Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Monday that Australia will formally recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly this September.
Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters the Palestinian Authority has committed to disarmament, recognizing Israel, and excluding Hamas from any future government, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Earlier reports suggested Canberra was weighing a timeline for recognition, but the Cabinet has now formally approved the plan.
Asked whether the announcement could further embolden Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to continue its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, Albanese said he expressed his concerns with Netanyahu about Israel's military actions in Gaza.
“I think that I expressed it in a very clear way. But the prime minister's comments were similar to what he had made a year ago, which is that they were determined to remove Hamas,” he said.
