Anthony Albanese accuses Israel's Prime Minister of being 'in denial' about situation in Gaza, as doubts are raised about the faith he is placing in 89-year-old Palestinian Authority leader
Albanese revealed on Monday that Australia would recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations next month, following similar commitments made by other Western allies including the UK, France and Canada.
The long-awaited announcement triggered a flurry of furious criticism from Israel and Jewish groups, who accused the Labor government of playing into Hamas 's hands by 'effectively 'rewarding terrorism'.
But Albanese hit back on Tuesday morning, accusing the Israeli government of presiding over a 'completely unacceptable' situation whereby Gazans are dying of starvation.
Albanese said that when he spoke to Netanyahu last Thursday, the Israeli Prime Minister made the same argument that he had made a year ago.
'That if we just had more military action in Gaza, somehow that will produce a different outcome,' Albanese told the ABC.
'What it's producing is more and more innocent lives being lost. More and more violence. More and more destitution that we're seeing play out with the starvation that has occurred in Gaza.'
Albanese accused Netanyahu of being 'in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people'.
But doubts have been raised about the faith Albanese is placing in the 89-year-old Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Albanese claimed on Monday he had ensured commitments from Abbas that terrorist group Hamas will play no future role in the Palestinian state, free elections will be held and that he will demilitarise.
Abbas, who has not faced election since 2005 in the notoriously corrupt West Bank, has also promised to end 'pay to slay' rewards for terrorists and their families.
However, Jewish groups have pointed out that he has a notorious track record of breaking promises.
'He has a record of repeatedly breaking commitments he has made in the past, including numerous unkept promises to hold Palestinian elections,' said Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion KC.
'Secondly, neither he nor the PA have the power to deliver on those commitments. They do not have the capacity to secure the release of the hostages, disarm Hamas and remove it from control over parts of Gaza.'
Colin Rubinstein, Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director, said that Abbas and the Palestinian Authority was 'irredeemably corrupt, and so hated by its own people that, as polls repeatedly show, any election would result in a Hamas victory'.
'The Palestinian Authority has rejected every opportunity to achieve a two-state peace for the last 25 years,' Mr Rubenstein told The Australian.
'It incites its population to hatred of Israel through every available medium, including education, and glorifies and financially incentivises terrorism.'
Israeli President Isaac Herzog accused Albanese of handing Hamas 'a reward for terror, a prize for the enemies of freedom, liberty, and democracy'.
Meanwhile, Israel's ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon also unleashed on the decision, claiming 'peace is built by ending terror, not rewarding it'.
'By recognising a Palestinian state now, Australia elevates the position of Hamas, a group it acknowledges as a terrorist organisation, while weakening the cause of those working to end violence and achieve genuine, lasting peace,' he said.
More than two million Palestinians face severe food insecurity, based on United Nations projections.
At least 90,000 protesters marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier in August to call on the government to sanction Israel.
The crisis in Gaza began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking about 250 more hostage.
Israel's military response has since killed more than 61,000 people, according to Gaza's health authorities.
Israel has denied the population is suffering or dying from starvation, even though it has throttled the flow of aid to Gaza for months, international human rights groups have said.
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