Less than two weeks ago, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country’s recognition of a Palestinian state was a matter of “when, not if” but that he had no imminent plans to take such a step.

That changed on Monday, when Albanese announced that he plans to join France , the United Kingdom and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state at next month’s U.N. General Assembly in New York City.

“The world cannot wait for success to be guaranteed. That only means waiting for a day that will never come,” Albanese said at a press conference alongside Foreign Minister Penny Wong. “There is a moment of opportunity here, and Australia will work with the international community to seize it.”

Major Western countries have historically been hesitant to recognize a Palestinian st

See Full Page