Australia has followed Canada's decision to recognise Palestine as a sovereign state, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese writes.

He says it is part of a joint effort alongside Canada and Britain and will form "an international effort for a two-state solution".

You can see Albanese's full letter below.

Image source, Australian government

Australia has also just announced its recognition of a Palestinian state, joining Canada.

For context: Both Canada and Australia had previously set out their intentions to formally recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says from today, "Canada recognises the state of Palestine".

In a statement posted on his X account, Carney says:

"Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel."

Image source, Reuters

In Gaza City, Israeli tanks and troops are continuing to advance in a ground offensive that has forced thousands of people to flee.

Earlier, Israel's military said two projectiles were intercepted after being launched from northern Gaza. Sirens sounded in the areas of Lakhish and Ashdod - but no casualties have been reported.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also says one projectile was shot down by the air force while a "second fell in an open area".

The IDF launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 65,141 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

The Hamas-run ministry says another 435 people have so far died during the war as a result of malnutrition and starvation, including four between Friday and Saturday.

On 29 July, Keir Starmer announced that the UK would move towards a recognition of Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel adhered to certain conditions, which included:

• Taking "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza"
• Agreeing to a ceasefire
• And committing to a long-term, sustainable peace, that would revive the prospect of a two-state solution

The PM also said Israel must allow the UN to restart the supply of aid in Gaza and make clear that there would be no annexations in the occupied West Bank.

In the same speech, he told Hamas that his position was "unchanged and unequivocal", saying they must:

• Immediately release all the hostages
• Sign-up to a ceasefire
• Disarm and "accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza"

The prime minister said the timing was driven in part over concern that the possibility of a two-state solution was "reducing".

For context: Since the UK's announcement in July, Israel has launched a ground offensive on Gaza City, the UN-backed food security body has declared a famine is unfolding in parts of Gaza and a United Nations commission of inquiry has said Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Why Starmer is making a decision of this magnitude todaypublished at 13:23 BST 21 September

13:23 BST 21 September

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent, reporting from New York

Why is the UK recognising Palestinian statehood on Sunday, a day before France and a host of other European nations do likewise?

You might think the decision would have more impact if these countries made the announcement together, their leaders standing shoulder-to-shoulder at the United Nations in New York.

The answer lies in the fact that the Jewish New Year – known as Rosh Hashanah – begins on Monday evening and diplomats did not want to cause offense by announcing what will be to some a controversial decision just as many Israelis begin to mark a holy festival.

The French, having organised a special conference at the UN, decided to stick with Monday.

A more prosaic reason might be that Starmer will not be attending the UN general assembly this week and an announcement of this magnitude could not be left to either the Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, or Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, who will be representing Britain here instead.

Image source, Reuters

Today's announcement will make the UK the first G7 (Group of Seven) nation to officially recognise a Palestinian state.

The organisation, made up of the world's seven largest so-called "advanced" economies, dominate global trade and the international financial system.

France and Canada have also set out plans for Palestinian recognition, but are expected to do so formally at the UN General Assembly this week.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said in July that it had long been committed to a two-state solution as part of a negotiated peace process.

But citing the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, he said "this approach is no longer tenable".

In his own announcement in the same month, French President Emmanuel Macron said: "True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the State of Palestine."

"We must also guarantee the demilitarisation of Hamas, and secure and rebuild Gaza," Macron added.

The US, which has criticised its fellow G7 members' positions, has said it has "no plans" to follow their lead.

The remaining three G7 nations - Italy, Germany and Japan - have also not committed to recognition.

Image source, Getty Images

During his state visit to the UK last week, US President Donald Trump was asked about the prime minister's plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

“I have a disagreement with the prime minister on that score,” Trump said while taking questions from reporters during their joint press conference at Chequers.

“One of our few disagreements, actually.”

Instead, the US president stressed that he'd like to see Hamas release all the remaining hostages held in Gaza.

“We want it to end. We have to have the hostages back immediately. That’s what the people of Israel want,” Trump said.

This echoes what his vice-president said last month, when he stressed that the US has "no plans" to recognise a Palestinian state, citing "the lack of a functional government there".

Image source, Reuters

We haven't heard from Israel in the run-up to the UK's imminent announcement, but PM Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken previously on countries recognising a Palestinian state.

Last month, he wrote a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of "pouring fuel on this antisemitic fire".

