Opposition Senate Leader Calls Palestinian Recognition 'Rewarding Terrorists' as Criticism Mounts
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Shadow Foreign Minister Michaelia Cash accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of "rewarding terrorists" for Australia's formal recognition of Palestinian statehood, launching a fierce attack on the government's foreign policy decision announced during the United Nations General Assembly.
Cash told Sky News on Sunday that recognizing Palestine while Hamas controls Gaza constituted rewarding terrorism, rejecting government assurances that the militant group would play no role in a future Palestinian state.
"Hamas are terrorists and you don't reward terrorists," Cash said. "Hamas themselves have said this is the fruit of the slaughter on October the 7th."
The Coalition's foreign affairs spokesperson criticized the timing of the recognition, contrasting it with what she described as a memorial service for Charlie Kirk in the United States.
"What a contrast today in the United States. On one side of the country, you have a memorial celebrating and honouring the life of Charlie Kirk. What was Charlie Kirk himself dedicated to? He was dedicated to freedom, freedom of speech, democracy, Western values," Cash said.
"On the other side of the country, on the other hand, Mr Albanese is in New York and he is officially rewarding Hamas."
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Government Statement Dismissed as 'Words on Paper'
When presented with the government's written statement explicitly saying "terrorist organisation Hamas must have no role in Palestine," Cash dismissed the declaration as meaningless.
"Yeah, they're words on a piece of paper, Kieran, nothing more and nothing less," she said. "This is the reality. Hamas control Gaza. Hamas were voted in by the Palestinian people. Hamas themselves have said this recognition rewards the fruits of October the 7th."
Cash argued that symbolic gestures would not change conditions on the ground and questioned what specific state Australia was recognizing.
"What state are you actually recognising? What are the borders? Are they the 1967 borders? Are they the border that recognises Palestine under Hamas control? What's going to happen with East Jerusalem?" she said.
Peace Process Concerns Raised
The opposition foreign affairs spokesperson claimed the recognition could harm peace negotiations, citing U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's previous statements about similar declarations by other countries.
"Marco Rubio has been very clear. The day that France said they would recognise a Palestinian state was the day that the peace negotiations fell apart," Cash said.
She argued that effective pressure on Israel required supporting a two-state solution "given at the end of a negotiated peace process" and calling for hostage releases.
"You back in a two-state solution that guarantees, not in words but in actions, Israel's right to exist," Cash said.
Trump Meeting Complications
Cash criticized the government for failing to secure a confirmed meeting between Albanese and U.S. President Donald Trump during the prime minister's visit to New York.
"We've been saying for how long now, 320 days, that Mr Albanese does need to get a meeting with President Trump. But I have to say it is a little embarrassing now that he doesn't even know if he's going to get a pull aside," she said.
The shadow minister said critical issues including AUKUS submarine arrangements and potential tariffs needed face-to-face discussion with the U.S. president.
"There are so many issues that now need to be discussed with President Trump, including obviously AUKUS, the recommitting to AUKUS, understanding what the outcome of the review is going to be," Cash said.
Republican Opposition Noted
Cash referenced Republican opposition to Palestinian recognition, saying President Trump "does not believe in rewarding terrorists."
"You have the Republicans who have written, in particular to Mr Albanese, saying this is done more now to put the peace process and set it backwards than it has done to do anything to actually support peace," she said.
When asked whether Australia should base foreign policy on representations from other countries, Cash said decisions should reflect "Australian values."
"I stand for freedom, for democracy, for Western values. Hamas doesn't. And in recognising Hamas, that is what you have done," she said.
Optus Outage Response Criticized
Cash also criticized the government's response to the Optus triple zero outage that has been linked to four deaths, saying the communications minister's delayed notification was concerning.
"Utterly devastating. This should never have occurred. I'm very concerned that the Minister only found out the next day. I'm very concerned at the pace at which the government is responding to this," she said.
She called for an urgent inquiry into the telecommunications failure that affected emergency services across multiple states.
"We need an urgent inquiry into what happened, when it happened and why it happened. Western Australians have died as a result of this," Cash said.
Government Defense of Recognition
The criticism comes as the government defended its decision to join Canada and the United Kingdom in recognizing Palestinian statehood during coordinated announcements at the UN General Assembly.
Albanese said the recognition reflected Australia's longstanding bipartisan support for a two-state solution and was part of international efforts to build momentum for peace.
The government's statement said Australia extracted commitments from the Palestinian Authority for democratic elections and reforms while acknowledging Israel's right to exist.
France, Belgium and Portugal are among other countries expected to announce similar recognition during the UN assembly, representing unprecedented momentum among Western nations for Palestinian statehood.
Political Implications
The sharp criticism from the Coalition's foreign affairs spokesperson reflects deep political divisions over Middle East policy as Australia stakes out a position at odds with the Trump administration.
Cash's comments invoke broader questions about Australian values and foreign policy independence, with the opposition framing the issue through domestic political considerations about terrorism and Western democratic principles.
The recognition puts Australia among more than 150 countries acknowledging Palestinian statehood while creating potential friction with Israel and the United States over timing and conditions for such declarations.
Twenty-five Republican legislators have threatened "punitive measures" against countries recognizing Palestine, adding complexity to Australia-U.S. relations under the Trump administration.
The political debate over Palestinian recognition is likely to intensify as parliament resumes and the opposition seeks to portray the government as weak on national security and terrorism issues.
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