Australia to recognise Palestinian state in September
Albanese said Australia received commitments from the Palestinian Authority (PA) including to demilitarise, hold general elections and continue to recognise Israel's right to exist.
"A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza," he said on Monday.
Israel, under increasing pressure to end the war in Gaza, has said recognising a Palestinian state "rewards terrorism".
Since Saturday, five people have died as a result of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza, bringing the total number to 217 deaths, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
It also said that in total more than 61,000 people have been killed as a result of Israel's military campaign since 2023.
Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on 7 October that year, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
The Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, earlier said recognition of statehood shows growing support for self-determination of its people.
Albanese said the decision was made after his government received commitments from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that Hamas would play no role in any future state.
The move also comes after conversations with his counterparts in the UK, France, New Zealand, and Japan over the past fortnight, Albanese said.
"There is a moment of opportunity here, and Australia will work with the international community to seize it," he told the media.
Last Sunday, a pro-Palestinian protest drew tens of thousands of supporters who walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge, a day after a court ruling allowed the demonstration to happen.
Bowen: UK move to recognise Palestinian state is a diplomatic crowbar to revive peace process
What does recognising a Palestinian state mean?
The US has stated it will not follow suit and believes that recognising Palestinian statehood would be rewarding Hamas.
Over the weekend, US Vice-President JD Vance reiterated the US had no plans to recognise a Palestinian state, citing a lack of functional government.
At a press conference on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised countries planning to recognise Palestinian statehood.
"To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole… it is disappointing - and I think it's actually shameful," he said.
"They know what they would do if, right next to Melbourne or right next to Sydney, you had this horrific attack. I think you would do at least what we're doing."
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry called Albanese's decision a "betrayal and abandonment of the Israeli hostages who continue to languish in appalling conditions in Gaza".
The announcement gives the hostages "no hope for release" and "leaves Hamas armed and in control of territory", it said in a statement.
Israel has come under fire in recent days over its plans to take over Gaza City, with UN ambassadors condemning the move which Netanyahu says is the "best way" to end the war.
Last year, Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognised Palestine as a state, in the hopes it would encourage a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
The state of Palestine is currently recognised by 147 of the UN's 193 member states.
At the UN, it has the status of a "permanent observer state", allowing participation but no voting rights.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
After Eisenkot exodus, another lawmaker leaves Gantz's Blue and White party
MK Orit Farkash-Hacohen announced her resignation from Blue and White on Thursday, intending to join MK Gadi Eisenkot. MK Orit Farkash-Hacohen informed Blue and White chairman MK Benny Gantz of her intention to leave the party on Thursday. She thanked MK Benny Gantz for the path they shared and made it clear that she would wait for his decision on when her departure would take place in order to prevent harming the opposition and granting the coalition another vote. Gantz also thanked Farkash-Hacohen for the partnership and wished her success. Following in Eisenkot's footsteps Farkash-Hacohen is the third MK to split from Gantz, following MKs Gadi Eisenkot, who announced that he would be fully retiring from politics following his departure, and MK Matan Kahana. Following Eisenkot and Kahana's decisions to leave the National Unity party, Gantz announced his intention to change the party's name back to Blue and White, saying that "there are no more camps, we are all Blue and White." This is a developing story. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UN condemns targeted Israeli attack that killed four Al Jazeera journalists
The UN's human rights office has condemned a targeted Israeli attack that killed six journalists in Gaza, calling it a grave breach of international law. Four Al Jazeera journalists, including correspondent Anas al-Sharif, were killed in an Israeli air strike on Sunday. Three others were killed, including two freelance journalist, the broadcaster said. Israel's military said it targeted Sharif, alleging he had "served as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas" - something Sharif denied. Israel provided little evidence. The BBC understands Sharif did some work with a Hamas media team in Gaza before the current war. In social media posts before his death, the journalist is heard criticising Hamas. Follow live - Israel kills prominent Al Jazeera journalist and four colleagues in targeted attack in Gaza Media rights groups and countries including Qatar condemned the attack. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said the UK government was "gravely concerned" and called for an independent investigation. Speaking to reporters, Starmer's official spokesman said Israel should ensure journalists can work safely and report without fear. The funerals of Sharif, fellow Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, and cameramen Ibrahim Zaher, Mohammed Noufal and freelance cameraman Moamen Aliwa took place on Monday following the targeted missile strike on their tent in Gaza City. Al Jazeera initially said five of its journalists were killed by Israel, but revised this to four on Tuesday. Mohammad al-Khaldi was named by medics at al-Shifa hospital as the sixth journalist who was killed during the strike, Reuters news agency reported. Another person was also killed in the attack, it said. Streets in Gaza were thronged with crowds gathered for the funerals. Anas al-Sharif was a household name who had millions of followers online. Reporters Without Borders, a media freedom group, strongly condemned what it called the assassination of Sharif. The Foreign Press Association said it was outraged by the targeted killing. It said the Israeli military had repeatedly labelled Palestinian journalists "as militants, often without verifiable evidence". The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was appalled by the attack and that Israel had failed to provide evidence to back up its allegations against Sharif. "Israel has a longstanding, documented pattern of accusing journalists of being terrorists without providing any credible proof," the organisation added. The Israeli military has suggested it has documents