According to Australian media on August 11, the country could officially recognize the state of Palestine right after a cabinet meeting on the same day. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to sign the plan in the next few days, but his office has not commented.
The move comes after France and Canada announced plans to recognize Palestine last month, while the UK said it would do the same if Israel resolved the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories and reached a ceasefire.
Israel strongly opposes the decision of countries supporting Palestine, saying that this will give a "reward" to Hamas - the force controlling the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that the majority of Israeli citizens opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state because they believe it will lead to conflict rather than peace.
He said that the pursuit of this direction by European countries and Australia was disappointing and shameful, but would not change Israels stance.
In Tel Aviv, thousands of protests against Netanyahu's plan to occupy Gaza City. Meanwhile, Albanese has repeatedly stressed his support for the two-state solution, while affirming Australia's recognition of Israel's right to exist within a safe border and the right of Palestinians to have their own state.
I have said this is a matter of When, not if or not, he said during his visit to New Zealand, reiterating Australias long-standing stance on the two-state solution.
