The morning after Australia, Britain and Canada announced they would recognise a Palestinian state, I headed to Tel Aviv Beach with fellow Aussie reporter Rukshan Fernando to take the pulse of locals.

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What we found was a mix of defiance, frustration and, for some, a surprising openness to compromise.

“Never. We never agree with the state of Palestine, never. Israel is here to stay and Israel will remain forever,” one man told me without hesitation.

Another insisted the decisions made in London, Canberra and Ottawa were irrelevant, saying, “They don’t understand enough the consequences of those things. But it’s their decision. We are a strong country, we will see.”

🔴 Tel Aviv Beach LIVE: Israelis React to Palestinian State Recognition — https://t.co/MoqQa5Aa2a https://t.co/yDuPqaGo2L

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) September 22, 2025

Some believed the move was more about politics than peace. “It’s an expression of colonialist guilt,” one man told me. “Instead they should just teach their own history in schools and live their own colonialist guilt without projecting it onto other nations, especially without actually understanding the complexity of the issues.”

Others worried it rewarded terrorism. “As long as the Palestinians are determined to annihilate the state of Israel, nothing will change,” a man warned. Another added that Western leaders were “just playing with fire,” saying recognition “gives the opportunity of a fringe of this population to show that if you commit terrorism you’ll get rewarded at some point.”

Behind the https://t.co/MoqQa5Aa2a scenes pic.twitter.com/EfyqDlCSEr

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) September 26, 2025

Yet not everyone rejected the idea outright. One local told me, “For my side, I have no problem to give to the Palestinian country and recognise them even now. But I want that it will be equal ... that they would recognise Israel’s sovereignty and right to exist here as well.”

Despite the diplomatic bombshell, most people I spoke with didn’t expect anything to change on the ground. “The decision’s not going to be made in Paris, London or Sydney,” one man said. “It’s going to be made here.”