Prime Minister Albanese of Australia claims that Netanyahu is “in denial” about the Gaza crisis
Prime Minister Albanese of Australia has charged Netanyahu with downplaying the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza in the face of mounting international pressure.
Only one day after declaring that Australia would recognize a Palestinian state for the first time, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being “in denial” about the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.
Australia will support Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly next month, Albanese revealed Monday, joining France, Britain, and Canada in actions that put more diplomatic pressure on Israel. He told ABC Tuesday that a major reason Canberra made the decision was because Netanyahu refused to recognize the suffering of people.
“He reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people,” Albanese said from a phone chat with Netanyahu last Thursday.
Australia will only be recognized if the Palestinian Authority guarantees that Hamas, an Islamist militant party, will not be involved in any future state.
The declaration deviates from Australia’s long-standing, bipartisan policy, which has always postponed recognizing Palestinian statehood until after a peace agreement has been achieved. The move was denounced by opposition leader Sussan Ley, who cautioned that it would sour ties with the US, a crucial partner that opposes unilateral recognition.
“This is totally against our principles, so we would never have taken this step,” Ley said on Sydney’s 2GB radio. “The peace process ends with recognition, the two-state solution, not before.”
Albanese’s Labor government had previously refrained from establishing a date for recognition before being re-elected in May with an increased majority. Reports of increasing starvation and malnutrition in Gaza, along with Israel’s declared intentions to impose military rule over the region, have caused a significant shift in public opinion in recent months.
Tens of thousands protested for immediate relief deliveries to Gaza earlier this month by marching over Sydney’s Harbour Bridge. The choice was influenced by public opinion, according to Jessica Genauer, senior lecturer in international relations at Flinders University.
“Most Australians want to see the humanitarian crisis in Gaza end soon,” she said.
Former Prime Minister Helen Clark criticized neighboring New Zealand’s decision to not make a recognition decision yet.
“We are in New Zealand, and we are debating whether or not to recognize this catastrophe,” Clark said RNZ. Our voices must be heard in order to put an end to this disaster. I’m not familiar with this New Zealand.
Despite widening domestic and international political rifts, Australia’s action is anticipated to strengthen calls for an end to the Gaza situation.
