Israel-Palestine war: Emmanuel Macron backs Anthony Albanese on Palestinian statehood
Meloni believed the Israeli decisions 'appear to be leading to further military escalation' in the Gaza Strip, her office said, and she described this as 'unjustifiable and unacceptable'.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had 'deep concern' over Israel's military plan for Gaza. Credit: Bloomberg
The Italian prime minister has argued against recognising Palestine at this point because of her concerns about the timing.
'I am very much in favour of the State of Palestine, but I am not in favour of recognising it prior to establishing it,' she told the Italian media last month.
Her comments on the Israeli plan to take Gaza City signal the growing concerns in Europe about Netanyahu and his military strategy, amid warnings about starvation, civilian casualties and lack of medical care in the territory.
Israel's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sharren Haskel, slammed Australia for planning to recognise a Palestinian state when Hamas was refusing to return the last 50 hostages it took in the October 7 attack.
'Fifty of our hostages remain in Hamas's dungeons of torture, being starved to death – being forced to dig their own graves,' she said, in a reference to a video of hostage Evyatar David released last week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with family members of Israeli hostage Evyatar David at the opening ceremony of the Knesset Museum on Monday. Credit: AP
'Yet the Australian government has decided now is the right time to reward the monsters of October 7 with recognition of a Palestinian state.'
The Times of Israel reported that Hamas senior leader Ghazi Hamad said last week that the moves to recognise a Palestinian state were the result of 'the fruits' of the October 7 attacks.
'Why are all the countries recognising a Palestinian state today? Before October 7, did any country dare recognise a Palestinian state?' Hamad said on Al Jazeera.
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'The fruits of October 7 are what caused the entire world to open its eyes to the Palestinian issue – and they are moving toward it with force. That is, that the Palestinian people are a people who deserve a country.'
Albanese has declared that Hamas must have no place in a Palestinian state, a position also taken by European leaders, while also saying the Australian decision on Monday was predicated on assurances that Palestine would accept Israel's right to exist.
Haskel cited the Hamas interview to accuse the Australian government of rewarding a terrorist organisation that committed the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust.
'This decision by Australia won't change anything in Israel or Gaza, but let's be quite clear, this is all about domestic politics, not peace,' she said.
Palestinian critics of the Australian decision, including several cited by this masthead, also argued the formal recognition of statehood would not change anything in the war in Gaza.
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Albanese plays down US ‘disgust' over Palestine recognition
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Sydney Morning Herald
37 minutes ago
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Canberra Times
an hour ago
- Canberra Times
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Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! Be the first to know when news breaks. As it happens Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. Get the very best journalism from The Canberra Times by signing up to our special reports. As it happens Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. Get the latest property and development news here. We've selected the best reading for your weekend. Join our weekly poll for Canberra Times readers. Your exclusive preview of David Pope's latest cartoon. Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. Don't miss updates on news about the Public Service. As it happens Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. More from National The coalition has pledged to reverse Australia's position if it wins the next election. Almost 150 out of the 193 UN member states have already recognised the state of Palestine, including EU countries Spain and Ireland. Mr Albanese has said Australia's recognition is tied to a commitment that Hamas play no role in a future Palestinian state. Hamas has still not released all of the Israeli hostages. The UN projects 2.1 million people in Gaza are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, while 470,000 are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity. Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza has killed almost 62,000 Palestinians, including 18,000 children, according to local health authorities. "This is going to set back the peace process by weeks, potentially months, maybe even years." "This decision by the Labor government has bewildered the Americans, that (the government) essentially departed from years of a strong alliance between Israel and America and Australia to make this decision unilaterally," she told Seven's Sunrise. Liberal senator Jane Hume said Americans on both sides of politics had been shocked by the decision on statehood. "It wasn't one taken lightly. It was one taken after weeks and weeks of consideration." "We're convinced we've made the right decision. "There is a readout from the State Department about that conversation," Mr Butler said. Mr Butler denied the US was not informed. While Mr Huckabee said the US got "no heads up" about Australia's decision, Foreign Minister Penny Wong did inform US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of it being made public. "We are convinced this is the right decision at the right time to help build momentum to break this cycle of violence." Mark Butler is adamant the federal government has made the right decision to recognise Palestine. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) "At the end of the day, this is the ambassador to Israel - his job is to manage the relationship between America and Israel," he told Seven's Sunrise program on Friday. Federal minister Mark Butler sought to downplay the ambassador's comments. The goal is to end the cycle of violence in Gaza sparked when the designated terrorist group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking about 250 hostage. 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All other regional websites in your area The digital version of Today's Paper All articles from our website & app Login or signup to continue reading Subscribe now for unlimited access. America's ambassador to Israel has hit out at Australia's decision to recognise Palestine, saying the US is "disappointed" by the decision. The top US diplomat in Israel is scathing of Australia's plan to recognise Palestinian statehood Photo: Darren England/AAP PHOTOS Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited news content and The Canberra Times app. Premium subscribers also enjoy interactive puzzles and access to the digital version of our print edition - Today's Paper. Login or create a free account to save this to My Saved List Login or create a free account to save this to My Saved List Login or create a free account to save this to My Saved List
