Anthony Albanese said that his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, was in denial about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and this exasperation in part prompted Australia to join the recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Albanese emphasised that the move is conditional (one of the conditions refers to excluding Hamas from any future government) and that, provided the international community acts unanimously, he could be forced to do so.
The French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the position of Australia, referring to it as a global effort to find a two-state solution. But the plan was strongly criticised by the government of Israel and the Australian opposition, citing that it is a reward to Hamas. Opposition spokeswoman Sussan Ley and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison doubted the conditions would be met, and Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel said Labor was too concerned about internal politics to focus on peace.
