Labor in no rush to recognise Palestine

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has labelled the recognition of Palestine as a ‘hypothetical’, despite the Labor government agreeing doing so would be a ‘important priority’.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong is in no rush to recognise Palestine, despite the Labor platform saying it. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has labelled the recognition of Palestine as a “hypothetical”, ­despite the Labor government agreeing at national conference doing so would be an “important priority”.

Senator Wong said she was “not going to engage in hypotheticals” about the timing of recognising Palestine as a state and would not explain why the government was not moving on the issue.

However, Senator Wong said she had been a chief advocate within the party on the wording in the national platform that has been criticised by pro-Israel groups.

“One of the reasons I’ve ­argued so strongly inside our party for that wording, and I have been probably the principal advocate of that wording for some years now, is that I do believe that this is something the party is entitled to express a view on, but ultimately, these are sensitive diplomatic decisions,” Senator Wong told ABC’s Insiders program.

“That should be made by a cabinet, and a cabinet should make such decisions when considering all of the diplomatic issues that would necessarily be before it.”

With Labor concerned it would face a push to put a timeline on recognising Palestine at ­national conference, the government changed its policy on the issue and declared the West Bank and Gaza as “Occupied Palestinian Territories” and Israeli settlements as ­“illegal”. The change prevented a public stoush on the issue at last week’s policy forum in Brisbane although there were two speeches on the floor reflecting different views within the party.

Labor MP Susan Templeman said the issue of recognising Palestine would be an “issue of priority for our government”.

Ms Templeman said she had visited the Middle East and was horrified by “the uncertainty” faced by Palestinians living near Israeli settlements.

She condemned the “extreme right-wing policies” of the Israeli government that sped up the establishment of illegal settlements.

“I can’t imagine there’s a delegate at this conference who would disagree that the way forward is simple, but I know there’s not a delegate at this conference who will want anything other than for us to work together ­towards a just and ensuring peace,” she said.

But former ACTU vice-president Michael Easson said viewing the conflict from a one-eyed perspective could not achieve any lasting solutions. “It would be contrary to the great spirit of equal justice, on which the Labor Party operate, to affirm a collective right of self ­determination for either people while denying it to the other,” he said.