Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Monday that Australia will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

“Australia will recognize the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own predicated on the commitments Australia has received from the Palestinian Authority,” Albanese said at a press conference in Canberra.

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Those commitments from the Palestinian Authority included Hamas having no future role in a potential Palestinian state and government reform, among others. The authority also reaffirmed Israel’s right to exist in peace and security, Albanese noted.

Albanese was joined by his foreign minister, Penny Wong, who revealed that she spoke to her U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ahead of the announcement as a “matter of diplomatic courtesy.”

According to a State Department statement released late Sunday night, the pair discussed issues in the Indo-Pacific and Middle East, as well as “global efforts to combat antisemitism.”

“Secretary [Rubio] also underscored the importance of the U.S.-Australia alliance for upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the statement added.

The decision is unsurprising for the Indo-Pacific country, as Albanese was already “actively considering” the decision over the weekend, previously telling reporters on Saturday it’s a “matter of when, not if.”

But it does mean that they have joined a now-growing list of countries announcing the move ahead of the September meeting of the UN General Assembly. 

Some of those countries include France, Canada, and the United Kingdom, though the U.K.’s recognition is contingent on Israel failing to take steps to end the war in Gaza.

The Israeli military campaign is only intensifying, however.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a new offensive with the goal of controlling Gaza City and removing Hamas terrorists from the area.

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On Sunday, he announced the acceleration of that plan, which will take up to five months.

The United States has made clear its opposition to a potential Palestinian state, with Vice President JD Vance reiterating that stance while in the U.K. over the weekend, saying the country has “no plans” to recognize it.