New York: By officially recognising Palestinian statehood, Anthony Albanese has done more than send a message to the world about how Australia views the Middle East peace process. He has issued a declaration of independence from the United States and an assertion of Australian sovereignty over its foreign policy.

It’s a bold move, and a risky one. Albanese is breaking with Trump on a totemic, divisive issue just as he tries to establish a personal relationship with the president and lock in the pair’s first meeting.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s decision to join with the UK and Canada to recognise Palestinian statehood defies the views of the Trump administration. Credit: Marija Ercegovac

Albanese has begun his first trip to the US since Trump’s return to office by dangling a lantern over a point of contention, rather than unity in the US-Australia relationship. The government’s decision to recognise Palestine, alongside the United Kingdom and Canada, made a big splash in the US, even leading the website of The New York Times. Accentuating the positives and eliminating the negatives in the bilateral relationship didn’t stand a chance.

Yet if Albanese felt any discomfort about the awkward timing of the announcement, he showed no sign of it when speaking to reporters at United Nations headquarters on........

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