Australia has announced its official recognition of a Palestinian state after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese landed in the US, where it’s expected he will meet face-to-face with Donald Trump for the first time.

Britain and Canada also announced their formal declarations on Sunday (AEST), in a move borne out of frustration over the Gaza Strip war that has led to the deaths of thousands of people.

The recognition of Palestine prompted a scathing response from Israel and triggered a warning from 25 US Republicans who signed a joint letter foreshadowing possible “punitive measures in response”.

Albanese arrived in New York late on Saturday (local time) to attend a United Nations meeting for the first time as Prime Minister.

In a joint statement with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Albanese said that effective from Sunday, the Commonwealth of Australia formally recognised the independence and sovereign state of Palestine.

“In doing so, Australia recognises the legitimate and long-held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own,” he said.

“Australia’s recognition of Palestine today, alongside Canada and the United Kingdom, is part of a co-ordinated international effort to build new momentum for a two-state solution, starting with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken in the atrocities of October 7, 2023.”

While on a lavish state visit to Britain last week, Trump highlighted a “disagreement” with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over the UK’s plan to recognise Palestinian statehood.

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Albanese has been trying to secure a meeting with Trump since the US election. It is expected that may come to fruition during this visit. 

The decision by Australia, the UK and Canada – all traditional allies of Israel – aligns them with about 140 other countries also backing Palestinians’ aspiration to forge an independent homeland from the Israeli-occupied territories.

This morning, Albanese told the Sunrise program that what was clear “for a long period of time is that the cycle of violence must end”.

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He said Australia and the Arab League had made “very clear’ they condemned the action of Hamas on October 7 and “also declared that Israel, of course, has a right to security as well”, adding that Hamas was a terrorist organisation that can play no role.

“The Palestinian Authority needs to be democratised and reformed… the world wants to play a role in that,” Albanese said.

“But the humanitarian catastrophe that we see rolling out in Gaza has to end.

“The loss of human life, the conditions in which people are being put in Gaza is completely unacceptable.”

The Hamas-led attack on Israel in October, 2023, killed 1200 people and 251 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s ensuing campaign in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to local health authorities, spread famine, demolished most buildings and displaced most of the population — often multiple times.

Britain’s decision carried particular symbolism given its major role in Israel’s creation as a modern nation in the aftermath of World War II.

“Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” Starmer said.

“The man-made humanitarian crisis in Gaza reaches new depths. The Israeli government’s relentless and increasing bombardment of Gaza, the offensive of recent weeks, the starvation and devastation are utterly intolerable.”

Other countries, including France, are expected to follow suit this week at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the move.

“I have a clear message to those leaders who recognise a Palestinian state after the horrific massacre of October 7: You are giving a huge reward to terrorism,” he said, referring to Palestinian militant group Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the nearly two-year war in Gaza.

“And I have another message for you: It will not happen. A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.”

A letter signed by 25 Republicans, which copied in US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, said it was “reckless policy”.

“Proceeding with recognition will put your country at odds with longstanding US policy and interests and may invite punitive measures in response,” they said.

Hamas welcomed the move but said it must be accompanied by “practical measures” to end the war in the Gaza Strip and prevent Israel from annexing the West Bank.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said recognition would help pave the way for the “State of Palestine to live side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighbourliness”.

Starmer wrote to Abbas to confirm Britain’s decision, noting that his country had backed a Jewish homeland in 1917 while also pledging to protect the rights of non-Jewish communities.

For Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney said it would empower those seeking peaceful co-existence and the end of Hamas.

“This in no way legitimises terrorism, nor is it any reward for it,” he said.

The US, Israel’s closest ally, did not comment immediately on the decision by three of its allies to recognise a Palestinian state.

-with AAP