Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has thrown the Labor government’s support behind the recognition of a Palestinian state as Israeli Forces continue to plan a ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
At the Australian National University on April 9, Ms. Wong told an audience at the National Security College conference that Australia was urging the warring parties to re-enter negotiations as it is the “only hope of breaking the endless cycle of violence.”
The conflict in the region started on Oct. 7 last year after the terrorist group Hamas breached the Gaza-Israel barrier and attacked Israeli military bases and civilians, leaving 1,200 people dead.
Hamas’s founding charter calls for the destruction of Israel and its replacement with an Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The group has been responsible for numerous suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and other acts of violence against Israeli civilians and military targets over the years.
Swift retaliation by Israel has left over 33,000 dead since October and displaced 2.3 million people, many of whom are holed up in Rafah.
The risk of many dying from famine has increased over the past week after Israel admitted to accidentally killing aid workers after their food convoy was struck by drones, leading to aid supplier World Central Kitchen withdrawing its volunteers from entering the conflict area.
Ms. Wong said recognising a Palestine state would enhance the security and opportunities for peace in the Middle East.
“Recognising a Palestinian state—one that can only exist side by side with a secure Israel—doesn’t just offer the Palestinian people an opportunity to realise their aspirations ... It also strengthens the forces for peace and undermines extremism. It undermines Hamas, Iran, and Iran’s other destructive proxies in the region.
Australia Promotes 2-State System
In Dec. 2023, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese affirmed his government’s support for recognising a “two-state solution” for a Palestinian and Israeli state to co-exist, saying the world should not “abandon hope.”The comments were at odds with its AUKUS defence coalition partner the United States’ stance which supported Israel’s vote against a UN ceasefire.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously said the Gaza region must be under the total control of Israel once the Hamas threat is neutralised.
Signed in the 1990s, the Oslo Accords were a series of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) intended to establish a framework for achieving peace.
In 1988, the Palestinian National Council (PNC), part of the legislative body of the PLO, declared the establishment of the State of Palestine, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
However, the declaration did not result in the immediate creation of a fully independent and sovereign Palestinian state, as it was not universally recognised.
Mr. Netanyahu recently said he was “proud” to have stymied the creation of two separate states, something he said would be a “fateful mistake.”
Despite this, the international community has continued to widely support the goal of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel, based on pre-1967 borders.
In December, more than 200 current and former Australian politicians signed an open letter in support of an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israeli occupation, and called on the government to recognise the state.
Ms. Wong said there was “widespread frustration” amongst the international community at the lack of progress in creating the independent nations.
“So the international community is now considering the question of Palestinian statehood as a way of building momentum towards a two-state solution,” Senator Wong said.
Further, she stated that any input from Hamas in the running of the proposed state would not be welcomed, and the administration should be handled solely by an independent Palestinian authority.
“There is no role for Hamas in a future Palestinian state. Hamas is a terrorist organisation which has the explicit intent of the destruction of the state of Israel and the Jewish people,” she said.
Ms. Wong also implored Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel plans for the impending offensive into Rafah.
Without revealing specifics, on Israeli state television yesterday, Mr. Netanyahu said the operation now had a start date.
“There is no force in the world that will stop us. There are many forces that are trying to do so, but it will not help since this enemy, after what it did, will never do it again,” Mr. Netanyahu said.
Opposition Warns Against Premature Recognition
Ms. Wong’s comments have been met with opposition from the shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Birmingham, who issued a statement on April 10 saying her thoughts were an example of “Labor putting the cart before the horse.”“The reality is that a two-state solution will only be possible with security, and confidence that the right of each party to exist will be respected by the other,” said Mr. Birmingham.
He added, that Hamas’s attacks of “deliberately slaughtering more Jews than on any single day since the Holocaust, shattered any sense of security and ... was an attack on Israel’s right to exist.”
Mr. Birmingham urged Labor to apply maximum pressure on Hamas for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and surrender of their capabilities.
Additionally, he called on Mr. Albanese to “demonstrate leadership by shutting down talk of premature recognition, standing firm against Hamas terrorists and stopping this reckless pursuit of Greens votes.”
