Australia has lit a political firestorm by recognising a Palestinian state and Hamas is celebrating like it just won the jackpot. In a brazen victory lap, senior Hamas kingpin Hassan Yousef openly praised Canberra’s “political courage” and bragged that the October 7 massacre, which butchered 1200 Israelis in cold blood, was a key driver behind the move.
Speaking to The Age, Yousef gloated that the slaughter and wave of attacks “significantly contributed” to forcing the world’s gaze onto the Palestinian cause. “We welcome Australia’s decision… this reflects political courage,” he smirked, adding that armed “resistance” his euphemism for terror had compelled nations to rethink their positions.
His comments blew a hole through Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s claim that Hamas would oppose the decision. Albanese had told Australians Hamas “don’t support two states,” yet Yousef made it crystal clear: the bloodshed was part of the plan, and in his view, it’s paying off.
The terror boss also warned that any Palestinian elections without Hamas would be illegitimate boasting about their 2006 landslide over Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party and flaunting polls that still show them as the more popular faction.
The Australian decision follows other Western moves toward Palestinian recognition, with Hamas officials openly calling them the “fruits” of October 7.
In Israel, outrage is boiling. The Embassy in Canberra tore into the Albanese government for reducing the plight of Israeli hostages still starved and brutalised in Hamas’ underground tunnels to a footnote in a joint statement with 28 other nations, including Canada. The same statement demanded Israel fling open Gaza’s borders for aid but stopped short of pressing Hamas to free its captives immediately.
For families of the murdered and the kidnapped, the message from Hamas is chilling that mass slaughter works. For Australia’s government, the question now is whether they’ve just handed the terrorists their greatest propaganda victory since the day of the attack. And that, no matter how it’s spun, is a stain that will not wash away.
