AUSTRALIA TO RECOGNISE PALESTINIAN STATE IN SEPTEMBER-Albanese says a political solution is needed.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at next month’s United Nations General Assembly.
Albanese, who announced a cabinet meeting, said recognition will be predicated on commitments Australia received from the Palestinian Authority, including that Hamas would have no involvement in any future state.
Albanese said he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and told him a political solution was needed and not a military one.
Australia last week criticised Israel’s plan to take military control of Gaza, and Albanese said the decision to recognise a Palestinian state was “further compelled” by Netanyahu’s disregard of the international community’s calls and failure to comply with legal and ethical obligations in Gaza.
Commitments by the Palestinian Authority to reform governance, demilitarise and hold general elections, as well as Arab League demands for Hamas to end its rule in Gaza, created an opportunity, Albanese said.
