Al Jazeera Podcasts.

Today, Australia joins the growing list of countries recognizing Palestine.

The United Kingdom, France, Canada and now Australia, all have united in their condemnation

of Israel's war on Gaza and have promised to recognise an independent Palestinian state.

But what does recognition mean when those same countries keep arming Israel?

I'm Kevin Horton and this is The Take.

My name is Anthony Lowenstein. I'm an independent journalist, filmmaker and author, most recently of the Palestine Laboratory, and I'm currently in Sydney, Australia.

Okay, well Anthony, welcome back to the take.

Thank you. Um, why don't we start with the latest? Australia announced plans this week to

recognize Palestine as a state in September at the UN General Assembly.

Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own predicated on the

commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority.

You're based in Sydney, so what went through your mind when you first heard this news?

Wholly unsurprised. This has been a long time coming the current government in australia led by

anthony albanesey the prime minister has been really flirting with this for a long time in fact

in many ways it's been unofficial government policy for years australia one has to understand, Australia's non-independent

country. We are essentially a client state of the US, and that means in relation to wars and various

other issues. We have one of the biggest US intelligence bases in the middle of Australia,

called Pine Gack, which assists in American war making.

Now obviously the Australian government's position on Palestine is not going to please Washington,

that's true.

But we are following France, the UK, Canada and others.

...