Australia to Recognize Palestinian State at UN, Prompting Sharp Backlash From Israel, Local Jewish Community

Australia will formally recognize a Palestinian state during the United Nations General Assembly’s annual debate in September, joining a growing list of European nations backing the move despite sharp criticism from Israeli leaders and the country’s Jewish community.

“Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own. We will work with the international community to make this right a reality,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday during a press conference.

Albanese described a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as “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.”

The prime minister also said he had received assurances from the Palestinian Authority (PA) — which has governed much of the West Bank without holding elections for two decades — that there would be “no role for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state.”

Australia’s announcement comes after France first declared last month its intention to recognize a Palestinian state, with other Western countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada, joining the effort.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned Australia’s decision, calling it “a reward for terror, a prize for the enemies of freedom, liberty, and democracy.”

“This is a grave and dangerous mistake, which will not help a single Palestinian and sadly will not bring back a single hostage,” the Israeli leader said during a press conference, referring to the dozens of Israeli hostages still being by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Amir Maimon, also condemned the country’s latest decision, saying it “undermines Israel’s security, derails hostage negotiations and hands a victory to those who oppose coexistence.”

Albanese is also facing escalating criticism from Australia’s Jewish community and leaders who strongly oppose the move.

The Australian Jewish Association condemned the government’s decision, calling it a reward for Hamas and its brutal atrocities during the group’s invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“This is more than a betrayal of a friend. It is a reckless attack on the Jewish people in Australia and abroad,” the statement read. “The decision will do nothing to advance peace in the Middle East since the Albanese Government has no influence there.”

“It is Australian Jews who bear the brunt of Labor’s actions, which have contributed to firebombing of synagogues and attacks on Jews,” it continued.

AUSTRALIA REWARDS TERROR WITH STATEHOOD

Statement from AJA CEO Robert Gregory

Today, the Australian Labor Party announced it will recognise a non-existent ‘State of Palestine’, rewarding the Hamas atrocities of October 7.

This is more than a betrayal of a friend. It is a… pic.twitter.com/flrQSZrXsw

— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) August 11, 2025

Australia has faced an onslaught of antisemitic incidents, including violent attacks and arson targeting synagogues, over the past year, many of which appear to have been motivated by anti-Israel animus amid the war in Gaza.

The Zionist Federation of Australia also denounced the move by Albanese, warning that “moving forward while Hamas remains in power and the Palestinian Authority has not delivered verified reforms will only undermine peace efforts and reward terrorism.”

“Recognition without agreed borders, a single governing authority, or a demonstrated capacity for peaceful coexistence does not advance peace. It departs from Australia’s bipartisan position and risks delaying, rather than resolving, the conflict,” the statement read.

On Monday, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced that his country would also consider recognizing a Palestinian state at next month’s UN General Assembly.

Peters said New Zealand’s recognition of a Palestinian state was “a matter of when, not if,” though he acknowledged it was “not a straightforward, clear-cut issue.”

Last week, senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad declared that “the initiative by several countries to recognize a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of Oct. 7.”

“We proved that victory over Israel is not impossible, and our weapons are a symbol of Palestinian dignity,” Hamad told Al Jazeera.

Senior Hamas officials have repeatedly vowed to carry out more attacks similar to its Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, in which Palestinian terrorists murdered 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 hostages during their rampage across southern Israel.