In a significant diplomatic development, Australia has announced its intention to officially recognize the State of Palestine, with New Zealand expected to follow suit. This move aligns with recent declarations from France and Canada, signaling a growing shift in international support for Palestinian statehood.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that his Labour government will recognize the Palestinian state during the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York this coming September. Albanese emphasized that lasting peace in the region is unlikely until both Israelis and Palestinians have sovereign states of their own.

Albanese also stressed that the Australian government has received assurances from the Palestinian Authority that any future Palestinian state would exclude Hamas militants.

Shortly after Australia’s announcement, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters stated that Wellington is carefully evaluating the recognition of a Palestinian state. New Zealand’s government plans to make a formal decision in September and present it during the UN General Assembly’s leaders’ week. Peters highlighted that New Zealand’s foreign policy is independent and will not be influenced by the positions of its allies.

The New Zealand government has long indicated that the question of recognizing Palestine is a matter of timing rather than if. Peters noted that the decision will depend on whether sufficient progress has been made on the ground toward establishing a viable Palestinian state.

This diplomatic momentum comes amid intensifying international pressure on Israel to end the nearly two-year conflict in the Gaza Strip, which has caused a severe humanitarian crisis. Violence has also escalated in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967.

Currently, about three-quarters of United Nations member states recognize Palestine as a state, following its declaration of independence in the late 1980s. Since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, around ten countries have formally recognized Palestine.

At the end of July, Australia joined fourteen other Western countries, including France and Canada, in urging the international community to acknowledge a Palestinian state after a UN ministerial meeting focused on the two-state solution.