Extract from ABC News
Any discussion of a two-state solution, as a remedy to the seemingly endless conflict in the Middle East, is always going to fuel furious debate.
Penny Wong's decision to weigh into this particularly fraught diplomatic space, at a time when Israel is facing widespread criticism for its war on Gaza, has done just that.
The Australian government has taken a far stronger line on Israel since a deadly air strike on an aid convoy in Gaza claimed the life of Australian woman Zomi Frankcom.
The foreign minister insists the Australian government has "made no such decision" on recognising a Palestinian state, but argues the current conflict shows why a long-term arrangement is needed.
"Ultimately, peace, security for Israel, will only be achieved if we have a Palestinian state alongside the Israeli state," she told the ABC's RN Breakfast.
What is a 'two-state solution'?
There's a long and torrid history when it comes to how Israel and Palestine co-exist, stretching back to World War I and British control of the region, and subsequent decisions to resettle displaced Jewish people after the horrors of World War II.
Borders dividing Israeli and Palestinian territory have shifted a number of times as a result of various peace proposals and bloody conflicts with neighbouring Arab states.
Currently, Israel has effective control of the entire area in question — either as part of the Israeli state or as occupied territory in the West Bank and Gaza.
At its base level, the idea of "a two-state solution" is to formalise those territorial claims and some of the sticking points in the relationship between the two sides here — things like controversial Jewish settlements in Palestinian territory and control over the holy city of Jerusalem.
What is Australia's official position?
Australia officially refers to the West Bank and Gaza as the Occupied Palestinian Territories — a position adopted in 2023 by Foreign Minister Penny Wong after almost a decade of Australian officials avoiding the use of the term "occupied".
"Australia does not recognise a Palestinian state," the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website states.
"We are committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist, in peace and security, within internationally recognised borders."
Despite that, Australia does have diplomatic ties with the Palestinian Authority, which administers the West Bank – through a DFAT office in Ramallah and with a Palestinian delegation office in Canberra.
Who does recognise Palestine as a state?
Of the 193 member states of the United Nations, 139 recognise a Palestinian state.
Most Middle East, Asian, African and South American nations have formally recognised Palestinian statehood.
Countries including Japan, Canada and New Zealand are in a similar boat to Australia in not recognising Palestine as a state, along with almost all of Western Europe.
Three big players here — the United States, United Kingdom and France — also have not done so.
They are important because of the role those countries have as three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
They have veto rights on countries joining the United Nations and have made a peaceful resolution to conflict with Israel a condition of Palestinian statehood.
Some would argue that fuels a chicken and egg argument — what comes first, statehood or peace? And which is a necessary precursor or catalyst for the other?
Palestine is classified as a non-member observer to the United Nations — a move Australia abstained from voting on back in 2012 after considerable angst within Labor ranks.
Why has this debate flared up now?
Israel's continued bombardment of Gaza, and the international concern and criticism that has flowed as a result, has led to many questions about how the current conflict ends.
There are a multitude of technical arguments that can be thrashed out on how a conflict is managed when one party is recognised as a state and the other is not.
And it's important to note Hamas, which controls Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank are different entities.
"I have been clear that Hamas has no role in the future of Gaza," Senator Wong said.
"What I'm talking about is what is the long-term pathway to peace."
Senator Wong's comments have some parallels with remarks by UK foreign secretary David Cameron, who has said the British government has "always supported a two-state solution".
"Clearly, recognising a Palestinian state at the right time is part of that policy," he told the House of Lords in February.
"It isn't rewarding Hamas — Hamas don't believe in a two-state solution, they believe in the destruction of Israel.
"The last 30 years have shown that we won't solve this problem without a solution that gives dignity and security to Palestinian people, as well as giving vital security to Israel."
Penny Wong rejected suggestions it would be akin to rewarding terrorist groups like Hamas.
"The way to think about this is, in fact, ensuring that there is a pathway to peace emboldens moderates because it requires both sides to live side by side in peace," she said.
How has the Albanese government's rhetoric changed on Israel?
Since taking office, the Albanese government has taken a slightly different approach to the relationship with Israel to its predecessors.
Even before the latest chapter in the conflict began, Labor was taking a harder line on issues such as Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
When Hamas launched attacks on Israel on October 7, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joined the global condemnation of the group and labelled their actions as "abhorrent".
As the war entered its second month, Mr Albanese joined with his Canadian and Kiwi counterparts to call for a "sustainable ceasefire" in Gaza.
That language was soon tweaked, to be described as a "humanitarian ceasefire", as concerns over the suffering in Gaza ramped up.
In December, the prime minister urged the world not to "abandon hope" for a two-state solution in the Middle East, even as Israel's behaviour in Gaza was called into question.
The rhetoric sharpened in the wake of the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) deadly air strike on an aid convoy in Gaza, killing seven including Australian woman Zomi Frankcom.
Mr Albanese said Australians were "outraged" by the attack, and said he had urged his Israeli counterpart not to launch a ground invasion of the southern city of Rafah.
Labor's stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict is an ever-present issue, debated at each national conference where delegates formulate the party's policies.
The ALP national platform says the party:
- Supports the recognition and right of Israel and Palestine to exist as two states within secure and recognised borders;
- Calls on the Australian government to recognise Palestine as a state; and
- Expects that this issue will be an important priority for the Australian government
But those last two points, when handed the reins of government, are always more difficult to put into practice.
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