Key Points
- Opposition leader Peter Dutton has labelled comments by Foreign Minister Penny Wong “reckless”.
- His criticism came after Wong reiterated support for an Israel-Palestinian two-state solution.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Dutton’s remarks amount to “more nasty negativity”.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has hit back at Peter Dutton after the Opposition leader accused Foreign Minister Penny Wong of “recklessly” suggesting the government could formally recognise a Palestinian state.
In , Wong said formal recognition of Palestine was the only way to stop endless violence in the region — a call Albanese said was not radical.
“The entire world knows that there needs to be a two-state solution in the Middle East, that is something that’s been Australia’s long-standing policy,” Albanese told Seven’s Sunrise program on Thursday.
“It’s something I have been very consistent on for a long period of time.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has claimed the federal government’s foreign policy position exposes “clear prejudice” towards Israel. Source: AAP / /
Ecohing Wong’s comments, Albanese said Hamas — Gaza’s militant rulers, which Australia lists as a terrorist organisation — must play no role in a future state.
Wong’s comments came as she reiterated support for — a bipartisan foreign policy position.
Labor, however, has not before suggested recognising a Palestinian state ahead of such a plan.
In a speech at the Sydney Opera House on Wednesday, Dutton claimed the federal government’s foreign policy positions had exposed a “clear prejudice” towards Israel.
He said Wong’s remarks that the government could recognise a Palestinian state were “utterly illogical, ill-timed, and inappropriate”.
“For a crass domestic political win, Penny Wong has damaged our relations with our ally Israel,” Dutton said.
“It is the most reckless act of a foreign minister I have seen in my 22 years in the parliament — and it has weakened our international standing.”
Speaking on ABC radio on Thursday, Albanese said Dutton had shown “more nasty negativity”.
“A two-state solution is required in the Middle East to break the cycle that has been there for my entire lifetime,” he said.
“I think Australians want life to see that. And I want Israel to exist within secure borders in safety, security and prosperity, but I also want justice for Palestinians.”
Albanese said there had been no formal decision within the federal government on whether to recognise Palestine.
Destroyed buildings along a street in the Al Nusairat refugee camp, Gaza. The Hamas-Israel war is entering its seventh month. Source: EPA / Mohammed Saber
Wong comments came after the federal government appointed former defence force chief Mark Binskin as a special adviser to Australia on into an attack by its military that killed seven aid workers, including an Australian.
Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles urging that action be taken against Israel Defence Forces personnel who did not act within the law.
But Israel was yet to respond to the letter.
Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October which killed 1,200 people, and more than 250 people were taken hostage, which marked an escalation in a long-running conflict.
Hamas’ stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state and stop the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, which is considered illegal under international law, including the Geneva Conventions and international legal jurisprudence.
More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war that has followed, Gaza’s health ministry says.
Most of the strip’s 2.3 million people are homeless and many are at risk of starvation.
Tyler Mitchell