Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confronted his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza aid blockade. Photo / Getty Images
Anthony Albanese has revealed he told his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that Gazans were “starving” because of his Government’s chokehold on aid.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in the 22-month conflict in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023.
The Palestinian militant group killed 1200 in the shock assault and took hundreds more hostage.
But with Israel restricting supplies into Gaza and deaths from starvation climbing, many of the country’s Western allies have said the humanitarian situation has grown too dire.
Before his historic pledge to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly, Albanese last week phoned the Israeli Prime Minister to walk him through the move.
Pressed today for details of the call, Albanese said it “reflected” a conversation they had more than a decade ago, which, according to him, spoke to the heart of the problem.
“It was a conversation which reflected the conversation that I had with him in 2014,” he said.
“And I expressed to him my concern that he was putting the same argument that he did in 2014, that military action against Hamas would produce an outcome – it hasn’t produced an outcome.
“What it’s produced is a lot of innocent lives, tens of thousands of innocent lives, being lost.”
Albanese said he also “expressed my concern about the blocking of aid that occurred as a conscious decision by the Israeli Government earlier this year”.
“And since aid was recommenced, the issues that have created that we’ve seen played out on our TV screens every night – people starving, people losing their life queuing for essential food and water,” he said.
“This just cannot continue into the future without an end point.”
He added that the international community “is coming up with an end point” and trying to answer “how do we resolve this?”
“How do we get a permanent security position? There can’t be freedom and the aspirations of Palestinian people their own state fulfilled without also providing securities for the state of Israel,” Albanese said.
Since making his Palestine declaration yesterday, the Prime Minister has been both accused of “rewarding” Hamas and praised for joining a global push to realise the rights of Palestinians.
Some of his more mild critics have questioned what Australia’s recognition of Palestine would practically do – a question put to him during a morning show blitz today.
“Do you think this announcement that you made yesterday will change anything on the ground in Gaza?” Sunrise host Nat Barr asked Albanese.
He responded by saying it was a clear call for change.
“What it does is send a message that the international community is saying enough is enough,” Albanese said.
“This is a conflict that has gone on now for 77 years.
“The international community are saying 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.
“That’s why countries like the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and now Australia, but other countries, as well, will be joining in September at the United Nations to join the 147 countries that have already recognised Palestine.”
He went on to say the status quo must be broken for any progress to take place.
“You can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome, and this is the best opportunity that there is out of a crisis to actually provide a long-term solution,” he said.
“One in which the states around Israel recognise its right to exist.
“One which sees a demilitarised state of Palestine, enables Palestinians to just live.
“To continue to do the same thing is not enough.”
Scott Morrison, the man Albanese booted out of office, has slammed recognising Palestine as a “hollow gesture”.
The former Prime Minister warned Albanese against going through with recognition, saying it would only “embolden” Hamas.
“It will prove a hollow gesture, like for all those who have taken this step before it,” Morrison said in a statement.
“None should take any comfort in it.
“Meanwhile, the suffering will regrettably continue in Gaza and the hostages will remain in captivity and be tossed into the graves their captors have forced them to dig.
“The only winner is Hamas.”
He added that the Coalition “listed Hamas as a terrorist organisation”.
“Our Labor successors have regrettably rewarded them through this action,” Morrison said.
“I know this is not their intention, but it is the result.”
The Coalition has taken a different view and said the move broke a decades-long bipartisan position.
“The decision by the Albanese Government to recognise a Palestinian state does not make the world a safer place, expedite the end of the conflict, deliver a two-state solution, see the free flow of aid, support the release of hostages or put an end to the terrorist group Hamas,” opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Senator Michaelia Cash posted on social media.
“Mr Albanese must explain how recognising a Palestinian state does not risk rewarding and empowering terrorists.”
She wrote in another post: “Mr Albanese – you don’t achieve peace by rewarding terrorists”.
The latter was shared by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who has not yet commented further.
Speaking to Sky News, opposition frontbencher Senator James Paterson echoed Cash, saying that Australia “should never recognise a state which is in part governed by a listed terrorist organisation that continues to hold hostages”.
“And I thought it was extraordinary that the Prime Minister didn’t even attach a condition of recognition in September for the hostages to be released,” Paterson said.
“I also thought it was incredibly naive for the Prime Minister to believe the promises of Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority.
“They’ve had 20 years to make these reforms, and they haven’t done so.
“Why they would turn around and do these reforms after countries like Australia have promised to recognise them defies belief, and their ability to deliver on these reforms, particularly after democratic elections … is in grave question.”
Paterson also said he feared it would be a “historic mistake”.
“As the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, Hamas walked away from the negotiating table once they realised countries like Australia were willing to recognise the state of Palestine,” he said.
“Why would they negotiate and give up their leverage over hostages if they were getting exactly what they wanted without making any concessions in return?”
While the decision has spurred mixed reactions at home, it has been praised abroad.
Among those welcoming the announcement is Emmanuel Macron, whom Albanese spoke with last week before making his mind up.
The French President was the first major Western leader to pledge to recognise Palestine at UNGA.
“I welcome the fact that Australian Prime Minister [Anthony Albanese] is joining the momentum we created in New York, which has already been supported by the United Kingdom, Canada, Portugal, and others,” Macron posted on social media.
“This reflects our commitment to the two-state solution and to the need to collectively rebuild a political pathway, without which there can be no peace and security for all.”