The Rabbinical Association of Australasia (RAA) has written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urging him to abandon any move towards recognising a Palestinian state in light of revelations about Iran’s involvement in attacks on Australian soil.
In the letter sent today, RAA president Rabbi Nochum Schapiro commended the government for its recent actions, including “the expulsion of the Iranian Ambassador and the proscription of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation,” which he described as “moral clarity and courageous leadership, sending a powerful message that Australia stands firm against extremism and those who export violence.” The RAA represents 80 Orthodox rabbis in Australia and New Zealand.
The letter warns that recognition of a Palestinian state “under the current circumstances would risk legitimising groups and structures still tied to terrorism and violence. Most gravely, it would send a dangerous international signal that terror, such as the atrocities of October 7th, is rewarded and pays dividends.”
The RAA cautioned that such a step would also have consequences for Australian Jews, noting that “the Jewish community in Australia has already felt heightened hostility whenever negative statements are made against Israel. Recognition of a Palestinian state under present conditions would almost certainly intensify antisemitism and endanger the safety and well-being of Australian Jews.”
The letter also stated that “close allies such as Canada and Germany have changed course and publicly expressed their reservations about recognition under current circumstances. Australia should stand with these democracies in opposing recognition that undermines peace and emboldens terrorism.”
This aligns with the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, whose president, Daniel Aghion, warned that the government’s decision to recognise Palestine “has departed from decades of bipartisan consensus, which has envisaged Palestinian statehood and recognition as part of a comprehensive peace agreement,” relegating key conditions to “mere promises” and abandoning hostages still held in Gaza.
The RAA’s letter echoed these concerns, noting that recognition now “would almost certainly intensify antisemitism and endanger the safety and well-being of Australian Jews.”
Click here to read the original letter.