Albanese on Palestine recognition: PM talking to Starmer but says it will depend on advancing ‘two states’

Anthony Albanese has reiterated Australia’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state will depend on “circumstances where recognition will advance the objective of the creation of two states” and will not be tied to a specific timeline.

The Prime Minister’s comments came after British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK would recognise Palestine in September if Israel did not make significant progress in ending the war in Gaza.

Mr Albanese said he had spoken with Sir Keir overnight and would continue that conversation over the next few days but did not directly answer a question about whether the UK’s decision would influence his thinking.

“I’ve said for a long time, my entire political life, I’ve said I support two states,” he said.

“The right of Israel to exist within secure borders and the right of Palestinians to have their legitimate aspirations for their own state realised.

“That’s my objective. Not making a statement, not winning a political point, but achieving that.”

Mr Albanese said world leaders were continuing to engage with each other “both informally and formally” on the situation.

He said the world had been “horrified by the terrorist act and atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7” and the world “looks at what is happening in Gaza and expresses that it is unjustified, and that it is a tragedy ... the ongoing loss of innocent life, the ongoing impact of the decisions to restrict aid”.

He added there was growing opposition to Israel’s actions.

“People who are friends of Israel have to be able to say what you are doing is losing support,” he said.

Shadow foreign affairs minister Michaelia Cash said “there can be no recognition of a Palestinian state with Hamas still in control of Gaza, and Hamas can have no role in governing a Palestinian state.”

She added that a “viable, peaceful Palestinian state” could only come through negotiations.

“The Albanese Government should explain to Australians why it is canvassing recognition of a Palestinian state while there are still hostages in tunnels under Gaza,” she said.

The Senator added that international leaders should be “applying maximum pressure” on Hamas to immediately release them and not rewarding the terrorist organisation with a pathway to statehood while it remained in control of Gaza.

Shadow finance minister James Paterson said on Wednesday the images coming out of Gaza were “obviously distressing,” but declined to confirm widespread “starvation”.

“There are certainly credible reports of that,” Senator Paterson said.

“I’m not on the ground and I can’t independently assess it, but I think very clearly there is very serious suffering happening in Gaza.

“I think it’s also clear that Hamas is weaponising that for their own aims.

“Hamas obviously has no regard for the lives of Israelis but they also have no regard for the lives of Palestinians and they don’t care how many Palestinians die if it damages Israel.”

He said he supported Israel’s campaign to remove Hamas and free the remaining 50 hostages, but also expected the country to “do everything they can to make sure that innocent civilians in Gaza are fed”.

The Albanese Government announced on Wednesday it had signed up to a new multinational statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza, joining foreign ministers from countries that had already recognised or expressed a willingness to recognise the State of Palestine.

This was “an essential step towards the two-State solution”, it said, urging all countries that had not done so to join this call.

It also called on countries who had not done so to “establish normal relations with Israel, and to express their willingness to enter into discussions on the regional integration of the State of Israel”.

The statement, signed by 15 nations — including Canada, France and New Zealand — demands “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages of Hamas, including the remains, as well as ensuring unhindered humanitarian access” to the strip.

It expressed “grave concern over the high number of civilian casualties and humanitarian situation in Gaza” as well as stressing “the essential role of the United Nations and its agencies in facilitating humanitarian assistance.”

Mr Albanese highlighted the statement’s recognition of the Palestinian Authority’s condemnation of the October 7 terrorist attacks and its call for the liberation of hostages, the disarmament of Hamas and a commitment to schooling reform and triggering an election within a year.

“Clearly one of the things that the Palestinian Authority have said is to speak about a demilitarised Palestinian state. What that implies is not just no military in the conventional sense, but also obviously no paramilitary,” he said.

“Sometimes out of a crisis comes a moment of opportunity to actually advance forward, in a real way, advance forward for Israelis and Palestinians.”

The Government has been clear it sees no role for Hamas in a future Palestinian state and has repeatedly called for the release of Israeli hostages.

Since last year, the Government said that it was a matter of when, not if, Australia recognised a State of Palestine and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong has previously indicated this may be a way to kickstart the peace process.

The Coalition said it had “serious concerns about the Albanese Government’s willingness to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state outside of a proper two-state process”.

It called into question the Government’s willingness to support a state of Palestine as a step towards the two-state solution rather than at the end of the peace negotiation process.

The question of statehood has come to the fore again amid international calls for a Gaza ceasefire and shock over the humanitarian crisis unfolding there.

Scenes of mass hunger and devastation in Gaza have spurred international momentum to find a peaceful solution, with Arab nations, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, joining the European Union to call for Hamas to disarm and no longer govern Gaza.

On Tuesday, 17 countries plus the EU and Arab League backed a seven-page text agreed at a UN conference on reviving the two-state solution.

“In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State,” said the declaration.

According to the United Nations Integrated Food Security Phase Classification platform, two out of the three famine thresholds have been reached in Gaza — plummeting food consumption and acute malnutrition.

On Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the facts were now undeniable that Gaza was on the brink of famine, calling for the “trickle of aid” to become an “ocean”.

Amid the international outcry about the humanitarian catastrophe, the New York Times on Wednesday issued a clarification about a viral photo of toddler Muhammad Zakariya Ayyoub al-Matouq, pictured left, which showed the child’s spine protruding as he was cradled by his mother.

“Children in Gaza are malnourished and starving,” the statement said, but added that while the child was suffering from severe malnutrition it had since been discovered he also had pre-existing health problems.

“This additional detail gives readers a greater understanding of his situation. Our reporters and photographers continue to report from Gaza, bravely, sensitively, and at personal risk, so that readers can see firsthand the consequences of the war.”