CANBERRA – Australia will recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday.
“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 told reporters in Canberra.
“Until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary.
“Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own. We will work with the international community to make this right a reality.”
The Israel-Hamas war, raging in Gaza since the Palestinian militant group’s attack on October 7, 2023, has revived a global push for Palestinians to be given a state of their own.
According to an AFP tally, at least 145 of the 193 UN members now recognize or plan to recognize a Palestinian state, including France, Canada and Britain. AFP
“There is a moment of opportunity here, and Australia will work with the international community to seize it,” Albanese said.
He said that Australia’s decision was predicated on reassurances from the Palestinian Authority that there would be “no role for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state”.
The Palestinian Authority, however, does not have a presence in Gaza, which has been governed by Hamas for nearly two decades.
Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, said the decision was symbolic, rather than “genuine progress towards peace.” AFP
