Palestine state recognition now will only delay release of hostages: Mark Leibler

Jewish leaders have warned Anthony Albanese against premature recognition of Palestinian statehood after Canada pledged to make the change.

Prominent lawyer and chair of the Australia/­Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Mark Leibler. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Respected Jewish leader Mark Leibler has warned Anthony Albanese that prematurely recognising Palestinian statehood would delay the release of Israeli hostages and prolong the suffering of civilians in Gaza, amid fresh signs Labor is preparing to make the historic diplomatic shift.

Jim Chalmers declared on Thursday it was “a matter of when, not if” Australia recognised Palestine, after Canada became the latest like-minded country to commit to the change.

But as the Treasurer and the Prime Minister also consider trade and AUKUS talks with the White House in coming months, Donald Trump warned Canada that its support for Palestinian recognition would get in the way with the US-Canada tariff deal.

“Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh’ Canada!!!.” Mr Trump said on Truth Social.

Mr Albanese, who backs recognition of Palestine but is yet to announce a timeline, spoke to his British counterpart Keir Starmer for a second time late on Wednesday night about the UK leader’s pledge this week to recognise Palestinian statehood in September.

When asked on Tuesday night if he would recognise Palestine without Mr Trump’s support, Mr Albanese said the US would not have an effective veto over his policy on Palestine.

“No, we’ll make our own decisions. But clearly the United States have a role to play here,” the Prime Minister told the ABC.

“I think there’s an opportunity for the United States to play a leadership role here, for President Donald Trump to play a role, that of course will be a matter for them.”

Mr Leibler, a prominent lawyer and chair of the Australia/­Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, reminded Mr Albanese that his own preconditions for recognising Palestine – including the disarmament of Hamas and the release of the hostages – were yet to be fulfilled.

“The Prime Minister has made it clear that, in the current circumstances, with Hamas terrorists continuing to hold both Israeli citizens and Palestinian civilians hostage in Gaza, the time is not right for recognition of a Palestinian state,” he said.

“The countries that have chosen to go down this path now are only encouraging Hamas in its current intransigence, and further delaying the release of hostages and the end of suffering for innocent Palestinians in Gaza.”

Fellow Jewish leader Peter Wertheim, the co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said it would be “worse than an empty gesture” if the government pressed ahead with recognising Palestine without its preconditions being met.

“It would be scandalous if Australia and other nations were to recognise a Palestinian state which, from day one, was internationally responsible for the holding of living and dead hostages and was impotent in the face of armed terrorist groups controlling large parts of its territory,” he said. “That would be worse than an empty gesture; it would set the scene for even more carnage than has already occurred for ordinary people on both sides of the ­conflict.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN in September, falling in behind Mr Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Dr Chalmers said he welcomed the growing international momentum behind Palestinian statehood. “We need to make sure that the hostages are released, and so our support is conditional on meeting some of those, overcoming some of those obstacles,” the Treasurer said.

“But from an Australian point of view, it’s a matter of when, not if, and this progress and this ­momentum in the international community, from my point of view, is welcome.”

His comments came a day after Australia signed a joint statement with 14 other countries proclaiming the recognition of a Palestinian state “as an essential step” towards achieving peace in the Middle East.

Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said there would need to be “delicate negotiations” on Australia’s next steps towards recognition. “We understand that. It’s not an easy path, but we need to take the next step along the path that will bring us to a lasting peace,” she said.

Labor has steadily built its case to recognise Palestine since Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a speech last year the government no longer saw the move as a final-status issue in a two-state solution, but as a vital step to break the “cycle of violence”.