Nat Barr has suggested Hamas may have ‘partly got what they want’ after Australia’s landmark decision to recognise the state of Palestine.
In an interview with Prime Ministewgr Anthony Albanese, the Sunrise host challenged him over the decision, citing the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people, and asked whether recognising Palestine could be seen as rewarding militant violence.
‘Two years later, they have got partly what they want – they’ve got their own state?’
Albanese rejected the suggestion, insisting Hamas would be ‘totally opposed’ to the decision and could have ‘no role whatsoever’ in a future Palestinian state.
‘Hamas do not want this. Hamas don’t want two states. Hamas wants to destroy Israel, which is why Hamas can have no role whatsoever in a future Palestinian state.
‘This is about isolating Hamas… and finding a way forward for peace and security for both Palestinians and Israel.’
The Prime Minister said the recognition, which will be formalised at the United Nations in September alongside countries such as the UK, France and Canada, sent a clear message to the international community that ‘enough is enough’ after 77 years of conflict.
Albanese said the plan was for a demilitarised Palestinian state living ‘side by side’ with Israel in peace, adding that military action alone was not a long-term solution.
Earlier in the interview, Barr had pressed Albanese on whether the recognition would make any tangible difference to people in Gaza.
Nat Barr has suggested Hamas may have ‘partly got what they want’ after Australia’s landmark decision to recognise the state of Palestine
‘The international community is saying, enough is enough. This is a conflict that has gone on now for 77 years,’ he said.
‘We need to find a solution that promotes security for the state of Israel but also recognises the political aspirations of the Palestinian people for their own state.
‘You can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome.
‘One in which the states around Israel recognise its right to exist, and one which sees a demilitarised state of Palestine – allowing Palestinians to live. To continue to do the same thing is not enough.’
Albanese also revealed he had spoken directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, warning that military operations without a political pathway could not deliver lasting peace.
‘You can’t just continue to do what he is saying, which is to continue the military operation without any political solution,’ he said.
‘There’s been too much innocent loss of life.’
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said statehood would give the Palestinian people a sense of hope for the future.
‘We know this is a hard road to walk, but the alternative is to accept where we are, and I think the international community is saying to both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples we have to find a different path,’ she told ABC radio.
Israel has denied there is a ‘starvation policy’ denying Palestinians access to food and humanitarian aid. Pictured: Palestinians including women and children holding pots wait to receive food distributed by a charity organization
‘The practical steps for recognition will be tied to the commitments that the Palestinian Authority have made.’
The commitments include the assurance that Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organisation and controls Gaza, will play no role in any future government.
Israel has criticised the move, saying it will be counterproductive to peace in the Gaza Strip and its demands for the release of Israeli hostages.
Israel’s Ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon said Palestinian recognition would ‘not change the reality on the ground’.
Liberal MP Tim Wilson, whose Victorian seat of Goldstein includes Jewish voters, says Mr Albanese’s decision is ‘actually immoral’.
‘We can’t have a situation where we have a government that is kowtowing, literally, to the ambitions of … terrorists,’ he told Nine’s Today show, referring to Hamas.
‘They’re essentially handing over the keys to the kingdom.
‘What they’ve done is actually immoral.’
More than two million Palestinians face severe food insecurity, based on United Nations projections.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said statehood would give the Palestinian people a sense of hope for the future
At least 90,000 protesters marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier in August to call on the government to sanction Israel.
The crisis in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking about 250 more hostage.
Israel’s response has since killed more than 61,000 people, according to Gaza’s health authorities, and UN sources project more than two million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
Israel has denied that the population is suffering or dying from starvation despite international human rights groups condemning its offensive.
