Published: 22 August 2023
Last updated: 19 March 2024
Foreign Minister Penny Wong prevailed at the ALP national conference. A policy to recognise Palestine remains on the platform but is unlikely to be advanced by the government.
There were quiet sighs of relief in Australia’s Jewish community when the ALP conference stuck to its pre-arranged script and passed a resolution on Friday that maintained its existing policy regarding the Israel-Palestine dispute.
The draft resolution supported the right of Israel and Palestine to exist as two states and called on the Australian government to recognise Palestine as a state – a maintenance of the status quo.
There had been concerns by both the ALP leadership and pro-Israel advocates, within and outside the party, that the conference might try to impose a time frame on the recognition of Palestinian statehood.
But after some robust but contained discussion, the resolution was passed without amendment. The wording remains unchanged in the policy platform, with no timeline attached. The ALP first passed a platform to recognise Palestine in 2021 but since gaining power last year, the Albanese government has shown no inclination to implement the policy.
Israel advocates had been worried by Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s recent announcement that Australia would harden its language on Israel-Palestine, referring to the West Bank as “occupied” and settlements as “illegal”. Wong had earlier raised concerns over “alarming” trends in Israel with the Netanyahu government and described the acceleration of Israeli settlements as “an obstacle to peace” in the region.
However, other observers saw Wong’s hardening of language as a tactical move to blunt attempts by more strident pro-Palestinian voices within the party to impose a time frame on recognition. Wong’s announcement did not stop some pro-Palestinian Labor members pushing to have the time frame expedited.
Labor MP Susan Templeman spoke in favour of recognition, saying the actions of Israel's extreme right-wing government were "deeply concerning". But her voice and others were counterbalanced by pro-Israel elements who threatened to strip the policy from the platform if the other side attempted to alter it at the conference.
The outcome will please Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The government was keen to avoid the Middle East emerging as the primary story from the conference after a period where “foreign policy has been a real strength of the government and it's had nothing to do with the Middle East”, an observer with close knowledge of the negotiations told The Jewish Independent.
“It's had to do with restoring our place in the region, restoring our relationships on the international stage, committing to stronger climate targets and having a range of relationships elevated, as well as taking a more constructive approach with China.”
Wong and Albanese felt strongly that it would help no-one to make a big story of Israel-Palestine by imposing a time frame on the call for recognition of Palestinian statehood.
In addition, Wong had made it clear she did not want the conference to be dictating policy to the government on a subject as sensitive as this. After the Victorian conference passed a resolution to recognise Palestine in June, a spokesperson for Wong told The Jewish Independent Media that any change would be “a matter for cabinet”.
While 132 countries have recognised Palestine, most liberal democracies including the UK, US, Canada and most European countries have declined to do so until there is a peace agreement and a viable state willing to live in peace with Israel.
Jewish community and Israel advocacy groups, including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and Zionist Federation of Australia both welcomed the outcome. “We are pleased the ALP’s national conference has resulted in no further change to Labor’s position on recognition of Palestine. While we remain concerned about the Labor Party resolution, we appreciate the efforts by the Labor leadership team to keep the resolution language the same as last conference,” ZFA head Jeremy Leibler said in a statement.
ECAJ co-CEO Peter Wertheim said: “The truth that this government must accept is that recognition of a state that does not exist is not the expression of solidarity or of a desire for peace. It is a dangerous falsehood which rewards the Palestinians for their refusal to negotiate an end to the conflict, recognise a Jewish state or renounce violence and terrorism.”
In the end, preserving the status quo in the issue suited most, if not all, major stakeholders, who can now focus their attention on pressing issues such as the upcoming inquiry by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security into the banning of hate symbols.
Photo: Senator Penny Wong during the 49th ALP National Conference in Brisbane, August 17 (AAP/Jono Searle)
