Howard and Downer condemn Palestine recognition as betrayal of international law

Former prime minister John Howard and former foreign minister Alexander Downer have launched a scathing attack on the Albanese government’s approach to Palestinian statehood, describing any premature recognition as “a betrayal of international law”.

In a joint statement released on Thursday, the two former Liberal politicians accused Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke of undermining Australia’s relationship with Israel for “short-term domestic political advantage”.

“Both the Prime Minister and the Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke, have undermined a relationship of enduring trust between Australia and Israel,” Howard and Downer wrote. “In doing so, they have failed to match the leadership and strength once shown by Labor figures such as Bob Hawke and Dr H. V. Evatt.”

The pair argued that Palestine does not meet the legal requirements for statehood under international law, citing the Montevideo Convention of 1933, which requires a defined territory, permanent population, effective government and capacity to engage with other states.

“Palestine, as it stands today, does not meet these standards,” they said. “It has no agreed borders. The West Bank remains under a patchwork of Israeli and Palestinian administrative arrangements, while Gaza is controlled by Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organisation by Australia, the United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.”