Setting out a new case on the highly sensitive global question, Wong said Palestinian statehood could improve the chances for peace.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has cleared the ground for a pivotal debate on the conflict in the Middle East by suggesting Australia could recognise a Palestinian state without waiting for years of talks with Israel over a two-state solution.
The comments signal the government’s views ahead of a contentious move at the United Nations this week to consider adding Palestine as a full member of the international body, weeks after United Kingdom foreign secretary David Cameron“We need to build the pathway out of the endless cycle of violence,” Wong said in a major speech to a security conference at the Australian National University on Tuesday night.
“It also strengthens the forces for peace and undermines extremism. It undermines Hamas, Iran and Iran’s other destructive proxies in the region.
The Palestinians are seeking full membership after 12 years of observer status at the UN, in a process that gives UN members including Australia a potential forum to air their views on a two-state solution. To buttress the Australian argument, Wong cited a statement from Biden that Netanyahu was “hurting Israel more than helping”, as well as a warning from US Senator Chuck Schumer that Israel could not hope to succeed as a “pariah” state.
In 2021, Labor incorporated the resolution into its official policy platform. The resolution was introduced by Wong.
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