‘We won’t make a decision as a gesture’: Albanese says no imminent move to recognise Palestine

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Israel of breaking international law by restricting the entry of aid into Gaza, while rebuffing calls within the party to quickly recognise Palestinian statehood.

The Israeli military has announced that airdrops of aid will begin in Gaza and humanitarian corridors will be established for United Nations convoys to deliver food after growing international condemnation over starvation in the beleaguered strip.

Albanese told the ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday morning that “quite clearly, it is a breach of international law to stop food being delivered, which was a decision that Israel made in March”.

Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity distribution point in the city of Gaza.Credit: Bloomberg

Albanese added that, while he is not a lawyer, he considers Israeli restrictions on food and other supplies entering Gaza as a “breach of decency, humanity and morality”.

He said that the flood of images of suffering in Gaza - including a severely malnourished one-year-old boy – “just breaks your heart”.

“A one-year-old boy is not a Hamas fighter, and the [scale of] civilian casualties and death in Gaza is completely unacceptable, it’s completely indefensible,” he said.

Albanese said in a statement on Friday that the situation in Gaza “has gone beyond the world’s worst fears” and called on Israel to “comply immediately with its obligations under international law”.

Asked whether he would join French President Emmanuel Macron by recognising Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September, Albanese said: “No, we will make a decision at an appropriate time ... Is the time right now? Are we about to imminently do that? No, we are not.”

Albanese indicated that Australia would only recognise Palestine after key conditions, such as the removal of Hamas from power in Gaza, are met.

“We support two states, so some would argue, ‘Well, why don’t you just recognise the state?’” he asked.

“You need to recognise a Palestinian state as part of moving forward. How do you exclude Hamas from any involvement there? How do you ensure that a Palestinian state operates in an appropriate way that does not threaten the existence of Israel?”

He continued: “We won’t do any decision as a gesture. We will do it as a way forward if the circumstances are met.”

Albanese also noted that there had been no elections in Palestine for many years, presenting another hurdle to recognising a Palestinian state.

Former foreign minister Bob Carr, a strong supporter of Palestine, said it was “embarrassing” that Albanese appeared to want to move in unison with the United Kingdom rather than move swiftly to recognise Palestine.

“I can’t think of anything better we could do to improve our standing with crucial neighbours like Indonesia and Malaysia than take action on this issue,” he said.

Peter Moss, the co-convenor of Labor Friends of Palestine, said: “Labor members will be deeply disappointed with the prime minister’s comments that appear to signal further delay and place additional conditions on Australian recognition of Palestine.

“Immediate and unconditional recognition of Palestine is the necessary first step that will lay the foundations for the development of a Palestinian state.”

Former Rudd government minister Mike Kelly, a co-convenor of Labor Friends of Israel, said Albanese was right to be cautious about joining Macron’s push to recognise Palestine.

“It would be a meaningless gesture that wouldn’t bring peace any closer or improve the situation for Palestinians in any practical way,” he said.

Labor’s national platform says the party “calls on the Australian government to recognise Palestine as a state” and that it “expects that this issue will be an important priority for the Australian government”.

At a United Nations conference this week, France and Saudi Arabia plan to lay out a proposed roadmap for post-war Gaza leading to a two-state solution covering security, reconstruction and governance.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that, as part of the conference, Arab countries will for the first time condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament in a move designed to spur more nations to recognise Palestine.

Labor backbencher Ed Husic on Friday said: “The time is now: we should move to recognise Palestine now, standing alongside France.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she had made clear since April last year that Australia no longer believes recognition of Palestine must come at the end of a peace process, saying that a two-state solution was “the only hope of peace and breaking the cycle of violence and ensuring the security and aspirations and peace for both Israelis and Palestinians”.

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