OAN Staff Blake Wolf
11:22 AM – Monday, August 11, 2025
On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australia will officially recognize a Palestinian state in September, joining a growing number of foreign nations opposing Israel’s military response to the abducted hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas.
“Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own” at the upcoming United Nations General Assembly to “contribute to international momentum towards a two-state solution, a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages,” he declared.
However, Albanese also revealed that the recognition is predicated on commitments that his nation has received from the Palestinian Authority, which includes an assurance that Hamas would have no involvement in any sovereign Palestinian state.
“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,” Albanese continued.
Australia recently criticized Israel’s announced plan to enact a military occupation of Gaza, arguing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “disregard” for international law “further compelled” Australia to recognize a Palestinian state.
“The situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world’s worst fears,” Albanese stated. “The Israeli government continues to defy international law and deny sufficient aid. Food and water to desperate people, including children.”
“The Netanyahu Government is extinguishing the prospect of a two-state solution by rapidly expanding illegal settlements, threatening annexation in the occupied Palestinian territories, and explicitly opposing any Palestinian state,” Albanese added.
The announcement makes Australia the latest to recognize a Palestinian state, joining France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Luxembourg, and Portugal.
Meanwhile, the United States still maintains its position of supporting Israel militarily, while also providing humanitarian aid to hungry Gazans.
President Donald Trump met with Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff last Monday regarding plans to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to an Axios report citing multiple U.S. officials.
Speaking with the outlet, an anonymous U.S. official stated that the Trump administration decided it would “take over” the management of humanitarian aid in Gaza. The official went on to add that Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt are also likely to be involved in the U.S.-led humanitarian aid operation.
However, President Trump is “not thrilled” about the U.S. leading the charge, the official claimed. Nonetheless, “there doesn’t seem to be another way,” they continued.
“The starvation problem in Gaza is getting worse. Donald Trump does not like that. He does not want babies to starve. He wants mothers to be able to nurse their children. He’s becoming fixated on that,” the official stated. “The president doesn’t want to see the U.S. being the only country throwing money at this problem. It’s a global problem. And he’s been tasking Witkoff and others to make sure everyone is stepping up, our European friends and our Arab friends.”
Soon after the announcement, Netanyahu responded to the Australian leader by calling the move “shameful.”
“To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole, just like that, fall right into it, and buy this canard, is disappointing and I think it’s actually shameful,” Netanyahu asserted.
Netanyahu and supporters of Israeli military actions in Gaza have consistently argued that the recognition of a Palestinian state by Western nations completely undermines Israel by empowering and legitimizing Hamas terrorists internationally.
“By recognizing a Palestinian state now, Australia elevates the position of Hamas, a group it acknowledges as a terrorist organization,” stated Amir Maimon, the Ambassador of the State of Israel to Australia.
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