Australian PM says Canberra will recognize Palestinian state next month

Australia will recognize a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces, in a quick about-face after saying two weeks ago that he didn’t plan to imminently make such a move.

“Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority. We will work with the international community to make this right a reality,” he says following a cabinet meeting, framing the move as “part of a coordinated global effort building momentum for a two-state solution.”

He says Hamas may take no part in such a state, but argues that Israel “continues to defy” international law, with the situation in Gaza “beyond the world’s worst dreams.”

The move is “predicated on commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,” Albanese says, adding that those commitments include no role for Hamas in a Palestinian government, demilitarization of Gaza and the holding of elections — which haven’t been held since 2006.

He also says the PA has pledged to affirm Israel’s right to exist in peace and security, and to hold substantial reforms, including international oversight to prevent incitement and abolishing a payment system for Palestinian security prisoners and families of dead assailants, including terrorists, which is known as “pay for slay.”

“A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza,” Albanese says.

He adds that over the past two weeks, he has spoken on the matter with the leaders of Britain, France, New Zealand and Japan, as well as with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

Albanese says his call with Netanyahu was civil and relatively long, adding that “the arguments that he put to me were very similar to the arguments that he put more than a year ago. It seems to me very clearly and I put the argument to him that we need a political solution — not a military one.”

Ahead of Albanese’s announcement, Netanyahu on Sunday criticized Australia and other European countries that have moved to recognize a Palestinian state.

“To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole … this canard is disappointing and I think it’s actually shameful,” he said.

The development follows weeks of urging from within Albanese’s cabinet and from pro-Palestinian activists in Australia to recognize a Palestinian state and amid growing criticism from officials in his government over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Australia’s government has also criticized plans announced in recent days by Netanyahu for a new military offensive aimed at conquering Gaza City.