Former Cabinet Minister Ed Husic says Australia must act now to recognise a Palestinian state, and build on the international momentum created by the UK’s decision to set a September deadline for recognising Palestine.
Britain became the second G7 nation to say it would recognise Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, further isolating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government’s brutal response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
And US President Donald Trump said that while he didn’t support recognising Palestine as a state, only those “worse than nuts” could not be moved by the images of starving children emanating from Gaza.
The IPC — the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, which monitors global food security and nutrition, issued an alert warning declaring that “the worst-case scenario of Famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip,” with more than 20,000 children treated for acute malnutrition between April and mid-July.
On Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer held an emergency Cabinet meeting to discuss the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where the Hamas-run health ministry estimates around 60,000 people have been killed.
However, unlike France’s Emmanuel Macron, the UK’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s promise carried conditions, making it a diplomatic deadline rather than a declaration.
Sir Keir, a former human rights lawyer, said the images of starving babies in Gaza would stay for a lifetime because of the “catastrophic failure of aid.”
“Children too weak to stand … the suffering must end,” he said at a short news conference in Downing Street.
Sir Keir said now was the “moment to act” because the prospect of a two-state solution appeared further from reality than ever before.
“The UK will recognise the state of Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a Two State Solution,” he said.
“The situation is simply intolerable.
“And it is done now because I am particularly concerned that the very idea of a two-state solution is reducing and feels further away today than it has for many, many years.”
The British Prime Minister said Hamas must immediately release the remaining hostages who were captured in the October 7 attacks.
“We will make an assessment in September on how far the parties have met these steps,” he said.
“But no one should have a veto on our decision.”
Britain’s move signals a major change in its Middle Eastern policy and comes after enormous political pressure on the UK Labour leader from his MPs.
Last election, Labour MPs with huge margins, including the frontbencher Jonathan Asworth, lost their seats after shock oustings by pro-Gaza independents.
A YouGov poll shows 45 per cent of Britons support recognising Palestine, with only 14 per cent unsure.
Sir Keir not just consulted Mr Trump before making his decision, but also called Mr Netanyahu, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, King Abdullah II of Jordan – with whom the UK has been delivering aid to Gaza — and Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority.
The UK’s move came after French President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognise Palestine at UNGA. Mr Macron’s recognition will not carry any conditions.
Given Mr Macron and Sir Keir are the two world leaders Anthony Albanese has said he admires most, the shift in policy from the two G7 nations will only add to the already enormous pressure the Australian Prime Minister will be feeling from his supporters.
Ed Husic, who was Cabinet Minister until the post-election reshuffle and is Australia’s first Muslim MP, told The Nightly it was imperative Australia also acted.
“The time for Australia to recognise is now,” the Member for Chifley said.
“Our friends in France and now the UK believe this is a crucial stand to combat the humanitarian crisis manufactured by the Netanyahu government.
“We should back them in and build international momentum.
“Australia can still state we’ll recognise Palestine while emphasising the need to satisfy the conditions we have outlined.
“We must act and act now”
Notably, the shift from France and the UK did not appear to trouble Mr Trump.
The US President spent two days discussing Gaza with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and Sir Keir during trade talks at his Scottish golf resorts on Sunday and Monday.
Asked on board Air Force One just hours after he departed Scotland, Mr Trump said he hadn’t really discussed Palestinian recognition during his talks with the UK leader, with whom he has a warm relationship and speaks of flatteringly.
“We have no view on that,” he said.
“You could make the case that you’re rewarding … Hamas if you do that, and I don’t think they should be rewarded.
“So I’m not in that camp, to be honest, because if you do that, you really are rewarding Hamas, and I’m not about to do that.”
He added that both Sir Keir and Mr Macron were good men with whom he could have different opinions.
“Essentially, they’re saying the same thing, and that’s okay, it doesn’t mean I have to agree,” Mr Trump told reporters.
Mr Trump’s tone was far more measured than Mr Netanyahu’s, the Israeli Prime Minister said Sir Keir was rewarding Hamas’ “monstrous terrorism”
“A jihadist state on Israel’s border TODAY will threaten Britain TOMORROW,” the Israeli leader’s official social media accounts posted.
“Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails.
“It will fail you, too. It will not happen.”
Mr Trump again directly repudiated Israel’s denials of starvation in Gaza, which Israel has been bombarding since 2023.
He said that First Lady, Melania Trump, who appeared to play a key role in informing the US President about Vladimir Putin’s war crimes in Ukraine, was also shocked by the image coming out of Gaza.
“She sees the same pictures that you see, that we all see,” he said.
“And I think everybody, unless they’re pretty cold-hearted, or worse than that, nuts — there’s nothing you can say other than it’s terrible, when you see the kids.
“They talk starvation or not – those are kids that are starving, I mean they are starving.
“I mean you see the mothers – they love them so much, they got to get ‘em food, and we’re going to get ‘em food.”
The choice is now up to Mr Netanyahu to care about European recognition or not. Unless Sir Keir’s words are said by Mr Trump, he may choose to continue on his current course.
But international momentum appears headed one-way.
https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/latika-m-bourke-australia-urged-to-recognise-palestinian-state-after-uk-france-ahead-of-september-un-vote-c-19518980
