Labor risks undermining its decision to "prematurely" recognise the State of Palestine, Coalition and Jewish leaders warn, if the party does not reinstate key conditions for Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to its draft policy platform.
The Australian this week revealed Labor's 2026 policy platform had been significantly amended to strengthen the party's criticism of Israel, weeks out from the 50th ALP national conference.
Commitments to put explicit pressure on Hamas to disarm and for the Palestinian Authority to reform were also dropped from the latest copy of the draft, compared with a version circulated three months ago, even though Anthony Albanese made these key conditions to his recognition of Palestine last September.
The previous draft demanded Hamas play no role in the future of Palestine while calling on the PA, the main governing body in the West Bank, to commit to reform and Israel's security.
This aligned with "clear requirements" set out by the international community for Palestinian recognition, but it was stripped from the latest draft and replaced with a broad condemnation of terrorism, "including" violence perpetrated by Hamas and "other extremists".
Government sources suggested pressure on Hamas and the PA was still captured by a newly inserted reference to the UN and its Security Council. However, opposition foreign affairs spokesman Ted O'Brien on Tuesday said Labor must "ensure" its official platform was consistent with the Prime Minister's commitments by the time delegates voted on the issue at this month's conference.
Mr O'Brien said the government must explain the changes, which exposed the "folly of its decision to recognise a state of Palestine prematurely".
"Labor tore up decades of bipartisanship on Middle East policy by prematurely recognising Palestinian statehood, handing Hamas a propaganda win in the process," he said.
"At the time, Labor asked Australians to trust that that recognition was tied to clear safeguards, including Hamas being disarmed and excluded from a reformed Palestinian Authority.
"The Prime Minister must ensure his government holds the Palestinian Authority to account to deliver on the safeguards he promised, and that this is unambiguously reflected in Labor's policy platform."
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council executive director Colin Rubenstein said Labor must reinstate its prerequisites for recognising Palestine to its official policy, because without them, "verbal support for a twostate resolution becomes effectively meaningless".
"Any attempt by the ALP National Conference to water down these essential principles, which the government has previously affirmed repeatedly, not only undermines Australia's longstanding bipartisan policy on the Middle East but damages Australia's national interests in seeking regional stability and security," Dr Rubenstein said.
A spokesman for Foreign Minister Penny Wong previously said the government stuck by its belief that Hamas should have no rule in a future Palestinian state, and that the government "unequivocally con-demns Hamas" for the October 7 attack and ongoing controversies.
