EDITORIAL: Palestinian recognition provokes US ‘disgust’

Having already delighted Hamas, outraged Israel and devastated Australia’s own Jewish community, Anthony Albanese’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state has now provoked “disappointment and disgust” from the United States.

It’s the latest in a series of entirely predictable reactions to the Prime Minister’s diplomatic about-face.

“There is an enormous level of disappointment, and some disgust,” US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on the ABC on Thursday.

“I think it does express, though, the emotional sentiment, a sense of ‘You’ve got to be kidding. Why would they be doing this? And why would they be doing it now?’”

In Labor’s fantasy-land version of events, Hamas will simply lay down their arms

That’s a question to which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio well knows the answer.

Mr Rubio this week said the push towards Palestinian statehood by Western nations controlled by left-leaning governments — a bloc which includes Australia — was “largely meaningless”.

“It’s symbolic, and they’re doing it primarily for one reason, and that is their internal politics, their domestic politics,” he said.

“In the UK, in France, in many parts of Europe and Ireland, for a long time their domestic politics has turned anti-Israel or whatever it may be, and they’re getting a lot of domestic pressure to do something, but it’s largely meaningless.

“The truth of the matter is that the future of that region is not going to be decided by some UN resolution.”

Yet it’s a barrow Mr Albanese and his Foreign Minister Penny Wong — both long-time supporters of Palestinian statehood — are determined to continue to push.

They are so committed to the cause they are ignoring that the harsh realities make it practically impossible to achieve.

In their fantasy-land version of events, Hamas will simply lay down their arms.

Mr Albanese continues to claim that there will be “no role” for Hamas in a sovereign Palestine.

This confidence is based on assurances received from Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. But the PA exerts little control over anything in Palestine, and is powerless to compel Hamas to do anything.

Not that it matters much anyway.

Recognition by players such as Australia won’t bring Palestinian statehood any closer — not when the US, which has United Nations Security Council veto power remains stridently opposed.

What it does accomplish however is to further embolden not just Hamas, but other bad actors who might seek to emulate the terrorist group’s tactics. If murder, kidnapping and extreme violence worked for Hamas, why couldn’t the same strategy be applied by other groups?

And, at a local level, it drives a further wedge between Australia and our No. 1 ally and security guarantor in the US.

On the bright side, relations between Canberra and Washington are already at such an appallingly low ebb that this latest bone of contention can’t make things much worse.