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“Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own, predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,” he said.
“A two-state solution is 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,” he added.
“The international community’s vision for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East always encompassed two states, living side-by-side with internationally recognised borders: a state of Israel and a state of Palestine with security for the people of both nations.”
The official recognition will be made during the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month.
“We know that two states is the key,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
“It is the key to a just peace for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
Albanese added there can be no role for Hamas, the terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip, in a Palestinian state.
He said the Palestinian Authority – which governs the West Bank and whose president, Mahmoud Abbas, spoke to Albanese last week – has given a string of commitments that would underpin a future state.
In addition to reaffirming recognition of Israel, they include demilitarisation, holding general elections, governance and education reform, and keeping Hamas isolated from the state.
“These detailed and significant commit amendments have been given even greater weight by the Arab League’s unprecedented demand for Hamas to end its rule in Gaza, and surrender its weapons to the Palestinian Authority,” Albanese said.
“This is an opportunity to deliver self-determination for the people of Palestine in a way that isolates Hamas, disarms it and drives it out of the region once and for all.”
Australia will work through a series of steps, starting with recognition in September, to establish the Palestinian state.
“We will help build the capacity of the Palestinian Authority, and with the international community, Australia will hold the Palestinian Authority to its commitments,” Wong said.
“The practical implementation of our recognition will be tied to progress on these commitments.
“We will continue to provide humanitarian aid with our partners to try to help vulnerable civilians get basic supplies they need, and we will work with partners to build a pathway out of the cycle of violence.”
The move follows in the footsteps of other Western nations that have committed to Palestinian recognition, including France, the United Kingdom and Canada, which has drawn the ire of the Israeli government.
Albanese said he had spoken to his counterpart last week in what was a civil discussion, but that Netanyahu’s arguments “were very similar to the arguments that he put forward more than a year ago”.
This afternoon, Albanese reaffirmed his calls for Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages taken in the October 7 attacks, but at the same time said Israel’s actions were putting any hope for a two-state solution in jeopardy.
“The situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world’s worst fears. Far too many innocent lives have been lost,” the prime minister said.
“The Israeli government continues to defy international law and deny sufficient aid, food and water to desperate people, including children.
“This vital aid must be allowed to get to the people who need it most.
“This is about much more than drawing a line on a map. This is about delivering a lifeline to the people of Gaza.”
More than 60,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, have been killed since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and Israel’s retaliatory war on the enclave.
The United States, though, has staunchly opposed moves to recognise Palestinian recognition, saying they reward Hamas.
