Anthony Albanese faces growing calls to recognise Palestinian statehood - so is it the right call?
The Prime Minister has been urged to follow in the footsteps of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, but on Sunday he said he would not 'imminently' recognise Palestinian statehood.
Both major parties in Australia support a two-state solution for Palestinians and Israelis, however Albanese said any resolution would need to guarantee Hamas, the de-facto ruling authority in Gaza, played no part in the future nation.
There would also need to be agreements on the rebuilding of Gaza and the West Bank, and a resolution of issues over the expansion of Israeli settlements.
But former Labor frontbencher Ed Husic pointed out that recognition of a Palestinian state had been part of Labor's national platform since at least 2018.
'We've already green-lighted it through our party, we've taken it to elections - the circumstances demand it,' the MP told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
'The announcement by the (Israeli) government to partition or reshape the way in which borders exist in Gaza means that we need to send a strong signal that we are opposed to that.'
Former Labor Foreign Minister Bob Carr echoed the call.
There were ways to address the various obstacles to the new nation being established, he said, adding those considerations were outweighed by a 'bigger fact and bigger truth'.
'Deaths are coming fast, unspeakable cruelty is being visited against babies and children in the enforcement of something not seen in the modern world - that is, an advanced state using mass starvation as a weapon of war and giving effect to a genocide,' he said.
'We will insist that the Palestinian state that comes into being will be one that opts to be a non-militarised state... that is a serious security guarantee that can be delivered in negotiations, and which the Palestinians have already offered.'
Meanwhile, Treasurer Jim Chalmers said he welcomes the 'momentum' on Palestinian statehood.
'From an Australian point of view, recognition of the state of Palestine is a matter of when, not if, and so in that light, this progress, this momentum that we're seeing is welcome, but it's also conditional,' Chalmers told Sky News.
'As Prime Minister Carney said, as Prime Minister Albanese said, we need to make sure that there's no role for Hamas in any future leadership.
'We need to make sure that the hostages are released, and so our support is conditional on meeting some of those, overcoming some of those obstacles, but from an Australian point of view, it's a matter of when, not if, and this progress and this momentum in the international community, from my point of view, is welcome.'
More than 140 out of the 193 members of the United Nations already recognise the state of Palestine, including EU members Spain and Ireland.
Australia has joined 14 other nations in endorsing a joint statement backing the recognition of Palestine as a vital step toward achieving a two-state solution.
The statement strongly condemned the 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, with Australia reaffirming its designation of Hamas as a terrorist organisation, and called for the immediate release of all hostages and an urgent ceasefire.
It also raised alarm over the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, voicing deep concern about the soaring civilian death toll and calling for increased humanitarian aid.
But Opposition foreign spokeswoman Michaelia Cash said 'Australia should not reward Hamas with a pathway to statehood while they remain in control of Gaza and continue to hold Israeli hostages'.
'The Coalition has been consistently clear that there can be no recognition of a Palestinian state with Hamas still in control of Gaza, and Hamas can have no role in governing a Palestinian state,' she said on Wednesday.
'The Albanese Government should explain to Australians why it is canvassing recognition of a Palestinian state while there are still hostages in tunnels under Gaza.'
The international push to recognise Palestine has been fuelled by the escalating crisis in Gaza, where more than two million people are facing starvation.
Israel cut off aid to Gaza in March before re-opening channels under tight restrictions in May, measures it says are necessary to stop the supplies being diverted to fund Hamas operations.
Its officials say enough food has been let into Gaza during the war and Hamas is responsible for the suffering of civilians.
Israel's military offensive has already killed more than 58,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza.
The campaign began after Hamas, a designated terrorist organisation in Australia, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
Multiple aid organisations, including Amnesty and Médecins Sans Frontières, have condemned the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for the trickle of aid being supplied in recent months.
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