Armchair_Politician wrote on Sep 22
nd, 2025 at 12:52pm:
I fully support Palestine becoming a sovereign state of its own and for the Palestinian people to determine their own fate and to govern themselves without outside influence. But not now - not yet, at least. Not until every hostage taken by Hamas terrorists is released. Not until Hamas is disbanded and disarmed. There can be no rewards for Hamas, and that's what Albanese's misguided, symbolic recognition does. Nothing more. It is a colossal foreign policy failure by the Albanese government and brings shame to Australia as a whole.
Having said that, I disagree with the ongoing action by Israel. They can't keep going until Gaza is just rubble. I agree they have been pushed way too many times by Hamas and the attack by Hamas on Israel that killed 1200 and saw over 100 hostages taken was just wrong in no uncertain terms. But I do think Israel is going way too far now.
Your errors:
1. Every hostage has been returned, except for one of the bodies buried under the rubble of Gaza whose remains are impossible to locate.
2. Hamas was created out of the UN's failure (post the '67 war) to finally end the conflict as proposed and adopted by UN res 242, a failure caused by Israel's determination, backed the US's veto in the UNSC, to torpedo UN res 242.
eg Israel never intended, inter alia, to accept the envisioned division of Jerusalem, during the Camp David peace accords in the 80s and 90s; indeed a Jewish fundamentalist murdered his own peace-seeking PM (Rabin), citing OT "Promised Land" mythology.
3. Hamas, now much reduced and despised even by many Gazans for having created the present terrible conditions in Gaza, COULD easily be neutralised by the US (ie Trump), and the whole world would assist Fatah to govern a functioning Palestinian state as conceived in UN 181; but with Netanyahu openly rejecting a Palestinian state, the US is looking the other way....while Trump is too distracted by the Epstein files, Maduro, Ukraine, and his falling poll numbers at home.
4. It's true that mere recognition by Albo doesn't create the Palestinian state, but it at least demonstrates to Oz Muslims that he supports Muslim claims to their Palestinian state, which is important to avoid social conflict in Oz at this time of heightened passions on all sides. That an IS fundamentalist (the mirror image of the Jew fundamentlist) committed the murders at Bondi is tragedy, but nothing to do with Albo.
Far from "rewarding Hamas for terrorism", Albo is pushing back against the Conservatives who say they support 2 states - but only on Israel's terms.
News flash: the UNSC should set the terms for peace, not Netanyahu.
Your one correct statement: " I do think Israel is going way too far now".
Indeed, but don't expect a hearing from Netanyahu who seems to think Jews are "Chosen People" who don't have to abide by UN resolutions.