Latest news with #MussaHijazi
SBS Australia
7 days ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Concerns expressed over Australia's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood
"The recognition itself is probably important from a symbolic point of view, but to be honest, it's not what we've been calling for in the last two years, or indeed for the last 57 years or or 77 years since 1948." That's Palestinian-Australian Mussa Hijazi. The Canberra-based lawyer was born in Australia and grew up in the Occupied West Bank. He's concerned the Albanese government's announcement that Australia would soon recognise a Palestinian state is a distraction from what's happening on the ground. "We haven't been marching for recognition. We have been marching and calling out for an end to the genocide that is taking place in Palestine." Protesters have been taking to the streets of Australia each week for the last 20 months, with the largest demonstration since the war escalated in 2023 being the tens of thousands of people who marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this month. Organisers claimed around 300,000 people participated in the protest, while New South Wales Police put the figure lower, at 90,000. "All this is doing in the meantime is creating a distraction from what is happening on the ground." In a 2024 interim ruling the International Court of Justice found it plausible that the Israeli offensive had violated the UN Genocide Convention, which the Israeli government strongly denies. It says it is fighting to defeat Hamas and to bring back Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. The decades-long conflict escalated in October 2023 when Hamas killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 250 hostages. Israel's subsequent military campaign has since killed more than 61,000 people in Gaza. Mr Hijazi says there are practical actions the Australian government could take. "I think it's important to recognise that we do export F35 parts. We that we're at the stage now where our politicians, our Labor government, is telling us that they're non-lethal parts. Apparently, there are parts of the F35 jet that's been dropped that has been dropping 2,000-pound bombs on Palestinian civilians and destroying half city blocks at the time, apparently, some of the parts for that airplane that we manufacture here are apparently not, are not lethal." Australia has consistently denied sending weapons to Israel, but senior ministers have confirmed that parts of F35 fighter jets have been exported as part of a global supply chain program. Labor says any action on Australia's exports of component parts to Israel is unlikely to have an impact on the war in Gaza. People on the streets of Western Sydney have told SBS Arabic the move to recognise a Palestinian state is a step in the right direction. "I think that's great. And definitely I think, you know, the killings of innocent children, like anywhere in anything like it should be globally recognised, that this is just a wrong thing to do. And Inshallah, like all the eyes, like all eyes on Palestine now, so that it can, that we can stop this." "It should have happened a long time ago, there was too late now, after 50,000 people died, and I think the Palestinians should have their sovereignty. It's not up to the Australian government who cannot rule Gaza." "It's good step, you know? It's the right direction. And of course, because we have to follow England, England beat us first. So it's normal for especially the Labor Party, to support the state of Palestine. And it's very good step for all Aussies, especially when we had the big demonstration a couple of weeks ago, one of the biggest demonstrations on Harbor Bridge. So that it's a good wake-up call for all humanity, you know." The plan to recognise the state is based on assurances from the Palestinian Authority which governs the West Bank. It's conditional on Hamas, the Palestinian political-militant group and de facto government in Gaza that is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in Australia, playing no role in the future state's government. Adviser to the Palestinian Authority's Foreign Minister Ahmed al Deek has welcomed the move towards recognition. "We welcome the announcement made by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese regarding Australia's decision to recognize the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly. We will build on this recognition to strengthen bilateral relations with Australia across all fields. Once again, we renew our call for all countries that have not yet recognised Palestine to take this step, as a means of safeguarding the two-state solution and contributing to resolving the conflict and achieving peace." But the move has been condemned by Israel's ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon. He told the ABC it won't lead to lasting peace. "It's important to emphasize that we reject the recognition, unilateral recognition. It will not change anything on the ground, it will not bring a ceasefire. It would not bring about a release of the hostages, and it will not bring the two parties closer." President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, Jeremy Leibler, told SBS Hebrew he's disappointed by the government's move. "While Hamas is still in control of significant parts of Gaza, ultimately, it's going to send a message to those in the region, including Hamas, that here is a reward for terrorism and the most barbaric act of terrorism committed on Jews since the Holocaust. So we think it's extremely misguided. Ultimately, this is not going to help Palestinians on the ground." Executive Director of the New Israel Fund Australia, Kate Rosenberg, has told SBS Hebrew she supports the move. "While this move alone won't end the conflict, it affirms the Palestinian rights are not up for negotiation, and that equality must be the foundation for any lasting future."
