However,the speech hasfurther strained the government’s fraught relations with prominent Jewish groups,which were already angry with the government over its decision to appoint a special adviser toreview the Israel Defence Force’s killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom and six colleagues.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion said Wong’s speech was “not the way to treat a friend and ally of Australia,such as Israel” while Zionist Federation of Australia President Jeremy Leibler said:“Any talk of recognition of Palestinian statehood in such close proximity to the 7 October attacks is entirely premature and will be seen as a reward for those attacks.

“Israel is currently at war with a genocidal terrorist organisation,which perpetrated horrors on the Jewish people not seen since the Holocaust.”

Carr,who led a successful internal Labor uprising against Julia Gillard in 2012 over granting Palestine observer status at the United Nations,described Wong’s comments as “moderate,diplomatic positioning by Australia that accords with an emerging international consensus”.

Stating that the “rusted-on,pro-Israel” faction within Labor had contracted dramatically in recent years,Carr said there was a strong consensus within the party in favour of Palestinian recognition.

“Labor will be carried towards this announcement by Israel’s war crimes and the general inhumanity in the way it has conducted the war in Gaza,” he said.

Israel has insisted it does everything possible to minimise civilian casualties and that removing Hamas from power was essential to preventing more terror attacks like the one that occurred on October 7.

The Labor Friends of Israel group,led by former MP Mike Kelly,said the government should not make such a move without clear preconditions including Palestinian recognition of Israel,the renunciation of violence and the removal of Hamas.

“Our position is that we completely reject and oppose unilateral recognition,” the group said.

Stressing that she believes Hamas has no governing role in the future of Gaza after it launched terrorist attacks that killed an estimated 1200 people on October 7,Wong said “there’s currently an international discussion about the pathway beyond the conflict”.

Spain,Ireland,Malta and Slovenia announced last month they would jointly work toward recognition of a Palestinian state.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has said the UK would consider recognising a Palestinian state as part of an effort to bring about an “irreversible” peace settlement,and the Biden administration has reportedly considered such a move when the war in Gaza ends.

Wong said in her speech that it would be wrong to see recognition of Palestine as a reward for an enemy because Israel’s own security depends on a two-state solution.

The UN Security Council this week referred the Palestinian Authority’s bid to become a UN member state to its 15-member membership committee,which does not include Australia.

A later vote could then be held by the UN General Assembly,where Australia would cast a vote.

The vast majority of UN member states already recognise Palestinian statehood,including almost every country in Africa,South America and Asia.

Australia Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said:“It’s high time that Australia joined the other 139 like-minded countries around the world in recognising Palestine.

It has been official Labor Party policy since 2018 to recognise Palestine as a state,although the timing of such a move would always be up to cabinet.

The Israeli ambassador to Australia was contacted for comment.

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