A Palestinian diplomat has implored the Australian government to recognise Palestine as a state “without further delay” after what he called the Israeli prime minister’s “appalling but not surprising” rejection of a two-state solution.
The comments from the head of the general delegation of Palestine to Australia, Izzat Abdulhadi, come after two Labor MPs also urged the government to fast-track recognition of Palestinian statehood, whereas the Coalition said the immediate priority should be “security and stability”.
Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Gaza “must be demilitarised, under Israel’s full security control” once the conflict against Hamas ended, and he would “not compromise on full Israeli security control of all territory west of the Jordan River”.
Netanyahu declared last Thursday that his stance on Israeli security control over Gaza and the West Bank “collides” with the idea of Palestinian sovereignty. “For 30 years, I have been consistent, saying one simple thing: this conflict is not about a lack of a state, but about the existence of a state.”
The comments reflect Netanyahu’s longstanding position that Palestinian statehood would pose a threat to Israel’s security.
But they contradict the position of the Australian government, which together with the US and other governments has repeatedly pledged support for a two-state solution and generally refrained from outright criticism of Israel.
Some members of the Labor party caucus have criticised Netanyahu’s position.
Julian Hill, a left faction convener, said on Saturday Netanyahu appeared “hellbent on formalising a policy of apartheid”. The term has been used by multiple human rights groups in relation to Israel’s policies and practices towards the Palestinian people, but has been rejected by the Israeli government.
Maria Vamvakinou, a co-convener of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine, said Australia should “step forward, step up and recognise Palestine”.
Abdulhadi, the head of the general delegation of Palestine to Australia, said Australia had been silent for too long about what he called the “consistent, longstanding position of both the Israeli prime minister and his far-right coalition”.
He told Guardian Australia the comments by Netanyahu were “appalling but not surprising”.
Abdulhadi said the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination had been made conditional on “the endorsement and approval of Israeli leadership” through a Middle East peace process “that has proven to be ineffective for the last 30 years”.
He said Australia should not just express disappointment at Netanyahu’s position but “recognise the State of Palestine without further delay” and “enforce the two-state solution according to international law and a multilateral approach and arrangements”.
Abdulhadi represents the Palestinian Authority, which is dominated by Fatah – a rival to Hamas – and is not in control of Gaza.
He said the Australian government should adopt the position of the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who has argued a two-state solution may need to be “imposed” from outside to bring peace.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, responded to Netanyahu’s comments by saying her trip to the Middle East last week had reaffirmed the Australian government’s view “that any pathway to peace requires progress towards an independent Palestinian state”.
“And that is the best route to ensure peace, security and dignity for the Palestinian people and also for Israelis,” Wong told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
The assistant foreign minister, Tim Watts, was more forthright on Monday when he said Netanyahu’s comments were “deeply disappointing” and an obstacle to peace.
The Australian government is under political pressure over its response to Israel’s military operations in Gaza, where more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Gaza health ministry. Authorities in the territory say two-thirds of the deaths were women and children.
Israel vowed to destroy Hamas after the militant group’s attack on southern Israel on 7 October when about 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 others were taken hostage. More than 130 people are still believed to be captive in Gaza. The Israeli government has stated it is doing its utmost to reduce civilian casualties.
The Coalition’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Simon Birmingham, said Israel “clearly needs to have confidence that it is not ever going to see a repeat of the types of atrocities that occurred on October 7”.
Birmingham urged Hamas to lay down its arms and return hostages still held in Gaza.
He told Sky News people needed to have “hope for the future” but Israel must have confidence in security and stability “to be able to undertake those negotiations towards the two-state solution or some other lasting settlement”.
The independent MP for Goldstein, Zoe Daniel, who is a member of the Parliamentary Friends of Israel, said she supported Australia’s longstanding bipartisan policy of a two-state solution.
The Israeli embassy in Canberra was contacted for comment.
Additional reporting by Paul Karp
