NIF Australia Supports Government Recognition of a Palestinian State

11/08/2025 – Melbourne

The New Israel Fund (NIF) Australia commends the Albanese Government for its principled decision to pursue recognition of a Palestinian state.

NIF has always championed a future where both Israelis and Palestinians live in peace, safety, and the right to self-determination. Today, that vision feels more distant than at any other point in recent memory. Recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is a necessary step toward making that vision a reality.

NIF supports recognition and meaningful steps which the Australian Government takes that end the violence, release the remaining hostages and achieve agreement to a just and lasting peace. Australia’s decision reflects the understanding that if we believe in a two-state solution, then we must recognise both states. 

We see as essential the pre-conditions made by the Palestinian Authority to Prime Minister Albanese, including the disarmament and exclusion of Hamas from future Palestinian governance. These commitments are in line with previous statements made by the Palestinian Authority on June 10 and the Saudi-French New York Declaration of July 25.

Diplomacy may bring countries to the negotiating table, but peace between Israelis and Palestinians must be cultivated. That’s why the work of civil society, NIF’s grantees, is more essential than ever.

NIF Australia grantees, including Standing Together, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Tzedek Centers, Hand in Hand and many others have been building and protecting the foundations of shared society and equality for decades. It is their voices and work that will be amplified by this decision and NIF is more committed than ever to supporting their efforts.

Australia has a unique and timely role to play: amplifying the voices of those already working on the ground, and setting the paradigm for what a negotiated future can look like — one rooted in equality, accountability, and mutual recognition.

“We welcome the Albanese Government’s principled decision to pursue recognition of a Palestinian state. While this move alone won’t end the conflict, it affirms that Palestinian rights are not up for negotiation, and that equality must be the foundation for any lasting future.”

— Kate Rosenberg, Executive Director, New Israel Fund Australia

About Us

NIF Australia was formed in 2011 when Naomi Chazan, then-president of NIF Israel and the former deputy speaker of the Knesset, visited Australia. In the almost fifteen years since its formation, NIF Australia has raised over $5 million, distributing grants to important civil society organisations in Israel fighting for a democratic society open to all, regardless of religion, ethnicity, national origin, race or gender. Our community promotes peace, freedom, equality and social justice by funding Israeli nonprofits and facilitating new discussions in the Australian Jewish community.