Australia to recognise Palestinian state at UN assembly
Australia will formally recognise the state of Palestine at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on August 11.
“Until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary,” Albanese told reporters. “Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own.”
The announcement follows similar commitments from countries including France, Britain and Canada, which have declared plans to recognise Palestinian statehood since Israel began military operations in Gaza nearly two years ago in response to Hamas attacks.
Albanese said the decision stemmed from assurances from the Palestinian Authority that “there would be no role for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state.”
“Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own, predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,” he said.
“The world cannot wait for success to be guaranteed. That only means waiting for a day that will never come. There is a moment of opportunity here, and Australia will work with the international community to seize it.”
Palestine remains without statehood largely because the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip have been under Israeli occupation since 1967.
Although a UN plan in 1947 called for separate Jewish and Arab states, only Israel was established in 1948, while the Palestinian territories came under Jordanian and Egyptian control until the Israeli occupation began.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
