Anthony Albanese closes in on Palestinian recognition shift

Anthony Albanese, who is under growing pressure from within the Labor Party to recognise Palestine, has accused Israel of killing civilians just hours after France revealed it would formally recognise Palestine by September.

Anthony Albanese in question time this week. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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Anthony Albanese, who is under growing pressure from within the Labor Party to recognise Palestine, has accused Israel of killing civilians just hours after French President Emmanuel Macron revealed Paris would formally recognise Palestine by September.

France’s commitment sets the stage for the September UN General Assembly meeting in New York – which Australia will also attend – to become a flashpoint in the Middle East ­conflict.

But the move, along with the following statement by the Prime Minister containing some of the strongest language yet against ­Israel, sparked alarm from members of Australia’s Jewish community. Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein described the shifting position as “disturbing”.

“Mr Albanese and his government have rightly stated on many occasions that Hamas can have no future role in Gaza, but now he is demanding a ceasefire that would leave it in power there,” Dr Rubenstein said.

“And he is failing to attribute the blame for the distressing Gaza situation toward this banned ­terror group – which started the war and openly says it sees the suffering of Gaza’s civilians as ‘necessary sacrifices’.”

Dr Rubenstein’s comments – echoed by opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Michaelia Cash who said “moral outrage should be aimed at Hamas” – ­followed the shock announcement by Mr Macron on Friday that his country would recognise Palestine by September.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Picture: AP

“True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state of Palestine,” Mr Macron said in a statement. “I will make this solemn ­announcement at the United ­Nations general assembly next September.”

Soon after Mr Macron’s comments, and a statement from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticising the suffering and starvation in Gaza as “indefensible”, Mr Albanese released a formal statement condemning Israel.

It also come a day after the US and Israel ditched ceasefire talks due to Hamas showing a “lack of desire” for peace.

“Tens of thousands of civilians are dead, children are starving,” the Prime Minister said. “Gaza is in the grip of a humanitarian ­catastrophe. Israel’s denial of aid and the killing of civilians, including children, seeking access to water and food cannot be defended or ignored.

“We call on Israel to comply immediately with its obligations under international law. This includes allowing the United Nations and NGOs to carry out their lifesaving work safely and without hindrance.”

The shift from France and statements from other western leaders were attacked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ­Netanyahu, who said the move to recognise Palestine “rewards ­terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became”.

“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel – not live in peace beside it,” Mr Netanyahu said in a statement on X. “Let’s be clear: the Palestinians do not seek a state alongside ­Israel; they seek a state instead of Israel.”

While Mr Albanese’s comments on the Middle East situation were welcomed within Labor, MPs and branch members urged the Prime Minister to follow suit with France and commit to ­recognising Palestine. Recently demoted Labor MP Ed Husic, a Muslim, said on ABC: “The time is now. This is a fairly comprehensive statement that France has put out and I think it is one that Australia has the perfect opportunity now to stand with the French to recognise the state of Palestine.”

His comments echoed those of former Labor foreign minister and long-time Palestinian advocate Bob Carr who said recognising Palestine would “send a message” to Israel.

Labor Friends of Palestine also ramped up their calls on the Albanese government to recognise Palestine. The group declared: “Labor members fought long and hard through the party’s democratic structures to establish in 2018 recognition as official policy that was to be delivered by the next Labor government.

“We call on the Australian government to implement official platform policy and immediately and unconditionally recognise a Palestinian state on the pre-June 4, 1967 borders.”

More than 100 aid and rights groups this month warned of “mass starvation” in Gaza, with ­reports of dozens of people – ­including children – succumbing to malnutrition.

Deputy Prime Minister and leading Labor Right faction figure Richard Marles said the party had “always” been in support of a two-state solution but that a Palestinian state could not have the involvement of Hamas. “We have seen what Hamas has done in terms of the terror that it has brought to bear and the ­appalling acts that it conducted on October 7,” the Defence Minister said.

Despite this, Mr Marles said that “ultimately the only way to have enduring peace in the ­Middle East is if there is a two-state solution”.

Standing beside her UK counterpart on Friday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong reiterated her view that she no longer saw recognition “at the end of a presupposed peace process”, but rather as something that could be achieved before such a process was concluded.

Senator Wong said there were “signs” the Palestinian Authority was seeking to “play its part as a partner of peace”, raising hopes the group could be in a ­position to govern the territory rather than this being done by Hamas.

However, Israel and other Jewish groups have long pointed to the widespread community support for Hamas leaders over those in the Palestinian Authority, prompting concerns over who would lead a recognised Palestinian state after its first democratic election.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there was a “clear risk” of international humanitarian law being breached.

“On that basis, the UK government decided to suspend arms sales that could be used in Gaza,” Mr Lammy said in Sydney.

“We remain very concerned about the malnourishment, the starvation that we’re seeing. We have just recently increased our funding to UK-Med to support medical needs in Gaza.”

Australia, the UK and France were among 27 countries that signed a statement this week condemning Israel for “drip-feeding” aid as people of Gaza starved, citing reports that more than 800 Palestinians had been killed while seeking aid. “We condemn the drip-feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,” the statement read.

The UK is set to discuss the matter of Palestinian recognition when it meets with German and French leaders in Turkey tomorrow, as part of the E3 grouping, during which time it will also take part in discussions with Iranian officials.

Sir Keir has been under sustained pressure from his cabinet to formally recognise Palestine, with the move by France all but expected to force the UK leader into following suit.

The UK will also join a number of other nations, including France, at a UN forum held to discuss the prospect of a two-state solution next week.