Israel’s ambassador and a former Labor leader react to Australia’s decison

Israel’s ambassador, Amir Maimon, and former Labour MP, Michael Danby, have spoken out on Prime Minister Albanese’s announcement that Australia will recognise a Palestinian state.

Michael Danby is the past chair of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee and an international commentator for Sky News Australia.

Danby said: “Proclaiming with chest-thumping gravitas that ‘Australia is a sovereign nation that makes its own decisions,’ Albanese conspicuously shunned any overture to Donald Trump lest he incur the wrath of his own ideological base or hear inconvenient facts from Sec Rubio — and instead speed-dialled his cabal of kindred appeasers in Paris, London, and Ottawa.

Each of these Western leaders is desperate to coddle Islamist sentiment in their own country and genuflect before the altar of progressive pieties.
(In all of these countries, including Australia, Hamas is listed as a terrorist group.)

Marco Rubio condemned the move to recognition and earlier demand by Emanuel Macron and Penny Wong et al for a unilateral ceasefire, explaining that these calls had sabotaged the actual ceasefire negotiated by Steve Witkoff and Qatar.

Three times over the last 25 years, Israel & three American presidents worked out extensive peace plans with the Palestinians and each time, the Palestinians walked away. Nothing will come of this symbolic realisation of Albanese’s youthful fantasy that tries to impose a solution on Israel.

Israel’s Ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, posted on X: “Peace is built by ending terror, not rewarding it. By recognising a Palestinian state while Hamas continues to kill, kidnap, and reject peace, Australia undermines Israel’s security rules, hostage negotiations and hands a victory to those who oppose coexistence.

Many days ago, Prime Minister Albanese set clear conditions for recognising a Palestinian state, renouncing violence, freeing hostages and establishing credible, accountable governance. He emphasised that these steps were necessary before recognition could occur. Today, however, the Australian government has abandoned those conditions and proceeded with recognition for symbolic reasons rather than genuine progress toward peace.

Rewarding those who use terror as a political tool sends the dangerous message that violence brings political gains.

The Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council believes the Government’s decision is misguided and counter-productive

It says it sets back the positive possibility of a peaceful, viable, negotiated Palestinian state being established alongside Israel.

Executive director Dr Colin Rubenstein commented: “Regardless of the Government’s intentions, recognition will be seen by both Israelis and Palestinians as a reward for Palestinian terrorism and as punishment for Israel, despite the fact that Israel has always been much more forward-leaning on peace than the Palestinians.

Recognition by Western countries telegraphs to Hamas that its rejection of multiple ceasefire proposals over the past 12 months was the correct decision, thereby ensuring it will continue rejecting them. This further endangers the lives of the Israeli hostages still held in Hamas’s tunnels.

ZFA President, Jeremy Leibler, said, “The Government points to non-binding commitments from the Palestinian Authority, which lacks the capacity to implement them. Advancing recognition without demonstrable change will embolden Hamas and weaken efforts to build accountable institutions.

The Australian Jewish Association said: “This is more than a betrayal of a friend. It is a reckless attack on the Jewish people in Australia and abroad. The decision will do nothing to advance peace in the Middle East since the Albanese Government has no influence there. It is Australian Jews who bear the brunt of Labor’s actions, which have contributed to the firebombing of synagogues and attacks on Jews. Increasing numbers are discussing plans to leave.

It is telling that the government figures refused to visit the October 7 massacre sites, which they are now rewarding.

Shadow Foreign Minister Michaela Cash joined the Opposition Leader, Sussan Ley, in saying: “The Coalition has serious concerns about the Albanese Government’s decision to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state outside of a proper peace and two-state process.

This decision, at this time, puts Australia at odds with the United States of America, our most important ally, and the most consequential player in the conflict in Gaza.

It is critical to note that the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has said that decisions to recognise a Palestinian state ahead of a proper peace process scuttled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas.

Until today, it has been a bipartisan position that the question of recognising Palestinian statehood should come at the end of the peace negotiation process, not at the start or during it.

Until today, it was a bipartisan position that there should be no recognition of a Palestinian state with Hamas still in control of Gaza.

Despite his words today, the reality is Anthony Albanese has committed Australia to recognising Palestine while hostages remain in tunnels under Gaza and with Hamas still in control of the population of Gaza. Nothing he has said today changes that fact.

Australians all want the war in Gaza to end. Ending this war is the only way to save lives and safeguard a two-state solution. The clear advice of our most important ally is that this decision will not expedite that outcome.”

The president of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, David Ossip, said: “Today’s announcement acknowledges the need for all the hostages to be released and for Hamas to be disarmed and removed from power. It accepts that the Palestinians and the Arab States have to recognise and make peace with Israel as the State of the Jewish people, and normalise relations with it. The major flaw in the announcement is that it relegates all of these conditions to the status of a mere promise to be fulfilled at some future time, and says nothing about what will happen if those conditions are not met.

For this reason, we feel that the course of action announced by the government is a betrayal and abandonment of the Israeli hostages who continue to languish in appalling conditions in Gaza without even access to the Red Cross. This announcement gives them no hope for release. It leaves Hamas armed and in control of territory, and in a position to regroup and rearm, thereby creating the conditions for the next war rather than a comprehensive peace.”

Daniel Aghion, president of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, stated: “Israel will feel wronged and abandoned by a longstanding ally. The Palestinian Authority will feel that a huge diplomatic prize has been dropped in its lap, despite its consistent failures to reform, democratise and agree to peaceful coexistence alongside a Jewish state. Hamas and other Islamist groups will see that barbarity on a grand scale can lead to desired political transformation.

Today’s announcement acknowledges the need for all the hostages to be released and for Hamas to be disarmed and removed from power. It accepts that the Palestinians and the Arab States have to recognise and make peace with Israel as the State of the Jewish people, and normalise relations with it. The major flaw in the announcement is that it relegates all of these conditions to the status of a mere promise to be fulfilled at some future time, and says nothing about what will happen if those conditions are not met.”