Key points
- Australia will recognise a Palestinian state in September
- Albanese backs a two-state solution for peace
- Decision triggers a diplomatic rift with Israel
JERUSALEM, Palestine: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese as a “weak politician” on Tuesday, amid an ongoing row between the two countries after Canberra declared it would recognise a Palestinian state.
“History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews,” read a post on the official X account of Netanyahu’s office.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
History will remember Albanese for what he is: A weak politician
who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews.— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) August 19, 2025
Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had announced that the country will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.
Two-state solution
“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,” he had told reporters in Canberra.
Statement on the recognition of the State of Palestine. pic.twitter.com/Mg0Ec8buo1
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) August 11, 2025
“Until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary.
“Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own. We will work with the international community to make this right a reality,” he had announced.
Gaza death toll
More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023, the Gaza Health Ministry has said.
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Another 156,230 have been wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says, adding that 1,965 people were killed while seeking aid from aid convoys or killed close to aid distribution sites.
