The recognition train has left the station. Will Albanese jump aboard?
French President Emmanuel Macron set the train running with his announcement last week that France would recognise a Palestinian state at the major global meeting.
British President Keir Starmer followed by saying he would do the same, unless there is a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel commits to work towards a two-state solution.
Then, on Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced he would recognise Palestine – as long as the Palestinian Authority that governs the West Bank, but not Gaza, commits to reform and holding elections.
These rapid-fire moves from like-minded democracies will spark increased calls for Albanese to do the same, despite his obvious doubts about the timing and a pile of questions remaining about where the recognition push is ultimately headed.
'You need to recognise a Palestinian state as part of moving forward,' Albanese told the ABC's Insiders on Sunday.
'How do you exclude Hamas [which is in power in Gaza] from any involvement there? How do you ensure that a Palestinian state operates in an appropriate way, which does not threaten the existence of Israel? And so we won't do any decision as a gesture. We will do it as a way forward if the circumstances are met.'
Albanese's remarks were widely interpreted as ruling out recognising Palestine in September, but they contained more flexibility than first appeared.
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7NEWS
a few seconds ago
- 7NEWS
Sydney Harbour Bridge rally to go ahead after court win for Palestine supporters
A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather. NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks. Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as 'worsening famine conditions' in Gaza. Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster. Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning. In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest. 'It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others,' she said. In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge. A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard. Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after. Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found. Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short. 'While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough,' the alliance said. '(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented.' The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly. The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up. Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel. An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters. The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said. 'This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza,' he told AAP. 'Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue.' More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages.
The Advertiser
a few seconds ago
- The Advertiser
Harbour Bridge rally given green light from court
A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather. NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks. Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza. Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster. Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning. In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest. "It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said. In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge. A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard. Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after. Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found. Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short. "While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said. "(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented." The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly. The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up. Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel. An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters. The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said. "This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP. "Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue." More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages. A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather. NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks. Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza. Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster. Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning. In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest. "It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said. In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge. A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard. Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after. Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found. Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short. "While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said. "(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented." The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly. The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up. Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel. An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters. The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said. "This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP. "Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue." More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages. A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather. NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks. Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza. Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster. Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning. In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest. "It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said. In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge. A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard. Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after. Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found. Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short. "While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said. "(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented." The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly. The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up. Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel. An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters. The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said. "This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP. "Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue." More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages. A pro-Palestinian rally across the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been authorised by a court with thousands of protesters likely to gather. NSW Supreme Court Justice Belinda Rigg rejected a police application to prohibit Sunday's planned rally due to public safety risks. Thousands of anticipated protesters are expected at the demonstration to highlight what the United Nations has described as "worsening famine conditions" in Gaza. Organised by the Palestinian Action Group Sydney, the protest has garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster. Arguments were presented to the court on Friday with Justice Rigg choosing to reserve her decision until Saturday morning. In her judgment, she refused the police commissioner's application, saying arguments the rally would cause disruption on the bridge were not sufficient reason to bar the protest. "It is in the nature of peaceful protests to cause disruption to others," she said. In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city's CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge. A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged with police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard. Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after. Meanhile, more than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel's military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found. Respondents to the YouGov survey published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's condemnations of Israel had fallen short. "While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough," the alliance said. "(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented." The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly. The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up. Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel. An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters. The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said. "This poll shows there's clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza," he told AAP. "Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue." More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation. Israel's campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages.
Perth Now
30 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Huge update in Harbour Bridge protest
Pro-Palestinian protesters will march over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Sunday, after the NSW Supreme Court said it would not block the rally. The Palestinian Action Group announced plans for a march over the bridge in posts on social media last weekend, but the NSW Premier Chris Minns said the city could 'descend into chaos' if it was allowed to go ahead. Josh Lees appeared in court arguing the protest should be protected. NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia NSW Police have been seeking a prohibition order which would not prevent the protest, but could mean those who marched were not protected from prosecution. Thousands could attend the 'March for Humanity' across the bridge, the court heard this week, with police concerned about access issues on the major road and the potential for crowd crush. Justice Belinda Rigg ruled on Saturday the march could be protected, and said the reasons for her ruling would be published later on Saturday. More to come.
