Israel takeover plan for Gaza condemned by US Security Council
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed Australia's plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN next month as 'symbolic' and 'largely meaningless,' saying such moves are driven by domestic politics and won't determine the region's future. Mr Rubio said real change depended on actions and developments within the region itself, rather than external declarations or diplomatic gestures from western countries or Australia. 'It's largely meaningless,' Mr Rubio said, when asked about the Israel-Palestine conflict in an interview with WABC radio overnight. 'It's symbolic, and they're doing it primarily for one reason, and that is their internal politics, their domestic politics. 'The truth of the matter is that the future of that region is not going to be decided by some UN resolution. 'It's not going to be decided by some press release by a prime minister or a president from some country. 'It's difficult and it ain't easy, but that's a fact. But all these statements are meaningless … they're not going to change anything.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday, following a Cabinet meeting, that his government plans to join other nations in recognising Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in September. It marked a significant shift in foreign policy after previously stating a string of set conditions would have to be in place first and would align Australia with nations such as France, the United Kingdom, and Canada — which have either formally recognised Palestine or signalled their intention to do so. The Prime Minister, however, was quickly criticised by the Opposition, who argued recognising a Palestinian state while the terrorist group Hamas remained in control only 'rewarded' them, was largely 'symbolic' and did little to address the humanitarian crisis on the ground. Mr Rubio also said the future of the conflict will ultimately be decided by events and actions on the ground, not by external governments. 'It's going to be decided by: when will the day come when Palestinian areas are not governed by terrorist organisations? Because that's truly what this comes down to,' the top US diplomat said. Foreign Minister Penny Wong told a Canberra press conference on Monday that she had called Mr Rubio, who is her US counterpart, before Australia announced its decision to recognise Palestinian statehood as a courtesy to the ally. On Wednesday, Sussan Ley also condemned the PM for being 'distracted' by Palestinian recognition instead of focusing on Australians. 'He's clearly distracted by what he's been talking about now for weeks with respect to Palestinian recognition that is actually not going to make the world actually not going to make the world a safer place, not going to free hostage, not going to deliver aid, not going to deliver the two-state solution,' Ms Ley told Sunrise on Wednesday morning. It comes as concerns grow about whether Hamas will truly be disarmed in Gaza with a new survey published on Wednesday showing support for the Palestinian Authority stands at just 22 per cent, while nearly 60 per cent of Palestinians express support for Hamas. Ms Ley had revealed on Tuesday that the Coalition resolved in a shadow cabinet meeting to revoke unconditional recognition of Palestine if elected at the 2028 federal poll. While maintaining their long-held support for a two-state solution, Ms Ley said the Coalition believed recognition could only occur once Hamas was demilitarised. US President Donald Trump last month criticised the UK and Canada for recognising Palestine, saying it rewards Hamas while the group blocks ceasefire talks and holds hostages. Australia's decision breaks from its key ally the US but it also leaves Washington and a few others like South Korea and Germany as international outliers, holding out on recognition. It also comes as Mr Albanese hasn't rescheduled a meeting with Mr Trump since their planned G7 sideline in Canada was cancelled by the US President in June, with questions raised about whether recent recognition might jeopardise the possibility of talks at next month's UN assembly in New York. In a blitz of media interviews on Wednesday morning, Treasurer Jim Chalmers backed the Albanese Government's recognition decision, stressing it aligned with international momentum toward a two-state solution. He said Australia was working closely with global partners who all wanted Hamas excluded from any future Palestinian government and for the Palestinian Authority to meet the assurances it gave. 'This is all about making sure that we are making a contribution to the international momentum and progress which is being made on this question,' Dr Chalmers said. 'This is about isolating and excluding Hamas from the future government of a Palestinian state. 'The Palestinian Authority has made a number of commitments on this front. 'We will continue to work closely with our friends around the world to see that outcome, to see this progress and to keep the Palestinian Authority up to the mark on the commitments that they've made around some of these key questions. Dr Chalmers also acknowledged the complexities ahead and said the government is realistic about the challenges in achieving peace. 'We're not naive about how difficult the coming months and years will be but if you come back to the principle here, the most important thing is that we see peace in the region,' he said. The PM's shift in position came after about 100,000 pro-Palestine protesters marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on August 3, which led to the closure of the bridge to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
- Daily Telegraph
Group's warning over pro-Palestine rally
