Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is gearing up for the Australian government to recognise a Palestinian state, with the announcement set to happen as early as today or this week. However, the steps towards the groundbreaking move have already garnered a negative public response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to cabinet sources, the federal cabinet is meeting today, and it is believed that they could sign off on Australia recognising a Palestinian state.
The move follows comments made by Netanyahu slamming Australia and some European countries for considering the recognition of Palestine, referring to the potential steps as “shameful”.
“It defies imagination or understanding how intelligent people around the world, including seasoned diplomats, government leaders, and respected journalists, fall for this absurdity,” the Israeli PM said, during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Sunday.
“To have European countries and Australia to march into that rabbit hole, just like that … is disappointing and I think it’s actually shameful.
“But it’s not going to take, it’s not going to change our position. We will not commit national suicide to get a good op-ed for two minutes. We won’t do that.”
The decision for Australia to formally recognise Palestine as a state would be a historic move, but an expected one. As it stands, Palestine is not universally accepted as a sovereign state under international law, but Albanese has long supported a two-state solution (where both Israel and Palestine are recognised as independent countries with secured and recognised borders) throughout his political career.
However, as the alleged genocide in Gaza worsens, the PM has consistently come under criticism for not doing enough and sharing wishy-washy statements rather than solid action.
In July, Albanese explicitly condemned the humanitarian catastrophe currently happening in Gaza and called out Israel for the denial of aid and killing of civilians. While it was his strongest statement yet, many called for a solid game plan — like recognising Palestinian statehood — to help bring peace to the war-torn region.
Previously, Albanese and his cabinet set out a list of requirements for Australia to join the likes of France and Canada by officially supporting a two-state solution.
These requirements include a sustained ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the Palestinian Authority being democratic and not run by Hamas, and that Israel is offered security and protection.
For a full explainer of the conditions requested for Australia and Albanese to recognise a Palestinian state, click the article below.
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