Marco Rubio says Palestine recognition plans by Australia and European nations as ‘largely meaningless'

West Australian

5 days ago

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.