Australia Advocates for Palestinian Statehood at UN, While Husic Pushes for Israeli Sanctions

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Australia’s envoy to the United Nations has openly supported the recognition of Palestinian statehood as a step towards achieving a “two-state solution.” This endorsement seeks to generate “momentum towards a two-state solution” between Israel and Palestine. Concurrently, former Labor cabinet minister Ed Husic is urging the federal government to consider targeted sanctions against Israeli officials responsible for military actions in Gaza against Hamas.

Additionally, France is reaching out to Australia for backing ahead of a pivotal conference on Palestinian statehood scheduled in New York next month. “A two-state solution — the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel — is the only realistic hope to break the unending cycle of violence,” stated Australia’s UN ambassador James Larsen during an overnight address to the UN assembly. This solution is seen as the pathway to a just and lasting peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.

“Like other partners, Australia no longer sees recognition of a Palestinian state as only occurring at the end of negotiations but rather as a way of building momentum towards a two-state solution.”

Some 147 of the 193 UN member states already recognise a Palestinian state. Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and France are not among them.

Larsen went on to endorse the efforts by the French and Saudi Arabian governments to build international support, ahead of the international conference next month.

“To that end, Australia welcomes the conference’s ambition of a time-bound, irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution,” he said.

A child sitting on a woman's lap. Behind them are destroyed buildings and rubble.

People inspect damage at the Fahmi al-Jarjawi School in Gaza on Monday, following an Israeli strike. Source: Getty, NurPhoto / Majdi Fathi

Larsen reiterated that Hamas — the political and military group that governs Gaza — must play no role in a future Palestinian state.

“A Palestinian state cannot be in a position to threaten Israel’s security,” he said.

Hamas and Israel have been in a long-running conflict that escalated into war on 7 October 2023 after Hamas-led militants launched a surprise assault on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and abducting 251 others.

More than half the hostages have been returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals, eight have been rescued, and Israeli forces have recovered the remains of dozens more.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and has destroyed vast areas of the Palestinian enclave — rendering entire neighbourhoods uninhabitable. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to shelter in schools and tent camps for well over a year.

Larsen said a durable peace “will require a reformed Palestinian Authority”, and that Australia had “committed to support public administration capacity building”.

Husic wants Israel sanctions

Israel’s government has said it’s withholding aid to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages.

Asked whether the war in Gaza had the hallmarks of a genocide, Husic said it was “hard to avoid making a conclusion in your own mind that it will probably end up being called that”.

Israel has strongly denied accusations of genocide as the International Court of Justice investigates.

The world’s highest court has previously said it was plausible Israel’s actions could constitute genocide.

While acknowledging the court would make the final call, Husic said the fact that it had been “required or forced, if you will, to indicate that there are probable grounds, speaks volumes”.

“They are well advanced in their preparations and we should be prepared to move rapidly,” Husic said.

Husic also said he believed the federal government should summon Israel’s ambassador “to stress that Australia, as a member of the international community, expects that humanitarian aid, particularly medical supplies, be delivered” to Gaza.

Palestinian statehood conference looms

The French and Saudi Arabian governments are lobbying Australia and other nations to form an international coalition that will move to recognise Palestinian statehood, with discussions to be held at the United Nations conference in New York next month.

A high-level government source has confirmed to SBS News that Australia is intending to send a representative to the meeting, but the delegation won’t be announced until the level of leadership from the co-hosts is clear. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be in Canada as a guest of the G7 talks just ahead of the conference.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have spearheaded the summit but their personal presence at the talks is yet to be confirmed.

Historically, Western countries posed the possibility of recognising Palestinian statehood at the end of a peace process with Israel, known as the two-state solution.

A man in a black suit and a red tie is speaking into a microphone as he gestures with his hand.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government rejects an Israel-Palestinian two-state solution. Source: AAP, AP / Ronen Zvulun

But Israel rejects the two-state solution and last year Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong joined a group of liberal democracies in floating the prospect of recognising a Palestinian state before peace is secured.

Palestinian statehood is also a part of the Labor Party’s national platform, which was agreed upon at a nationwide conference of grassroots members.

There are efforts, being blocked by the UN Security Council, to back Palestinian statehood and grant it voting status in the international forum. At the moment, it has observer status.

According to the French government, the New York conference is focused on recognition of a Palestinian state, normalisation of relationships in the region with Israel, reform of the Palestinian Authority and the disarmament of Hamas.

Macron has been advocating for recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Israel’s regional integration.

The French foreign minister will hold talks with representatives of Arab countries later this week to prepare for the conference, and Macron is pitching for support during a tour through Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore.

When Macron said France could move to recognise a Palestinian state at the June conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described such a move as a “huge prize for terror”.

Palestinian delegation urges Australia to go beyond words

On Monday, Albanese used his strongest and most damning language yet to criticise Israel, in the wake of its blockade of aid bound for the people of Gaza, describing the Netanyahu government’s actions as unacceptable and the “excuses” for stopping food and medicine getting to the war ravaged community as “completely untenable”.

Palestinian representatives in Canberra welcomed the robust language but urged Albanese to go further.

“The situation in Gaza is unbearable and necessitates immediate action to halt Israel’s ongoing brutality and grave violations of international law. At this critical and intolerable stage, words are simply not enough,” read a statement from the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

“It is our hope and expectation that Australia will take concrete action to pressure Israel and ensure accountability and adherence to international law, including international humanitarian law.”

The statement went on to warn the efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis must be linked to a “political pathway” that will “provide hope to the Palestinian people” and pointed to the June conference as a pivotal moment.

“We believe that Australia can play a leadership role in advancing the international mobilisation against Israel’s unjust and unlawful policies of collective punishment, annexation, ethnic cleansing, and illegal settlement expansion,” the statement read.

“This includes by recognising the State of Palestine without further delay, safeguarding the two-state solution, contributing to the upholding of international law, and supporting the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, towards securing a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

The Israeli embassy in Canberra has so far declined to provide any comment in response to Albanese’s criticism.

— With reporting by the Australian Associated Press