ANKARA

Australia's first parliamentarian of Palestinian origin said he will fight for Palestinian statehood.

Basem Abdo, who was elected to the parliament in May from Calwell in the northwest of Melbourne, told SBS News that recognizing a Palestinian state is "more than symbolic."

The government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is under pressure to follow France’s commitment to recognize a Palestinian state, with former Cabinet member Ed Husic calling for immediate recognition.

On Monday, Albanese said he wants Australia to recognize Palestinian statehood when it is "more than a gesture."

Paris has announced it will recognize Palestine as a full UN member state in September when the General Assembly convenes.

"My position on this is very clear. I support the recognition of a Palestinian state," said Abdo, whose parents left the occupied West Bank in 1967.

"It's the right to self-determination. I would view it as a right, not as just symbolism," he added.

Abdo, who has himself visited the West Bank, said: "It's incumbent on all of us to consider that and to consider the long-term view of things when we're trying to reshape things."

*Writing by Aamir Latif