"It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement," Netanyahu said - adding that "it rewards Hamas terror" and "hardens Hamas’s refusal to free the hostages".

Responding, the French government said: "These times demand seriousness and responsibility, not confusion and manipulation."

Netanyahu separately accused his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese of having "betrayed Israel" and "abandoned" Australia's Jewish community.

Australian Immigration Minister Tony Burke said Netanyahu was "lashing out" over Canberra's decision to join the UK, France and Canada in recognising a Palestinian state.

The expected move by Keir Starmer today has been met with fierce criticism from both the Israeli government and some of the families of Israeli hostages still held captive by Hamas in Gaza.

In an open letter published on Saturday, a group of 16 relatives of hostages taken on 7 October 2023 urged the prime minister not to go ahead with his plan to recognise a Palestinian state.

"Your regrettable announcement of the UK's intention to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly has dramatically complicated efforts to bring home our loved ones," it reads.

"Hamas has already celebrated the UK's decision as a victory and reneged on a ceasefire deal.

"We write to you with a simple plea - do not take this step until our loved ones are home and in our arms."

A reminder: There are 48 hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza, 20 of whom are thought to be alive.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey says his party "really welcomes" the government's plan to recognise a Palestinian state.

This is something that has been "needed to be done for years", he tells journalists, as "part of the peace process solution get a two-state solution".

Davey calls for the government to put pressure on US President Donald Trump, saying he is "the one person who can stop all this fighting, and get food into the Palestinians, and move towards a two-state solution, and get the hostages released".

Elsewhere, the BBC has also been speaking to the Lib Dems foreign affairs spokesperson, who says the move provides a "basis on which we can have a serious negotiation" towards a two-state solution.

Calum Miller adds that "this is no reward for Hamas", which he describes as a "terrible genocidal terrorist organisation".

Instead, he says "it is a recognition of the long-held rights of the Palestinian people".

Recognising a Palestinian state "is going to do nothing" to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza or free the hostages, shadow chancellor Mel Stride told the BBC this morning.

He emphasised that recognising a Palestinian state "is not applying any leverage or getting anything in return”.

"You make these moves when you can exercise some leverage," he says.

Instead, Stride accused Starmer of using the move as a means to navigate internal politics within his party, saying that Starmer is facing "pressure" from his own cabinet and backbenchers.

"That is not a good basis on which to conduct foreign policy."

We also heard from Husam Zomlot, who represents the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the UK, this morning.

He explained on Laura Kuenssberg's programme that "the wrongs of the past are beginning to be corrected” when he was asked what recognition of a Palestinian state would mean.

Zomlot also explained that the PA is committed to holding elections as soon as possible, adding that it's not currently possible given "road blocks, checkpoints and settler terrorism rampaging" in the West Bank.

He said that recognising a Palestinian state is "essential" and anyone that disagrees is looking backwards and not forwards.

As we just mentioned, a short while ago Starmer's deputy defended the UK's expected announcement to recognise a Palestinian state.

"Now is the time to stand up for a two-state solution," David Lammy said while speaking to the Laura Kuenssberg programme.

He acknowledged that the announcement won't necessarily change the situation on the ground significantly - "will this feed children? No it won't, that's down to humanitarian aid. Will this free hostages? That must be down to a ceasefire."

But this is an attempt to "hold out for" a two-state solution, he added.

When Lammy was asked if Hamas was being given a propaganda victory, he replied that there is a distinction between a proscribed terrorist group and the Palestinian people.

"What do we say to the children of a future Palestinian state? Do we say we have to wait for the perfect conditions before we can recognise a Palestinian state?" he asks.

He adds that the UK government has always said it believes in a homeland for the Jewish people, but we also believe in the civil and religious rights of the Palestinian people.

Image source, PA Media

Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce the UK's recognition of a Palestinian state later today, in what represents a major change of government policy.

Earlier this morning, we heard from Starmer's deputy prime minister, who acknowledged the decision would have little impact on the ground in Gaza but insisted it is the right time to make the move.

Both the Israeli and US governments say the UK's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood is a diplomatic gift for Hamas following its attack in southern Israel on 7 October 2023 in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Stay with us as we continue to build up to the prime minister's announcement later this afternoon, analyse what the decision means and hear from those in the region directly impacted by today's news.