Australia’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state a ‘momentous’ step, ANU expert says

The Australian Government’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly next month is a “momentous” moment for Australian foreign policy, according to a leading international law expert from The Australian National University (ANU).

The move comes after other western nations such as the United Kingdom, France and Canada also announced their intention to recognise a Palestinian state.

Professor Donald Rothwell said today’s announcement is an “incredibly significant” moment for the Albanese government, given it has been a long-term foreign policy goal of the Australian Labor Party to recognise a Palestinian state.

“Australia was one of the first states to support and recognise the emergence of Israel as an independent state post-World War Two. But at the same time, Australia has long aspired to achieve the recognition of a Palestinian state, and in recent decades, that’s been articulated through the notion of a two-state solution,” Professor Rothwell said.

“To a degree, this has been a bipartisan position of Australia for many decades, and this decision further perpetuates the momentum that we’ve seen build over the last three weeks towards collective recognition by this core group of major western states, other than the US, towards recognition of a Palestine state.

“I do think there’s a distinction to make between announcing the recognition of a state and the formal establishment of diplomatic relations such as the exchange of ambassadors and the establishment of embassies. So I don’t think we can expect an immediate exchange of ambassadors between the two countries, but that process will certainly get underway.”

Nearly 150 of the 193 UN member states have already recognised Palestinian statehood.

Speaking at a press conference at Parliament House today, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza.

Australia last formally recognised a State in the instance of South Sudan in 2011.

Professor Rothwell said Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state means Australia can provide aid support to the Palestinian government without having to go through the UN and other agencies.

Australia can also directly contribute to the rebuilding of Gaza and Palestinian institutions and enter into legally binding treaties with Palestine.

If requested, Australia could also deploy defence force personnel to provide security assistance and support in Palestine.

“Of course, there is an awful lot that needs to happen to realise a truly independent Palestinian state, including the removal of Israeli military forces from Gaza and a significant relaxation of Israeli control over the West Bank,” Professor Rothwell said.

“So I think Australia is going to be moving increasingly in concert with these countries to achieve these goals.”