Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced that Canberra is considering recognizing a Palestinian state, marking a shift in Australian policy as the international community seeks a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In her speech on Tuesday night, Wong expressed support for British Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s comments on the matter, noting that recognizing a Palestinian state, including in the United Nations, would help make the two-state solution irreversible.
Wong emphasized the importance of discussions surrounding Palestinian statehood as a way to build momentum towards a two-state solution, which is seen as the only hope to end the ongoing violence in the region. The two-state solution has long been the foundation of international peace efforts to address the conflict, although progress has been stymied for the past decade, even before the recent violence in Gaza.
The Palestinians seek an independent state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, territories that have been occupied by Israel since 1967 Middle East War. Israel has opposed unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood, insisting that any agreement must be reached through direct negotiations. Other Western countries, such as Spain, advocate for recognizing a Palestinian state and have been pushing for such a move within
