Joint Jewish statement: recognition of Palestine now rewards Hamas

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry has joined Jewish leaders from Britain and Canada in warning that plans to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations this month would reward Hamas and undermine peace.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is due to leave for New York this weekend to attend the UN Heads of State Summit, where he has said Australia will recognise a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution process rather than its final outcome. The organisations say recognition should not proceed unless hostages are freed, Hamas is disarmed, and humanitarian safeguards are enforced.

 

The statement, released today under the title “Joint Statement from Jewish Community Organisations in Australia, Canada and the UK on Palestinian Statehood”, was issued by the ECAJ, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Canada. It calls on governments to prioritise the return of all hostages taken on or before 7 October 2023, the disarming and removal of Hamas from power, unrestricted humanitarian aid to civilians without diversion to Hamas, and adherence to international law.

The organisations voice alarm at the terrible humanitarian conditions in Gaza and highlight appeals from hostage families urging Israel’s government to prioritise agreements that would bring loved ones home. “We know from horrific videos issued by Hamas that the hostages who remain alive are being starved to the point of death, are denied access to the Red Cross and do not have much time,” the statement says.

They warn that recognition of a Palestinian state while Hamas remains armed and in control would be seen by the group as a reward for violence. Hamas itself, the statement notes, has welcomed declarations by governments, including Australia, to recognise Palestine at the UN as the “fruits of October 7.” The groups add that extremists have answered this call by carrying out brutal assaults on Jews in each of their countries.

The statement says such recognition would also betray Palestinians who are increasingly vocal in their opposition to Hamas’s rule. It reminds governments that Hamas and other groups in Gaza initiated the war, remain committed to Israel’s destruction, have embedded their forces within civilian homes while targeting Israeli civilians, and have prolonged the conflict with the backing of Iran, which also threatens Jewish communities abroad.

While governments, including Australia, Canada and the UK, have demanded that Hamas disarm, release hostages and give up power, the organisations warn that these requirements have not been made preconditions for recognition.

“Our governments are in effect saying that the fulfilment of these requirements post-recognition will be taken on trust and left for some unspecified time in the future. This is a posture that lacks credibility, borders on recklessness, and sets up Palestinian statehood for failure from the outset,” the statement says.

The appeal concludes with a call for governments to reconsider recognition at this time, warning that premature recognition “will set back rather than advance prospects for a genuine peace based on the internationally endorsed principle of two states for two peoples.”

In defending Australia’s decision, Mr Albanese has said “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 added that recognition is “predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,” including that Hamas plays no role in any future governance.