Australia plans to recognise Palestinian state within days, Sydney Morning Herald reports

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SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia plans to recognise a Palestinian state as early as Monday following similar moves by France, Britain and Canada, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese could sign off on the move within days after a regular cabinet meeting on Monday, the SMH reported, citing unidentified sources.

Albanese’s office did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

France and Canada last month said they planned to recognise a Palestinian state, while Britain has said it would follow suit unless Israel addresses the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories and reaches a ceasefire.

Israel has condemned decisions by countries to support a Palestinian state, saying it will reward Hamas, the militant group that governs Gaza.

Netanyahu told reporters on Sunday that most Israeli citizens were against establishing a Palestinian state as they thought that would bring war and not peace, even as thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Tel Aviv, opposing his plan to escalate the nearly two-year war and seize Gaza City.

“To have European countries and Australia march into that rabbit hole just like that, fall right into it … this is disappointing and I think it’s actually shameful but it’s not going to change our position,” Netanyahu said.

Albanese has been calling for a two-state solution, with his centre-left government supporting Israel’s right to exist within secure borders and Palestinians’ right to their own state.

“I’ve said it’s a matter of when, not if,” Albanese told reporters on Saturday in New Zealand on his government’s stance on a Palestinian state.

“For a long period of time, there’s been a bipartisan position in Australia of support for two states.”

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Stephen Coates)