SBS Australia
11-08-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
'A distraction': Palestinians in Australia say statehood recognition isn't enough
For Palestinian-Australian Mussa Hijazi, Australia's announcement that it intends to recognise a Palestinian state is a "distraction" from the realities on the ground in the Palestinian territories. The Canberra-based lawyer, who was born in Australia and grew up in the Occupied West Bank, described Monday's announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as a "symbolic move". "I think the recognition itself is probably important from a symbolic point of view, but to be honest, it's not what we've been calling for the last two years, or indeed for the last 57 years, or for 77 years since 1948," he told SBS News. 'We're not marching for recognition' "We haven't been marching for recognition. We have been marching and calling out for an end to the genocide that is taking place in Palestine." "All this is doing in the meantime is creating a distraction from what is happening on the ground," he said. The Israeli government, backed by the United States, fiercely denies the charge and says it is fighting to defeat Hamas and to bring back Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. The conflict escalated in October 2023 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military campaign has since killed more than 61,000 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian enclave's health authorities. When announcing the decision on Monday, Albanese said that recognition of Palestinian statehood would hinge on a guarantee that Hamas, the Palestinian political and militant group that de facto governs Gaza and which Australia has proscribed as a terror group, played no role in its future government. Hijazi said there were "conditions" placed on the recognition that are unlikely to be met, and there were more "meaningful" actions the government could take. "So, apparently, that [recognition] is going to achieve something? However, stopping the supply of weapon parts or armoured steel to Israel, apparently, will not make a difference?" he said. "The reality is, if we and everyone else did that, if we stopped the export of arms to Israel, this would stop." Will recognising Palestinian statehood lead to change on the ground? Dr Jessica Genauer, a senior lecturer in international relations at Flinders University, agreed that the decision to recognise Palestinian statehood was largely symbolic. "This decision is symbolically important, and it indicates a shift in momentum in the international arena around galvanising support to ensure that the humanitarian crisis ongoing in the Gaza Strip is addressed," Genauer told SBS News. While Genauer says the recognition of Palestinian statehood was significant in showing there's an increase in support to end the conflict, she says it won't directly lead to a change in Gaza. "It's significant, but it doesn't have a lot of practical implications," she said. "It's not going to have a mechanism to create an immediate tangible effect on the ground in terms of, for example, a truck being able to get through into the Gaza Strip or a cessation of hostilities." The Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (APAN) said on Monday that the recognition of statehood was being used as a distraction. "Recognition without decisive action is an insult to Palestinians, and nothing but a veneer that allows Israel to continue brutalising Palestinians with no consequences," APAN president Nasser Mashni said. More than 140 of 193 UN member states already recognise Palestine. Source: SBS News "Australia must stop enabling apartheid and genocide by cutting all military ties, imposing sanctions akin to those we've placed on Russia, and standing up for Palestinian self-determination in their historic homeland." But Genauer can't see Australia imposing any of these calls — including sanctions. She says the Albanese government is still taking a centrist approach and is unlikely to impose extra limitations on Israel, especially if other countries are not doing so. "I don't think the Australian government [is] necessarily wanting to take steps that we don't see other partners taking." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised plans by Australia and other countries to recognise a Palestinian state on Monday. "To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole, just like that, fall right into it and buy this canard is disappointing, and I think it's actually shameful," Netanyahu said, adding that it wouldn't change Israel's position. More than 140 of 193 UN member states already recognise Palestine. Genauer says a public sentiment shift may have also been behind the recognition. "I think that this doesn't represent a massive shift in policy or approach for the Australian government," Genauer said. "The Albanese government is going to follow what they see to be a majority opinion within the Australian domestic population." Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in September. Credit: LUKAS COCH/AAPIMAGE Earlier this month, a poll by DemosAU suggested a shift in Australians' views on Palestinian statehood. The survey of more than 1,000 people found that 45 per cent of respondents supported Australia recognising a Palestinian state before a negotiated peace agreement, with 23 per cent opposed. Levels of support were highest among those aged 18-34 at 57 per cent, while people aged 55 and above were more likely to be opposed, at 28 per cent. It marked an increase in support since May 2024, when a separate poll from the same firm found 35 per cent of Australians supported recognition of a Palestinian state, with 22 per cent opposed. On 3 August, tens of thousands of people marched across Sydney's Harbour Bridge in opposition to the war — Australia's largest protest since it began. Organisers said around 300,000 people participated in the protest, while NSW Police put the figure lower, at 90,000. Pro-Palestinian protesters marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this month. Source: AAP / Ayush Kumar / SOPA Images / Sipa USA No real change without UN recognition In order for a country to be formally recognised in the United Nations, it needs to pass through the UN Security Council. The State of Palestine is currently a non-member observer state, a de facto recognition of statehood granted by the General Assembly in 2012. "Even though Australia might recognise Palestine as a state, this is not the same thing as Palestine getting that important international recognition as a state in the United Nations," Genauer said. Should Palestine be formally recognised as a state in the United Nations, it would mean they would have access to channels and mechanisms of support that they wouldn't have as a territory or non-member observer, Genauer says. The move would also come with questions about what the internationally recognised borders of that state would be. "That gets into the heart of the dispute in the entire conflict between Israelis and Palestinians — resolving or addressing that question would be incredibly significant for Palestinians on the ground," Genauer said. The decision would also mean questions about the government would be ignited, including what the governance structures would be and how a centralised government would operate. But there's still a big obstacle in the way of that — the United States. On the UN council, the five countries that are permanent members have veto power: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. That means they can reject any resolution of the Security Council, regardless of the level of support from other members. While Genauer says that four of those countries are likely to let the recognition of Palestinian statehood pass — France, the United Kingdom, China and Russia — the US will likely still veto the vote. In April last year, the US wielded its veto power to block the United Nations from recognising a Palestinian state. It was the sole country of the 15-member council to vote against it — two countries abstained, while the remaining 12 voted in favour of it. But she does say that she can see that shifting in the future, which could lead to formal recognition. "The US is the only country that is applying a veto to that recognition. If there's a change of administration in the United States ... or if there's a real U-turn in policy from the Trump presidency, all the other pieces are in place for Palestine to get recognised as a state. "We are one small, but very important, step away." But despite UN obstacles, Australia's decision still carries weight. "Australia is a very strong and important middle power in the international arena," Genauer said. "The decisions that we make do matter and provide weight and support to an international direction."
