Australia announces plan to recognise Palestinian state
Australia has announced it will formally recognise a Palestinian state, joining several longtime European allies in doing so. But what does recognition mean and who will take charge of Gaza?
READING LEVEL: RED
You may have seen the news that Australia will formally recognise a Palestinian state*, joining other countries, such as France, Britain and Canada, who have already signalled they would do the same.
The news comes more than one week after more than 90,000 people marched across Sydney Harbour Bridge in a pro-Palestinian protest of the war in Gaza.
The announcement was welcomed by some groups but condemned by others, including the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who described the move as “shameful.”
But what is the significance of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s announcement and what exactly is the two-state solution*? Let’s take a closer look at the details surrounding Australia’s position on Palestine and what it means for the conflict occurring in Gaza.
AUSTRALIA TO RECOGNISE PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD
Mr Albanese announced Australia would recognise a Palestinian state during a press conference in Canberra on Monday, following a meeting of the federal cabinet.
In making the landmark announcement, Mr Albanese said he had told Mr Netanyahu directly that “the situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world’s worst fears”.
“Today I can confirm that at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September, Australia will recognise the state of Palestine,’’ he said.
“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*.
“We will work with the international community to make this right a reality. Australia is making this statement today, following our cabinet meeting, as part of a co-ordinated global effort, building momentum for a two-state solution.”
Mr Albanese said he had discussed the move with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon as well as Mr Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
“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 said.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN GAZA?
Israel recently announced plans to take over Gaza City in a potential escalation of conflict. Reports of starvation and civilian deaths among the people of Gaza have drawn widespread condemnation from across the globe. The number of Palestinians killed as a result of the conflict has exceeded 61,400.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began after a terror attack staged by Hamas on October 7, 2023 in Israel, in which 1200 civilians were killed and hundreds were kidnapped.
WHAT IS A TWO-STATE SOLUTION?
To understand that, we first need to go all the way back to 1922, when Palestine was one of many former territories in the Ottoman Empire*, which was dissolved following World War One and placed under the administration of the UK.
The British Mandate incorporated the Balfour Declaration* of 1917, which expressed the objective of establishing Palestine as “a national home for the Jewish people.” Large scale immigration of Jewish people from across the world occurred from 1922 to 1947 – especially in the 1930s during the horrors of Nazi persecution and the Holocaust*. The existing Arab population of Palestine staged a rebellion in 1937 and violence from both sides occurred. In 1947, the UK handed over Palestine to the UN.
The UN set about partitioning* Palestine into two independent states – a Palestinian Arab state and a Jewish state, which would become Israel.
However, the two states have fought in several wars ever since.
In the 1990s, the Oslo Accords* were agreed on, which set out the terms and conditions of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Further work involving the UN’s Security Council helped to pave a way forward to a two-state solution, where the Palestinian Authority, which was holding legislative elections and had a parliament that included a minimum number of Christians and women, was to rule Gaza and regions in the West Bank.
However, in 2007, militant group Hamas took over Gaza and peace between the two states quickly fell apart.
CONDITIONS OF A PALESTINIAN STATE
Hamas is recognised by Australia and several other countries as a terrorist organisation. They were responsible for the devastating terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that sparked Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Mr Albanese said for a Palestinian state to exist, Hamas needed to go.
“Our government has made it clear that there can be no role for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state,” he said.
Instead, Mr Albanese has spoken with the President of the Palestinian Authority.
WHO IS THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY?
While Hamas has controlled Gaza since 2007, the Palestinian Authority retains control of regions of the West Bank not occupied by Israel. Israeli expansion and control is contested by Palestine where it exists.
Mr Albanese said he has spoken to the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, who has pledged to start holding elections again and to reform his government.
“The Palestinian Authority has reaffirmed it recognises Israel’s right to exist in peace and security,” Mr 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.”
While the Palestinian Authority is not associated with the terrorist group Hamas, it has previously been accused of glorifying terrorists. It also hasn’t run elections since 2005.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- Palestinian state: a state of Palestine to be governed by the Palestinian people that is separate to Israel
- two-state solution: that the land is split into a separate Arab-run state of Palestine and a separate Jewish-run state of Israel along existing historically defined borders
- predicated: based
- Palestinian Authority: the government in charge of the Palestinian-occupied West Bank
- Ottoman Empire: a vast dynasty lasting more than 600 years that originated in Turkey and spread across Europe and the Middle East
- Balfour Declaration: a statement of support for the establishment of Palestine as a national home for the Jewish people that was made by the British Government in the form of a letter written in 1917 by the British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to a leader of the Anglo-Jewish community, Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild
- Holocaust: the systematic killing of six million Jewish people and millions of others by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during WWII
- partitioning: dividing up the country
- Oslo accords: two landmark agreements signed in 1993 and 1995 that set out conditions for a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation. The accords also created the Palestinian Authority and gave it self-governance over parts of the West Bank and Gaza
- self-determination: when a country determines its own statehood and forms its own government
EXTRA READING
Popemobile offers Gaza lifeline
Trump touts Gaza MAGA makeover
Australia calls for ceasefire in Gaza
QUICK QUIZ
1. Which other countries have signalled they will recognise a Palestinian state?
2. What does the term “two-state solution” refer to?
3. How did the Balfour Declaration shape the creation of Israel?
4. What is one condition Australia sets out for a Palestinian state to exist?
5. When did Hamas take over Gaza?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Reflection questions
After reading this Kids News article, write or draw your answer to the following questions on your own in a quiet space.
- What did I learn? – one new fact about Palestine.
- How might people feel? – write 2–3 feelings people living there might have.
- Different points of view – list one reason for and one reason against making Palestine a state.
- My reflection – how learning this makes me think about fairness, belonging, or peace.
If you feel comfortable, share your responses with some others.
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Civics and Citizenship, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
Create a Peace & Belonging Poster showing symbols, colours, and words that represent safety, respect, and identity for all people in the region.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Geography, Civics and Citizenship, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Summarise the article
A summary can be a really good way to grab the main idea plus some key points in the article as a highlight. Think of the summary like a little advertisement or extract you could use to encourage people to read the article in detail. You want to give them an overview of the article that includes the main idea (being able to tell the audience what the article is about in one sentence), plus a few of the key points of the information.
Remember to re-read your summary to check that it is clear, concise and makes sense to the audience who haven’t read the article yet. You need to make language choices that allow you to explain the information in only a few sentences.