One in three Australians think Palestine recognition too soon, won’t matter anyway

More than half of Australians support the recognition of a Palestinian state, but many of them think their government should wait until Hamas is no longer in power or Palestinians first recognize Israel’s right to exist, polling numbers published by the Sydney Morning Herald show.

According to the survey of 1,800 respondents, 24% of Australians think the government should recognize a Palestinian state regardless, while 32% of Australians want Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to wait until those conditions are met. The remaining 44% polled prefer the government not grant recognition at all.

The poll, conducted from November 11 to 16, also finds that only 25% of Australians think the recognition move will change anything, versus 36% who think it will not and 40% who are unsure. It is unclear where the extra percentage point comes from.