FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Monday that Australia will formally recognize the State of Palestine during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September, joining a growing international push for Palestinian statehood amid the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
The move aligns Australia with France, whose President Emmanuel Macron declared last month that France would also recognize Palestine at the UN gathering.
Macron cited the urgent need to end the war in Gaza and alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe, stating, “Peace is possible” and emphasizing France’s historic commitment to a two-state solution.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday the military had been ordered to enter the “decisive stage” of the Gaza war, aimed at seizing the remaining Hamas strongholds in Gaza City, refugee camps in central Gaza and the southern area of Al Mawasi.
He made the remarks in a press conference amid growing criticism around the world and within Israel over a security cabinet decision on Thursday to take over Gaza City.