ALP Victoria conference calls on Albanese government to recognise Palestine

The resolution demands recognition within this term of parliament but the Foreign Minister has declined to say whether the Government will act on it.

Victoria’s Labor Party conference passed a resolution on Sunday calling for the government to recognise Palestine.

The motion “calls on the Albanese Labor government to recognise the Palestinian state within the term of this parliament, joining with 138 countries, and the Vatican, which have already done so”.

The motion was only passed at state level but it is expected a similar motion will be on the agenda when the ALP National Conference is held in Brisbane in August.

Whether the government chooses to act on any party motion to recognise Palestine will be a matter for Cabinet.

A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong declined to address the question directly.

 “The Albanese government's approach is guided by the principle of advancing the cause of peace and progress toward a just and enduring two-state solution," the spokesperson said.

“The government recognises the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people for a state of their own and is committed to a negotiated two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist, in peace and security, within internationally recognised borders.

“Viewing the conflict from just one perspective will not achieve peace. Any lasting solution to the Middle East conflict cannot be at the expense of either Palestinians or Israelis,” the spokesperson told The Jewish Independent.

In an interview with The Jewish Independent last year, Senator Wong declined to answer whether Australia would vote to recognise Palestine at the UN. She said as no such motion was currently before the General Assembly, the question was hypothetical.