Australia will formally recognize a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday, following France, Britain, and Canada in indicating similar plans.
After a Cabinet meeting, Albanese said, "A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to end the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to end the conflict, suffering and starvation in Gaza," the Associated Press reported.
The Australian prime minister also stated that this acknowledgment will be given at the United Nations General Assembly in September, based on assurances received from the Palestinian Authority.
Albanese reiterated that these commitments involve excluding Hamas from participation in any future Palestinian government, the demilitarization of Gaza, and holding elections. "Our government has said very clearly that there can be no place for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state," he said to reporters outside Parliament House. "This is one of the commitments Australia has secured and received from President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority," he said, according to Bloomberg.
Canberra has also denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new plans for an extensive military campaign in Gaza.
Albanese and New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon both warned that Israel is likely to contravene international law, calling on Jerusalem to rethink its military operation against Hamas strongholds in Gaza City.
Netanyahu responded by calling Australia's decision to declare a Palestinian state "shameful."
Australia's move bolsters the campaign for Palestinian statehood, putting the nation in line with France, the UK, and Canada. The United States, however, remains opposed to recognizing a Palestinian state outside of a negotiated peace agreement with Israel.
The Netanyahu government approved an advance on Gaza City last Friday after negotiations for a third ceasefire between Israel and Hamas collapsed in July.
Earlier, Israeli troops had refrained from advancing into the city for fear of the safety of some 20 hostages thought to be inside.
Read also| Putin-Trump Meeting Set for August 15 in Alaska
