Australia’s PM Says Netanyahu ‘In Denial’ as Canberra Moves to Recognise Palestinian State

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu of being “in denial” about the suffering in Gaza, saying the world is now telling Israel: “Enough is enough.”

Just a day after announcing that Australia will officially recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations next month, Albanese linked the move to mounting frustration with the Israeli government over Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis.

Speaking to ABC News on Tuesday, Albanese said he had called Netanyahu last week to personally inform him of the decision to join France, Canada, and the United Kingdom in recognising a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.

“[Netanyahu] again reiterated to me what he has said publicly as well, which is to be in denial about the consequences that are occurring for innocent people,” Albanese said.

He added that Netanyahu continued to repeat the same arguments he made last year about Gaza — despite the war having killed more than 61,500 Palestinians since October 2023.

“That if we just have more military action in Gaza, somehow that will produce a different outcome,” Albanese said.

On Monday, announcing the decision, Albanese argued that “the risk of trying is nothing compared to the danger of letting this moment pass us by.”

“The toll of the status quo is growing by the day, and it could be measured in innocent lives,” he said, framing the move as part of a “coordinated global effort” to push forward a two-state solution alongside the UK, France, New Zealand, and Japan. “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,” Albanese said. “It seems to me very clearly… we need a political solution, not a military one.”

The shift is notable — just last month, Albanese had avoided setting any timeline for recognition, mindful of potential backlash in a country with both significant Jewish and Muslim populations. But public opinion has swung sharply against Israel’s war.

Tens of thousands marched across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge earlier this month, demanding aid access to Gaza as Israel continues to block relief efforts. Meanwhile, Israeli plans to take military control of Gaza City have drawn warnings from the UN of “another calamity” for more than a million Palestinians at risk of starvation.