Gabriel and his Legislative Jewish Caucus co-chair Scott Wiener, a Democratic state senator from San Francisco, both said rising antisemitism is real, but they've been encouraged to see changes enacted by UCLA's new chancellor, Julio Frenk. They said Trump's settlement demand isn't really about protecting Jewish students. 'He does not care about Jews or antisemitism,' Wiener told Playbook. 'He is using Jews as human shields to accomplish his actual political goals, which are to consolidate control over universities and to destroy scientific research.' University of California leaders are still figuring out their next move. The UC Board of Regents held an emergency meeting about the settlement yesterday and 'discussed a path forward' without taking any action. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis' team said she was present for the meeting. Newsom's office confirmed he was not in attendance. IT'S TUESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY GOING DIRECT: OpenAI has appealed directly to Newsom in a letter obtained exclusively by California Decoded, suggesting California should consider AI companies that sign onto national and international AI agreements as compliant with state AI rules. The letter, dated Monday from OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane, comes as Sacramento continues to debate key AI legislation, including Wiener's SB 53, which would require AI companies divulge their safety testing protocols and would establish whistleblower protections for their workers. Lehane recommended 'that California take the lead in harmonizing state-based AI regulation with emerging global standards' when it comes to the technology, dubbing it the 'California Approach.' OpenAI and other developers have already signed onto, or plan to sign onto, the EU's AI code of practice and committed to conducting national security-related assessments of their programs, both voluntary commitments, Newsom spokesperson Tara Gallegos said: 'We have received the letter. We don't typically comment on pending legislation.' The letter offers Newsom something of an off-ramp this year, after he vetoed Wiener's broader SB 1047 AI safety bill last year that would have required programs to complete pre-release safety testing. — Chase DiFeliciantonio If you like this excerpt from POLITICO Pro Technology: California Decoded, you can request a demo here. IN OTHER NEWS MUSICAL CHAIRS: Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones today threw cold water on rumors he might take advantage of Democratic redistricting efforts to mount a congressional campaign — although he doesn't seem to fully rule it out, either. 'Despite unfounded rumors and political gossip, I am not considering a run for Congress because of redistricting,' Jones said in a statement to Playbook. 'I strongly oppose Gavin Newsom's redistricting scheme,' he added. 'Senate Republicans will fight this unfair political power grab that silences Californians and undermines our Constitution.' The San Diego-area Republican, whose final term ends next year, lives in an area with two deep-blue congressional districts that could become more purple as Democrats try to pick up five new seats. As we've reported, San Diego Reps. Scott Peters and Sara Jacobs are preparing to add Republicans as Democrats draw a new map in response to Texas GOP redistricting. 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'The findings of the audit make clear that providing telework options for state employees in the jobs where it makes sense has substantial benefits for workers, taxpayers, state agencies, commuters, and the environment,' he said. WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — Black leaders say Trump's criticisms of Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and other cities smack of racism. (POLITICO) — Democratic members of Congress are accusing the Trump administration of cleaning up a basement ICE detention center in downtown Los Angeles ahead of their visit. (Los Angeles Times) AROUND THE STATE — The California High Speed Rail Authority wants lawmakers to help the agency resolve land-use conflicts that are slowing the expensive project. (Fresno Bee) — Advocates are urging officials to preserve video evidence of San Diego County jail deaths after surveillance footage from one incident was erased. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Wall Street Journal
2 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
If the U.S. Doesn't Set Global Tech Standards, China Will
Imagine an internet where your identity is automatically attached to everything you do—every website you visit, every click you make. That was the vision behind New IP, a proposal Chinese engineers introduced at a United Nations telecom forum in 2019. New IP would have replaced the current open internet with a government-controlled system designed for surveillance and censorship. China shelved the proposal in the face of fierce opposition from Western governments, but it served as a wake-up call. China wants to dominate the technical standards that shape our digital future, filling a void that the U.S. has created as it has gradually withdrawn from this arena over the past decade. For too long, Washington has remained on the sidelines while Beijing has set the rules for new technologies.