Don't miss out on the headlines from National. Followed categories will be added to My News. A pro-Palestinian group has said it is willing to work with police over its concerns to public safety relating to a massive rally planned for Brisbane's iconic Story Bridge. Justice for Palestine announced on social media last week that it will take part in a 'nationwide march' on Sunday August 24 to protest against the 22-month long war in Gaza. Israel continues to face rising condemnation over its actions in the deadly conflict, including the deaths of five Al Jazeera journalists who were killed in a targeted strike this week. The rally is set to begin from 1pm, with demonstrators to start from Raymond Park, walking over the Story Bridge and ending at Centenary Place, which is about two kilometres. 'We are taking this protest to the Story Bridge to reflect the urgency of the situation in Gaza. This is the same bridge our Lord Mayor refused to light in the colours of the Palestinian flag, denying solidarity to a grieving community,' Justice for Palestine wrote in an online post. 'This protest is a reminder that we might be the ones spared the bombs, but we are not spared the responsibility.' A pro-Palestine group is planning to march across Brisbane's Story Bridge as part of a nationwide rally on August 24. Picture Lachie Millard/News Corp Speaking to one of the group's organisers Omar Ashour said the event is about 'making space for a large number of Australians to express their feelings of solidarity' and to put pressure on the Albanese government to end the 'genocide' and starvation in Gaza. But Queensland Police has flagged safety concerns about the rally where the organisers expect at least 7,000 people to attend. A police spokeswoman said the 'initial proposed assembly route' has not been authorised as it could cause 'significant disruption to the rights and freedoms of other members of the community'. 'However, the Service is committed to working with organisers to identify an alternatw route that minimises the risk to public safety and disruption to the community,' she told 'The QPS respects the right to peacefully assemble; however, this must be balanced with the need to ensure public safety and minimise disruption to the broader community.' Senior police have initiated the mediation process with the pro-Palestine group. Mr Ashour said the group had received a response from police but he claimed it failed to detail the risks involved with the march. He insisted organisers had 'made it very clear' they are willing to work with authorities and try to understand any of their safety concerns to ensure the August 24 event goes ahead. Asked if Justice for Palestine would consider changing the location of the march, Mr Ashour said the plan was to always walk across Story Bridge. 'We don't understand what kind of safety risks they are worried about... we will be reasonable, but this is where people expect to cross. It has significance in Brisbane and the people who will be protesting are from Brisbane,' he told He flagged the landmark in the CBD has been previously closed for other events and protests. 'We will listen to the police concerns when they share it with us. And we will try to accommodate any reasonable requests for safety... at the moment we don't see any merit with the limited information provided by police,' Mr Ashour added. The group is still waiting for the event to be given the go-ahead by police, but if its denied Mr Ashour insisted to the Courier Mail that they will appeal the decision in court. Tens of thousands of people marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this month. Picture: Saeed KHAN / AFP It is understood other marches will happen simultaneously in most major capital cities around the country, as well as in towns. It comes after this month's huge rally over the Sydney Harbour Bridge which saw what organisers say 300,000 people march to send a 'powerful message' about the Gaza conflict. New South Wales Police had made an application in the Supreme Court to stop the demonstration, flagging fears of 'significant risk' to public safety for the August 3 event. Justice Beling Rigg gave the green light to march hours before it started saying the concerns of police were 'well founded' but Palestine Action Group had given 'compelling' reasons as to why it had to go ahead, citing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Well-known figures such as Julian Assange, former foreign minister Bob Carr and Labor MP Ed Husic walked side-by-side with every day people as they urged for immediate action. The shutting down of the world-famous Sydney landmark to allow tens of thousands of people to march across it made global headlines. Authorities had major concerns about the Sydney rally, which ultimately had to be abruptly cancelled due to crowd crush fears. Picture: NewsWire / Brendan Read Police monitor the march on live traffic cameras. Picture: NSW Police Stunning photos showed the Harbour Bridge filled with crowds as they held up signs that read 'free Palestine', 'ceasefire now' and 'not a war this is genocide'. However, there were some concerning images among the group including one rally-goer who wore a hooded jumper that read 'death to the IDF' and the jihadist flag, commonly used by terror groups, being waved in the air near families. The event was brought to an abrupt end two hours in after police sent out a geo text saying: 'In consultation with organisers, the march needs to stop due to public safety and await further instructions.' Tens of thousands of protesters were turned around at the northern end of the bridge. Acting Deputy Police Commissioner, Peter McKenna, later said it had to be cancelled due to fears of a crowd crush as authorities estimated 90,000 people had taken part. 'We could not allow those numbers to then egress into the northern side, into those train stations without, again, that real risk of crowd crush,' he told reporters. Albanese's big move Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday said Australia will move to recognise the state of Palestine as it is the only way to 'break the cycle of violence' in the Middle East and end the conflict, which has seen the total death toll from both sides soar past 60,000. On Tuesday morning he took another swipe at his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying it is 'completely unacceptable' aid trucks had been stopped from entering the devastated enclave, leading to a rise in loss of life from hunger. 'I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu. He, again, reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well – which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people,' the Labor leader told the ABC. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has publicly criticsed Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza conflict. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman Asked whether the government would slap sanctions on Israel or any of its officials or politicans if it refused to listen, Mr Albanese said that was unlikely. 'We're not going to stop diplomatic relations. That's completely counter-productive. We have diplomatic relations with a range of countries around the world that we have disagreements with,' he said. 'But you engage and we'll continue to do that. We need to look for real solutions with the international community and that's precisely what Australia is doing.' Australia will recognise a Palestinian State at the United Nations General Assembly in September, following its allies in the UK, Canada and France. Got story ideas? Email Originally published as Group begins negotiations with police over march across Brisbane's Story Bridge
