
The Australian Parliament rejected the Green Party's proposal to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. The Green Party's proposal was rejected by a large majority of 80 members of parliament who opposed it, as opposed to only 5 members who supported it..
Adam Bandt, leader of the Green Party, claimed that recognizing a Palestinian state would be "a concrete step towards peace." "It's not just a symbolic move, it's a critical step towards peace and towards ending the slaughter we're seeing with the invasion of Gaza at the moment," he told parliament.
"It's time for countries, including Australia, to step up and do something. As other countries have made it a priority to recognise the state of Palestine, so too should this government do today.”
Tim Watts, a spokesman for the Foreign Minister, responded to the remarks, saying that the proposal was "wedge politics" and not a genuine attempt to bring about peace. "A Palestinian state cannot be a threat to Israel's security. We want to see a reformed Palestinian governing authority committed to peace, renouncing violence," he added.