Sydney - ALsharqiya, August 11: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday that Australia will recognize a Palestinian state during next month's United Nations General Assembly, a move that intensifies international pressure on Israel after similar announcements from France, Britain, and Canada. "Australia will recognize a Palestinian state during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September to contribute to the international momentum towards a two-state solution, a ceasefire in Gaza, and the release of hostages," Albanese said in a statement.
Albanese made the announcement following a cabinet meeting. He told reporters in Canberra that recognition would be conditional on commitments Australia received from the Palestinian Authority, including that the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) would not participate in any future state. "A two-state solution is humanity's best hope for breaking the cycle of violence in the Middle East and ending the conflict, suffering, and hunger in Gaza," Albanese said at a press conference. He added that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and told him that a political solution, not a military one, was required. Australia last week criticized Israel's plan for military control of Gaza, and Albanese said Netanyahu's disregard for international calls and failure to comply with legal and moral obligations in Gaza "increases the urgency" of recognizing a Palestinian state. "The Netanyahu government is destroying the prospect of a two-state solution with its rapid expansion of illegal settlements, threats to annex occupied Palestinian territory, and outright opposition to any Palestinian state," Albanese said in the joint statement with Foreign Minister Penny Wang. He added that the Palestinian Authority's pledges to reform governance, disarm, and hold general elections, as well as the Arab League's demand that Hamas end its rule in Gaza, have created an opportunity. "This is an opportunity to isolate Hamas," he said.
