Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told those gathered at a private Labor event that a change to Australia’s Israel-Palestine position coming this week will “upset” critics of the government’s support of a two-state solution in the Middle East.
That change appears to be today’s announcement that Australia has voted for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent” Gaza ceasefire at the United Nations, and backed a resolution defending the work of the UN relief agency UNRWA and rebuking Israel for obstructing its provision of aid in Gaza.
In an audio recording heard by Crikey, Albanese said, “Some people have got a bit upset, they’ll be more upset by Thursday”, signalling a future announcement on Australia’s position on the conflict.
The prime minister said there was “criticism from a leader on the other side of the world about our stance on the Middle East”, but that “we make no apologies for standing for two states in the Middle East, the right of Israel to exist, and the right of Palestinians”, after which he received strong applause in the room.
A source in the room told Crikey that “every staffer in the room winced” as Albanese declared an apparent new position on Palestine on stage at the event at Lilyfield’s Le Montage to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the creation of the division of Grayndler, the prime minister’s seat in Sydney’s inner west.
Australia has had a long-standing position in favour of a two-state solution, but does not currently recognise a Palestinian state (as 146 of the UN’s 193 member states do). Last month, alongside the United Kingdom and New Zealand, Australia supported a UN committee motion to recognise the “permanent sovereignty” of Palestinians.
Albanese’s comments come amid heightened tensions in Australia, with the Adass Israel synagogue in the bayside Melbourne suburb of Ripponlea firebombed last week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the attack on the Albanese government’s support of the UN committee vote on Palestinian sovereignty, describing the government’s position as an “extreme anti-Israeli” one.
Crikey had contacted Albanese’s office and Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong’s office for comment. Neither office responded for comment or to multiple follow-up calls and texts.
Since its inception in 1949, the seat of Grayndler has only ever been held by Labor, and former members Jeannette McHugh, Leo McLeay and Tony Whitlam were in the room for a speech described by a source in the room as an “election pitch”.
Other senior Labor figures were also in the room, including NSW Senators Tim Ayres and Jenny McAllister, NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen, City of Sydney Councillor Linda Scott and NSW frontbencher John Graham.
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