CANBERRA: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that Australia will formally recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The decision comes after similar moves by France, the United Kingdom and Canada, and is aimed at increasing global pressure on Israel.
Albanese said the recognition is conditional on commitments from the Palestinian Authority, including that Hamas will have no role in any future Palestinian state. He called the two-state solution the best hope for ending the conflict, suffering, and hunger in Gaza.
The prime minister stated that during talks last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he stressed that the solution to the conflict is political, not military. Australia also condemned Israel’s plan to maintain military control over Gaza.
He noted that recent reforms within the Palestinian Authority, its pledge to remain non-militarized, the holding of general elections, and the Arab League’s demand for Hamas to relinquish control of Gaza have created an opportunity to isolate the group.
In a joint statement, Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong accused Netanyahu’s government of undermining the two-state solution through rapid expansion of illegal settlements, threats to annex occupied Palestinian territories, and open opposition to Palestinian statehood.
Wong said she had informed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio of Australia’s decision. Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Canada’s stance in support of Palestinian statehood, while Rubio labeled France’s decision “irresponsible.”
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