Comment comes after Australia reaffirmed commitment to two-state solution. Follow today’s news live

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Australia strongly rejected Israel’s plans to expand Gaza campaign last week

For context - this is Australia’s position on Palestinian statehood. The foreign minister, Penny Wong, released a joint statement on Saturday alongside her counterparts in eight countries and that of the EU.

We are united in our commitment to the implementation of a negotiated two-state solution as the only way to guarantee that both Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace, security, and dignity.

A political resolution based on a negotiated two-state solution requires the total demilitarisation of Hamas and its complete exclusion from any form of governance in the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinian Authority must have a central role.

The real reason that this conflict persists is not because of the absence of a Palestinian state, but the persistent Palestinian refusal to recognise a Jewish state. … I think the solution to this problem is that the Palestinians should have all the powers to govern themselves in the places where they live, and none of the powers to threaten Israel.

Source: Guardian - World News