This September, France will press ahead with a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly. President Emmanuel Macron’s move is not born of diplomatic optimism but political desperation—over Gaza’s humanitarian horror, over the global paralysis of peace efforts, and over the rising fury in France’s restive banlieues. Several European nations have already followed and France is courting Australia to follow suit.
To many, recognition feels morally irresistible. Gaza lies in ruins. More than 30,000 civilians are dead. Medical aid has partially collapsed. Aid is choked off. The images flood our screens—of bloodied children, of aid convoys stuck, of funerals and rubble. At rallies across Sydney and Melbourne, the cry is insistent: “Recognise Palestine now.”
Labor’s Left has taken up the chant. The party’s National Policy Platform commits Labor to recognition “when it advances a two-state solution.” For many in the ALP, that time is now. The demands are emotionally urgent, electorally potent. The Jewish vote may carry weight in Macnamara—but the Muslim vote dominates in Blaxland, Calwell, Wills, and Watson. To delay, many believe, is to betray.
Supporters insist that recognition would restore diplomatic balance, revive the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority, and isolate Hamas. That it would force and punish Netanyahu’s Government over its intransigence and realign Australia with the moral majority of the international community. Over 140 UN member states already recognise Palestine. Why not us?
This week, when asked why Australia, if it supports a two-state solution, doesn’t simply recognise Palestine now, Anthony Albanese replied:
“You need to recognise a Palestinian state as part of moving forward. How do you exclude Hamas from any involvement? How do you ensure that a Palestinian state operates in an appropriate way that does not threaten the existence of Israel? We won’t do any decision as a gesture. We will do it as a way forward if the circumstances are met.”