CANBERRA, July 31, 2025 (WAFA) – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday that he discussed the situation in Gaza with his British counterpart Keir Starmer and affirmed his government's strong support for the two-state solution.

In a statement, Albanese said that he and Starmer agreed to leverage international momentum to achieve a ceasefire and accelerate the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers said on Thursday that "the government will push for a two-state solution. It is a matter of when, not if, Australia will recognize a Palestinian state... but I don't want to put a timeframe on that."

France, Britain, Malta, and Canada have all announced successively that they will recognize a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly next September.

On Wednesday, France, Australia, Canada, Finland, New Zealand, Portugal, Andorra, Malta, San Marino, Luxembourg, Iceland, Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and Norway issued a collective call to recognize the State of Palestine and called on more countries to join this effort.

In a joint statement, the 15 countries called for "an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and the guarantee of unhindered humanitarian access."

They added: "We have already recognized, or have expressed, or are expressing our countries' willingness or positive outlook to recognize the State of Palestine as an essential step towards a two-state solution, and we call on all countries that have not yet done so to join this call."

They continued: "We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the vision of a two-state solution, where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognized borders, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions."

K.T