Canberra - Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday.
"A two-state solution is humanity's best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict, suffering, and starvation in Gaza," he told reporters in Canberra.
"Until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary.
"Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own. We will work with the international community to make this right a reality."
The decision follows a push from several countries, including France, Britain, and Canada, to recognise statehood for the Palestinians after Israel launched a war on Gaza nearly two years ago.
"There is a moment of opportunity here, and Australia will work with the international community to seize it," Albanese added.
-Just hours earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised international calls to recognise Palestinian statehood, saying it would "not bring peace, it will bring war".
International concern is growing about the plight of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where the fighting has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis and warnings of mass starvation.
Albanese further criticised the Israeli government on Monday and said it continued to defy "international law and deny sufficient aid".
As the global movement to recognise Palestine grows, New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters said his country would carefully consider whether to do the same over the next month.
He added that New Zealand's recognition of a Palestinian state is a "matter of when, not if".
Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,430 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, figures the United Nations says are reliable.
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