Australia, UK leaders discuss Gaza crisis amid Palestinian state recognition plans
Starmer this week said Britain was prepared to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly in response to growing public anger over the images of starving children in Gaza.
Australia has not yet made a formal decision to recognise Palestine though Albanese supports Israel's right to exist within secure borders and Palestinians' right to demand their own state.
In a statement, Albanese said they agreed on the importance of using international momentum to secure a ceasefire, the release of all Israeli hostages and the acceleration of aid. They also want to ensure militant group Hamas does not play a role in a future Palestinian state.
Some of Israel's closest allies, including France and Canada, have indicated they would recognise a Palestinian state amid growing international outrage over the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza. A global hunger monitor has warned that a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding in the enclave.
Israel has criticised France, Britain and Canada, saying their decision will reward Hamas.
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Thursday said the treatment of hostages and any involvement of Hamas in a future Palestinian state remained major obstacles for Australia but added the government would push for a two-state solution.
'It's a matter of when, not if, Australia recognises a Palestinian state … but I don't want to put a time frame on it,' Chalmers told ABC News.
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The Citizen
13 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Global peace goals unite SA and China
China and SA highlight their roles in resolving global conflicts and commit to defending human rights and international cooperation. The different roles that South Africa and China continue to play in the pursuit of peace and stability in the world have been praised by Gauteng legislature speaker Morakane Mosupyoe and Chinese consul-general in Johannesburg Pan Qingjiang. Mosupyoe was a guest speaker at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of China's victory over Japan organised by the China consulate on Wednesday evening. SA and China reaffirm commitment to global peace She cited South Africa's peace missions in conflicts such as the Ukrainian-Russian war, the Israel-Palestinian war, the Democratic Republic of Congo conflicts and several others on the continent. China mediated in ending long-standing tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia and albeit rejected by the US, it also offered its expertise in resolving the ongoing bloody war in Ukraine. ALSO READ: China pedals ahead with innovation 'Both China and South Africa are bound together by their shared values and aspirations – that of fighting for peace, promotion of human rights and international solidarity,' Mosupyoe said. 'Therefore, I want, on behalf of the people of South Africa, to recommit ourselves to a world free of any form of aggression, imperialism and subjugation of one nation by another. 80th war commemoration She said the commemoration of the resistance war against Japan was an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations between South Africa and China, 'to continue fighting for our common interest in the world'. 'Our bilateral relations become even more relevant today when the world is beginning to experience the resurgence of narrow nationalistic sentiments which threaten world peace and solidarity. We must remain resolute in our commitment to a world free of any form of aggression.' NOW READ: SA and China agree to collaborate on AI and innovation
Daily Maverick
8 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
From prisoner to pawn: The US continues to undermine our democratic sovereignty
The window exploded before I saw the gun. Just a loud crack — then shards in my face, then a fist yanking the door open. Five of them. Muddy Converse. Beanies pulled low. One barely out of school. They dragged me out of my Mercedes and threw me under a bush like a bag of rubbish. I tasted blood before I knew where it came from. 'Please, take the car,' I said. 'Take everything. Just leave my bag.' It had my laptop. My notes. My life in zipped compartments. 'Fokof,' one spat. 'You think we're your BEE brothers?' Then came the boots. The insults. The gun. The shot. It was supposed to be a hijacking — but it felt like punishment. Not for resisting, but for representing something. For speaking calmly instead of cowering. For not bowing low enough. That moment — blurry, bloodied, and bewildering — is exactly where South Africa stands today. The sanctions are coming On 22 July 2025, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act in a 34-16 vote. Introduced in April by Congressman Ronny Jackson, the bill is cloaked in diplomatic language, claiming to 'strengthen US-South African ties'. But beneath the façade, it reads like a warning shot. If passed, it would empower the US government to sanction South African officials under the Global Magnitsky Act — a law designed to target the world's worst human rights offenders and kleptocrats. Let's not pretend this is about corruption. South Africa has its own demons, from State Capture to service delivery failures. We've earned the anger of our own people, and rightly so. But if corruption were truly the standard, many of America's allies — some with far worse records — would be on the same list. This isn't a principled stand. It's a geopolitical lever. Nor is non-alignment an endorsement. Russia may have stood with us during the Struggle against apartheid, but that doesn't mean we baptise its every action today. We can remember who showed up without romanticising who they are now. To engage China or speak with Iran is not to sanctify them. To criticise Israel is not to erase Hamas' crimes. But in Washington's current mood, anything short of full compliance is labelled complicity. This isn't about justice — it's about obedience. Obedience to Washington's worldview. Obedience to its alliances. Obedience to its preferred version of moral clarity — one that always seems to exempt its closest partners. When democracy was dangerous History remembers differently than the West pretends. During apartheid, the US didn't stand with the oppressed — it stood with the regime. Nelson Mandela was branded a terrorist — and he remained on the US terrorist watchlist until 2008, 15 years after becoming South Africa's first democratic president. The ANC was labelled a communist threat. President Ronald Reagan vetoed sanctions. Then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher called them 'immoral'. Western capital backed white supremacy under the banner of anti-communism. When Mandela defended ties to Cuba and Palestine by saying, 'your enemy is not our enemy', it was not defiance — it was sovereignty. It was the dignity of a people refusing to outsource their conscience. Today, once again, South Africa is being punished. Not for violence. Not for lawlessness. But for choosing a path of principle that diverges from Washington's. A loaded act The US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act does not centre human rights. Instead, it grants the US president sweeping authority to determine whether South Africa has 'undermined US national security or foreign policy interests'. That's it. No requirement of genocide. No proof of corruption. No actual misconduct. Just the crime of non-compliance. 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Let the record show: when we were fighting apartheid, they said, 'Not yet.' When we fight for Palestinian lives, they say: 'Not you.' We will not die quietly That night, I should have died. But I didn't. And neither will this democracy. So let the gun be cocked. Let the threats fly. We will not trade dignity for convenience. We will not barter sovereignty for appeasement. We will not be pawns in someone else's game. And we will not die quietly — not in the street.
The Citizen
11 hours ago
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 31 July 2025
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