Australia Would Consider Recognizing Palestinian State, Minister Says

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – The Australian foreign minister announced Tuesday that Australia would consider recognizing a Palestinian state on the grounds that a two-state solution is the only way to end the 75 year-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Reuters reports.

Foreign minister Penny Wong made the announcement on Canberra’s behalf after the Palestinian Authority last week announced its renewed application to the United Nations for recognition of the “State of Palestine.” In asserting that Canberra would consider recognizing a Palestinian state, Wong asserted that there would be no role for Hamas in it.

There is general consensus among world powers that Hamas should not be allowed to run Gaza: leaders are therefore considering whether a state could be governed by the Palestinian Authority, which currently controls parts of the West Bank.

Israel, however, does not accept the PA as legitimate leadership because the Authority has long been virulently hostile toward the Jewish state and has used international funds to pay terrorists for attacking Israelis.

In an address to the Australian National University on Tuesday, Wong referenced remarks by Britain’s foreign minister David Cameron who has said that recognising a Palestinian state would make a two-state solution irreversible.

“A two-state solution is the only hope to break the endless cycle of violence,” Wong said.

“We need to build the pathway to a peace that is enduring, and just. Because the simple truth is that a secure and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians will only come with a two-state solution. Recognition of each other’s right to exist. A Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel,” Wong asserted.

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