Penny Wong has, with great care, set out a clear case for a Palestinian state. The argument is utterly rational but totally incendiary.
Penny Wong has stepped with care into a ferocious debate on Palestine with an argument that is utterly rational but totally incendiary.
Should Australia only recognise Palestine when Israel signs up to a two-state agreement? Wong sets out a cautious case for earlier recognition in the belief that this would build momentum for peace. This is an argument made with approval from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Wong is not acting alone. David Cameron, the British foreign secretary and former conservative prime minister, made the case for earlier recognition of a Palestinian state two months ago. And he leaned further forward than Wong in saying it could happen.
There is no timeframe for a decision on a new government policy. The Labor conference in Brisbane last August confirmed a party platform that says the government should recognise Palestine as a state, but this does not force a decision from federal cabinet. There is no federal party conference before the next election to put this to another test.
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