No Palestine "left to recognize" without two-state solution pathway, Australian FM warns

Alsharq Tribune-AFP 

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday that there is a risk that there will be no Palestine "left to recognize" unless the international community creates a pathway to a two-state solution.

Speaking on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio, Wong reiterated previous comments from Treasurer Jim Chalmers that it is a matter of "when, not if" Australia will move to formally recognize a Palestinian state.

"There is a risk there will be no Palestine left to recognize if the international community don't move to create that pathway to a two-state solution," she said.

Wong said that a major pro-Palestine protest across the Sydney Harbor Bridge on Sunday reflected that Australians are feeling "horrified" by the humanitarian situation in Gaza and reiterated the federal government's criticism of Israel withholding aid.

Her comments came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that he held a phone call with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, overnight.

According to the ABC, it was the first time the pair have formally spoken since November 2023.

The PM's office said Albanese reaffirmed Australia's commitment to a two-state solution.

Australia's Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Matt Thistlethwaite, said on Monday that Albanese has requested a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.