Labor weighs UN vote on Palestine to ‘build momentum’ towards peace
The Albanese government is unlikely to join with the US to reject a UN motion to admit Palestine as a full member, amid warnings by Jewish groups it would set back a two-state solution.
The Albanese government is unlikely to join with the US to reject a UN motion to admit Palestine as a full member of the global body, amid warnings by Jewish groups that the proposed resolution would reward Hamas and set back a two-state solution.
An abstention by Australia in the Friday night (AEST) vote looms as the most likely possibility but a “yes” vote remains possible after the government signalled its support for Palestinian statehood as a path to peace in Gaza. Australian officials have been locked in talks with counterparts from like-minded countries but the government is yet to finalise its position on the motion.
It is working closely with the UK, in particular, which abstained on a similar vote in the UN Security Council last month, breaking with the US, which used its veto to reject the motion.
A senior government source said Australia was carefully considering its position amid a stalled peace process and rising civilian death toll in Gaza.
“Countries like us will be evaluating the resolution that ends up being put forward and assessing the facts on the ground to determine whether the vote can help build momentum towards a long-term peace process,” the source said.
“The recent Security Council vote showed how Israel’s friends are grappling with this. We wouldn’t be doing things this way if it were up to us. We would rather a genuine political process towards peace. But we have to deal with what’s in front of us.”
Japan, South Korea and France threw their support behind full Palestinian membership of the UN in the recent Security Council ballot, underscoring the growing frustration over Israel’s war in Gaza among key US allies.
Other key like-minded countries, including Canada and Germany, are yet to declare their positions on the issue.
Australia took a different position to the US in a December UN vote, backing a motion for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which the Biden administration rejected. The upcoming General Assembly resolution is being drafted by the Palestinian Observer Mission to the UN and will be overwhelmingly supported by developing countries and the Arab world, together with China and Russia.
The outcome will be seen as a de facto vote for Palestinian statehood, but will be largely symbolic because of the US Security Council veto.
An early draft called for Palestine be considered as “a peace-loving state” under the UN Charter, with “the rights and privileges necessary to ensure its full and effective participation in the sessions and work of the General Assembly … on equal footing with member states”.
The Albanese government is under pressure from some of its own MPs and the wider labour movement to support the motion. They were emboldened by a recent speech by Penny Wong suggesting the government could back Palestinian statehood ahead of any peace agreement.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry warned the Foreign Minister in a letter on Tuesday that a “Palestinian state cannot be declared into existence”.
“It must exist in fact. This requires the establishment of institutions which are performing all of the functions of a state on a sustainable basis,” the letter said.
“These institutions would preferably be of a democratic nature, bringing freedom and prosperity to its people and withstanding internal security pressures that will pose a threat to regional stability.”
It warned voting to admit Palestine as a full member of the UN before such preconditions were met “would signal to the Palestinians (and the world) that acts of mass terrorism should be rewarded”.
But Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said the Palestinian people needed to be “granted their basic, inherent right to participate in decision-making at UN level, about issues that directly concern their lives”.
“Australia now has a historic opportunity to back its statements of commitment to the principles of international law and justice with tangible action,” he said. “Australia must vote in support of Palestinian self-determination and equality, and support its full membership of the UN.”
Mr Mashni said it was “outrageous that Palestine’s bid for self-determination via UN membership has been stalled and blocked since it first applied in 2011, as part of the ongoing process by Israel – backed by the US.”
Labor has previously split over UN votes on Palestine, with the Gillard cabinet fracturing in 2012 over a resolution giving the Palestinian territories observer status at the UN. Ms Gillard told cabinet of her intention to vote no, but it ignited a backlash, led by then foreign minister Bob Carr, that forced the prime minister to back down and instead abstain.
The looming vote at the UN comes amid ongoing peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Cairo, which the terrorist group described as a “last chance” for the Jewish state.
The US – Israel’s closest ally and military backer – said it was hopeful the two sides could “close the remaining gaps”.
Additional reporting: AFP
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