found in Gaza that confirmed Sharif belonged to Hamas. It said these include "personnel rosters, lists of terrorist training courses, phone directories and salary documents". The only materials that have been released for publication are screenshots of spreadsheets apparently listing Hamas operatives from the northern Gaza Strip, noting injuries to Hamas operatives, and a section of what is said to be a phone directory for the armed group's East Jabalia battalion. The BBC cannot independently verify these documents, and has seen no evidence of Sharif having involvement in the current war or remaining an active member of Hamas. No Israeli explanation has so far been given for the killing of the entire Al Jazeera news crew. CPJ says at least 186 journalists have been killed since the start of Israel's military offensive in Gaza in October 2023 - the deadliest period for journalists since it began recording such data in 1992. "Israel must respect & protect all civilians, including journalists," the UN Human Rights office said in a post on X. "We call for immediate, safe and unhindered access to Gaza for all journalists." Last month, the BBC and three other news agencies - Reuters, AP and AFP - issued a joint statement expressing "desperate concern" for journalists in the Gaza Strip, who they say are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families. The Israeli government does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza to report freely, so many outlets rely on Gaza-based reporters for coverage. Meanwhile in Gaza, five more people have died from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, including one child, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. This brings the total number of malnutrition deaths to 222, including 101 children, the health ministry said. The UN's humanitarian agency said on Friday that the amount of aid entering Gaza continues to be "far below the minimum required to meet people's immense needs". Last month, UN-backed global food security experts warned the "worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out". Israel has continued to deny there is starvation in Gaza and has accused UN agencies of not picking up aid at the borders and delivering it. The UN's humanitarian agency has said it continues to see impediments and delays as it tries to collect aid from Israeli-controlled border zones. Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Since then, 61,430 people have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israel's military campaign, according to the health ministry. Who was Anas al-Sharif, famous Gaza journalist killed by Israel? Five Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli strike in Gaza
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has ‘lost the plot,' New Zealand leader Luxon says
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Wednesday that his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu has 'lost the plot' and that Israel's planned occupation of Gaza City is 'utterly unacceptable.' Luxon's comments come as his conservative coalition government weighs whether to join other members of the Five-Eyes security alliance, Australia, Britain and Canada, in moving to recognize a Palestinian state; and as international condemnation and anger builds over Israel's recent decision to expand its war to take control of Gaza City, the throttling of aid and mass starvation in the enclave. Luxon, who leads the right-leaning National Party, said Netanyahu is 'not listening' to the international community's demands for 'unfettered' humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza. 'I think Netanyahu has gone too far. I think he has lost the plot. And I think what we are seeing overnight with the attack on Gaza City is utterly, utterly unacceptable,' Luxon said, in some of his strongest comments against Israel's actions in Gaza to date. Netanhayu's office has not yet responded to Luxon's comment. Israel has continued its intense aerial attacks on Gaza this week and Netanyahu's planned military takeover of Gaza City, expected to force up to a million people to leave the city, has been widely condemned. 'We have said a forcible displacement of people and an annexation of Gaza would be a breach of international law,' said Luxon. Chaotic scenes continue to emerge from Gaza, with violence and starvation deepening amid Israel's tight control of aid to the territory. At least 227 people – including 103 children – have died from malnutrition since the beginning of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Foreign ministers from dozens of countries on Tuesday jointly said that suffering has reached 'unimaginable levels' and 'famine is unfolding before our eyes' as they demand that Israel allow more aid into Gaza and permit humanitarian organizations to operate there. Luxon is not the only western leader to openly criticize Israel's Prime Minister in recent days. On Tuesday, Australia's leader Anthony Albanese said he had spoken to Netanyahu but found him to be 'in denial' about the human cost of the war in Gaza. 'He (Netanyahu) again reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people,' Albanese told Australia's public broadcaster ABC. Earlier this week, Australia announced it would move to recognize Palestinian statehood at the United National General Assembly meeting in September, leaving New Zealand as the only member of the Five Eyes security alliance, except the United States, not to pledge to do so. French President Emmanuel Macron has also said France will recognize a Palestinian state in an announcement to the United Nations General Assembly in September. 'The urgent need today is to end the war in Gaza and to rescue the civilian population,' said Macron in a July statement, reiterating calls for an immediate ceasefire, access to humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza, the release of all hostages and the demilitarization of Hamas. Washington has found itself increasingly at odds with key western allies over Israel and how the war in Gaza is being conducted. Both Israel and the US have condemned moves to recognize a Palestinian state. Luxon announced Monday that New Zealand would consider its position on recognizing a Palestinian state over the next month, prompting fierce criticism at home for what is considered by some to be a lack of action on Israel. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who went on to lead the United Nation's Development Program after exiting domestic politics, lambasted Luxon's coalition government on Tuesday for not moving quickly enough. 'We now really seem to stand for nothing except you know, somehow wanting to save our own skin in a tariff war,' she told New Zealand's public broadcaster RNZ on Tuesday. 'I think it's really quite a humiliating position for New Zealand to be in.' On Wednesday, Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick was kicked out of Parliament for refusing to apologize for comments she made suggesting coalition lawmakers grow a spine and support a bill to sanction Israel. 'If we find six of 68 government MPs (members of Parliament) with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history,' said Swarbrick Tuesday.
