The Hamas terrorist organization has welcomed Australia's decision to recognize a Palestinian state during the upcoming UN General Assembly debate in September.
“We welcome Australia’s decision to recognize the state of Palestine, and consider it an important step towards achieving justice for our people and securing their legitimate rights,” Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef said in a statement to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age on Wednesday.
“This position reflects political courage and a commitment to the values of justice and the right of peoples to self-determination,” the statement continued.
“We call on all countries, especially those that believe in freedom and human dignity, to follow Australia’s example and translate their positions into practical steps to support the Palestinian people and end their suffering under occupation.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the decision on Monday. His announcement follows similar declarations by France, the United Kingdom, Canada.
Albanese stated that Canberra had secured assurances from the Palestinian Authority - which governs parts of Judea and Samaria - that Hamas would have “no role... in any future Palestinian state.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded to Hamas’s praise of the move with sarcasm on social media, posting a screenshot of the Hamas endorsement and writing: “The terror group loves the prime minister.”
President Isaac Herzog responded to Australia’s announcement on Monday and warned against the recognition of a Palestinian state, calling such a move a "grave and dangerous mistake" and a "reward for terror."
Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel denounced Australia’s announcement, saying it rewards Hamas.
"50 of our hostages remain in Hamas’s dungeons of torture, being starved to death - being forced to dig their own graves, yet the Australian government has decided now is the right time to reward the monsters of October 7 with recognition of a Palestinian state," Haskel stated.
She quoted Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas terrorist, who said that recognition of a Palestinian state by Western leaders is “the fruits” of the October 7 massacre, and added: "So the Albanese government has just rewarded a proscribed terror organization with further ‘fruits’ from the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust."