Albanese made his remark a day after announcing Australia may recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations general Assembly in September, following France, Britain and Canada. Netanyahu has said this would serve as a reward for Hamas' October 7 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the Gaza war.

Australia’s leading Jewish organisation has issued a rare public rebuke of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Anthony Albanese, as strained relations between the two countries worsened overnight.