Albanese UN address urges Israel to accept ‘share of responsibility’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended Australia’s stance on Palestinian statehood recognition in an address at the United Nations General Assembly, using his speech to compare the plight of Palestinians to that of the Jews before the creation of Israel.
The address at the high-level two-state solution session in the United Nations came a day after his government officially recognised the State of Palestine.
“In recognising Palestine, Australia recognises the legitimate and long-held aspirations of the Palestinian people,” Albanese said. “It means real hope for a place they can call home. This is the same hope that sustained generations of Jewish people.”
Albanese described the October 7 Hamas attacks as “horrific” and called for the return of hostages. “We stand with Jewish people around the world, who feel the cold shadow of history’s darkest chapter in any act of antisemitism,” he said.
In his speech, Albanese also urged the Israeli government to “accept its share of responsibility” for the “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.
A swathe of countries are using this session of the UN General Assembly to recognise the State of Palestine, including Australia, the UK, Canada, France, Portugal, Malta and Andorra.
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