In an interview with a local radio station, Albanese said, "Huckabee is the US ambassador to Israel, not to Australia," according to a statement issued by the Australian Prime Minister's Office.
Commenting on the genocide and starvation perpetrated by Israel against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Albanese noted that "Australians are disgusted by what they see on television every night," adding, "They have seen the deaths of tens of thousands of people, and it is no surprise that the sight of starving children and their families waiting for humanitarian aid should provoke a humanitarian response."
He explained that the crisis in the region has been ongoing for many years, noting that there is currently global momentum "to end the cycle of violence and advance peace talks."
Albanese stated last Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "denies the genocide taking place in Gaza," stressing that Australia will recognize the State of Palestine during the UN General Assembly meetings scheduled for next September.
Commenting on the matter, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that senior officials in US President Donald Trump's administration met Australia's decision with "disappointment and disgust," according to the Australian network ABC. He criticized the timing of the announcement, adding, "As Israel's closest partner, we expected to be notified in advance."
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The Belgian Parliament discusses recognition of the State of Palestine and possible sanctions on Israel.
Widespread condemnation of an Israeli settlement plan that separates the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem.
The movement to recognize the State of Palestine is escalating against the backdrop of the genocide being perpetrated by Israel, with US support, in Gaza since October 7, 2023, in defiance of all international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
In late July, 15 Western countries, including France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Portugal, issued a collective appeal to recognize the State of Palestine and to cease fire in the Gaza Strip. The appeal was published by the French Foreign Ministry on its website.
Several days earlier, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a press conference that his country would recognize the State of Palestine in September "if Israel does not take substantive steps to end the horrific situation" in the Gaza Strip.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on July 24 that his country would recognize the State of Palestine during the United Nations General Assembly in New York next September.
The Israeli genocide left 61,776 Palestinians dead and 154,906 injured, most of them children and women. More than 9,000 people were missing, hundreds of thousands were displaced, and a famine claimed the lives of 239 people, including 106 children
