Jewish leaders condemn Australia’s recognition of Palestine as ‘dangerous and premature’

Jewish community organisations have sharply criticised the Albanese government’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September, warning it risks rewarding violence and undermining the prospects for peace.

Jeremy Leibler, President of the Zionist Federation of Australia, told J-Wire: “Following reports the Australian Government is set to recognise a Palestinian state today, we are deeply concerned that the timing and substance of this policy reversal will embolden Hamas, further jeopardise the lives of Israeli hostages, prolong the war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and place more strain on the longstanding alliance between Australia and Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.”

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) delivered a similarly strong rebuke. President Daniel Aghion KC said the government had “departed from decades of bipartisan consensus which has envisaged Palestinian statehood and recognition as part of a comprehensive peace agreement between Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab States.” While acknowledging that the announcement includes the need for the release of all hostages, the disarming and removal of Hamas, and recognition of Israel as the State of the Jewish people, Aghion criticised that “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.”

Aghion described the move as “a betrayal and abandonment of the Israeli hostages who continue to languish in appalling conditions in Gaza without even access to the Red Cross”, warning it leaves Hamas armed and able to regroup, creating conditions for further war rather than peace. He argued that Australia is now committing to recognise “an entity with no agreed borders, no single government in effective control of its territory, and no demonstrated capacity to live in peace with its neighbours”, removing incentives for the Palestinians to address core issues such as recognising Israel as a Jewish state and negotiating final status matters.

“Israel will feel wronged and abandoned by a longstanding ally,” he said, adding that the Palestinian Authority would believe it had been handed a diplomatic victory despite failures to reform, and that Hamas and other Islamist groups would see the move as proof that “barbarity on a grand scale can lead to desired political transformation.” Aghion warned that if recognition outside a framework for peace leads to further bloodshed, Australia and other Western governments taking the same approach will bear “a heavy burden of responsibility.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, joined by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, announced the recognition in Canberra, calling it a “lifeline to the people of Gaza” and a historic shift in Australian foreign policy. Australia will join France, the UK and Canada in recognition, aligning with more than 140 of the 193 UN member states that already recognise Palestine, including Spain and Ireland. Albanese said the decision is part of a coordinated international effort to secure a two-state solution in the Middle East. “A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza,” he said.

While Labor has long supported a two-state outcome, the federal government had previously resisted setting a timetable for recognition. Albanese has now said that recognition is a matter of “when, not if,” and that any UN resolution must guarantee Hamas has no role in a future Palestinian government. The Prime Minister said the move is based on commitments from the Palestinian Authority, including democratic elections and the exclusion of Hamas from governance. He stressed that the decision “is about much more than drawing a line on a map” and represents a humanitarian imperative to help those in Gaza.

The announcement follows mounting domestic pressure, including protests of around 50,000 people marching across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in early August, alongside rallies in other capitals calling for sanctions against Israel. Momentum within Labor has also grown, with MP Ed Husic and former foreign minister Bob Carr calling for action.

The decision comes just days after Israel announced plans to occupy Gaza in a final push to remove Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Australia’s stance as “shameful” and warned it would not bring peace.

The backdrop to the decision remains the conflict sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, which killed 1200 people in Israel and saw about 250 taken hostage. Israel’s military response has since killed more than 60,000 people in Gaza, according to the enclave’s health authorities, with UN sources estimating over two million people now facing severe food insecurity. Israel denies that the population is suffering from starvation.

While Albanese and Wong have emphasised that recognition does not weaken Australia’s support for Israel, Jewish organisations have warned it risks emboldening Hamas, prolonging the conflict and undermining any real path to peace unless concrete governance and security conditions are met first.