Foreign Minister Penny Wong (pictured) has accused Opposition Leader Sussan Ley of ‘running a rogue foreign policy’ and undermining the government over Australia’s recognition of Palestinian statehood. Her comments follow revelations that Ley personally engaged with Israel and US Republicans after the Albanese government backed Palestinian recognition at the United Nations.

Israel’s government arranged a phone call between Ley and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar just hours after Australia’s UN vote. Leaked Coalition briefing notes show Ley also wrote to US Republicans, assuring them that the decision ‘did not reflect the views of most Australians.’

Her letter was in response to a statement from 25 Republican officials, including Trump allies Elise Stefanik and Senator Rick Scott, who described the recognition as ‘a reckless policy that undermines prospects for peace.’ US House Speaker Mike Johnson also condemned the move. ‘It is baffling and deeply troubling to reward Hamas with statehood before they have returned every hostage?… President Trump and Republicans in Congress have been clear that rewarding the carnage that took place on October 7 is a non-starter.’

Ley has vowed that a future Coalition government would reverse the decision, insisting recognition should only occur once Hamas is removed from power and ‘other conditions’ are met. Senator Wong hit back in an interview with ABC Radio National, stressing the need for unity in foreign affairs: ‘It is possible to back Australia and still be an effective opposition. And really, it’s time that Ms Ley and the Liberals understood that. We know we’re strongest when we speak with one voice. We all understand that as Australians, and the opposition should understand that too.’

Wong described Ley’s intervention as ‘not in the nation’s interests’ and said it was a ‘pity’ she did not appreciate the importance of bipartisan support in diplomacy.

On Tuesday afternoon, Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Michaelia Cash criticised Anthony Albanese for comparing the Palestinian cause to the Jewish historical struggle in his UN address. ‘The analogy is deeply flawed, historically inaccurate, and offensive to Jewish communities worldwide,’ she said. ‘Recognising such a body on the international stage without addressing its lack of legitimacy and accountability only entrenches division rather than advancing peace. Rewarding terrorists while hostages remain in captivity sends the wrong signal, that’violence and kidnapping are pathways to international recognition.’

Anthony Albanese is currently in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where it has emerged he will once again miss out on a meeting with President Trump. However, Albanese did meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg criticised the situation, claiming Australia was being treated ‘like a piece of dirt’ by the United States under Labor, and described Albanese’s diplomacy as ‘a disaster.’ ‘We’re being punished, frankly, and it’s now very embarrassing,’ Bragg said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Matt Thistlethwaite defended the Prime Minister, arguing it was actually ‘a good thing’ that the two leaders would not meet. He pointed out that Australia’s tariff of 10 per cent is lower than those of many other nations. ‘It means that the President – who’s been meeting with world leaders to try and reach agreements on trade policy, he’s trying to do deals with other nations around tariffs and trade policy – he doesn’t need to do that with Australia,’ Thistlethwaite said.