Terrorist group Hamas has welcomed the federal government’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state, claiming it vindicates the October 7 attacks that killed more than 1200 Israelis and sparked the retaliatory war on the Gaza Strip.
Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that Australia will officially recognise Palestine at next month’s United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The prime minister said the move was predicated on a number of conditions, including demilitarisation, free and fair elections, and ensuring Hamas plays no role in the state.
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Despite that, a senior member of the group, which was listed as a terrorist organisation by Australia in 2022, has told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that the decision was courageous.
“We welcome Australia’s decision to recognise the state of Palestine, and consider it an important step towards achieving justice for our people and securing their legitimate rights,” Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef said in a statement to Nine newspapers.
“This position reflects political courage and a commitment to the values of justice and the right of peoples to self-determination.”
Yousef also claimed the decision of Australia – which followed the lead of France, the United Kingdom and Canada – vindicated Hamas’ attacks against Israel, including the October 7, 2023, assault that was the largest loss of Jewish lives in a single day since the Holocaust.
“These operations have drawn global attention to the Palestinian cause and compelled many countries and organisations to reconsider their positions, leading to greater support and recognition of Palestine as a state by some countries,” he said.
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“Resistance has proven to be an effective means to break the siege and bring the Palestinian cause back to the international discussion table.”
Israel and the federal opposition have hit out at the Albanese government’s decision, claiming it rewards Hamas.
However, the government has staunchly denied that accusation, and said recognition is the only way to bring about peace between Israel and the Palestinian people.
“Hamas is a terrorist organisation. It has no role to play,” Albanese told Today yesterday.
“I’ve seen some of the comments that have been made about Hamas somehow being rewarded.
“Hamas is opposed to two states. This is the opposite of what Hamas wants. Hamas wants one state.
“And some, unfortunately, in the extreme elements of the Israeli Government want one state too.
“And when you have two people and hatred being fostered and essentially a military solution being put forward and no political solution, well, that’s just an approach that will see this violence just continue to go on and on.”
Meanwhile, Israel has continued to face condemnation from across the globe for its conduct in Gaza.
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More than 60,000 people, many of them women and children, have died in Gaza in Israel’s offensive, according to the enclave’s Ministry of Health. The Health Ministry is part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, but staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records.
After Albanese said on Monday that the Israeli government was defying international law, New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon said today that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “lost the plot” as he weighs up whether to recognise a Palestinian state.
Luxon told reporters that the lack of humanitarian assistance, the forceful displacement of people and the annexation of Gaza were utterly appalling and that Netanyahu had gone way too far.
“I think he has lost the plot,” added Luxon, who heads the centre-right coalition government.
“What we are seeing overnight, the attack on Gaza City, is utterly, utterly unacceptable.”
Luxon said earlier this week that New Zealand was considering whether to recognise a Palestinian state.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached “unimaginable levels”, Australia, Britain, Canada and several of their European allies said yesterday, calling on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
– with Reuters
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