Britain, Australia, and Canada on Sunday recognized a Palestinian state in a coordinated shift from decades of Western foreign policy favoring Israel's brutal oppression of Palestinians.

Portugal was also set to recognize Palestinian statehood later Sunday, as Israel comes under huge international pressure over its war crimes and atrocities in Gaza, recognized by a growing number of independent bodies as genocide.

"Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognizes the State of Palestine," UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post on X.

The three countries became the first members of the Group of Seven advanced economies to take the step, with France and other nations expected to follow at the annual UN General Assembly which opens Monday in New York.

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"Canada recognizes the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wrote on X.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Canberra's move "recognizes the legitimate and long held aspirations of the people of Palestine to a state of their own".

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas hailed Sunday's recognition as "an important and necessary step toward achieving a just and lasting peace in accordance with international legitimacy."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, slammed the move as "absurd" and said it would "endanger" Israel's existence.

It was a watershed moment for Palestinians and their ambitions for statehood, with the most powerful Western nations having long argued it should only come as part of a negotiated peace deal with Israel.

Although a largely symbolic move – and at odds with all three states' continued military and economic support for Israel's devastation of Gaza – it puts those countries at odds with the US.

President Donald Trump said last week after talks with Starmer during a state visit to the UK that "one of our few disagreements" was over Palestinian statehood.

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Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy acknowledged at the UN in July that "Britain bears a special burden of responsibility to support the two-state solution".

The UK was pivotal in laying the groundwork for the creation of the State of Israel through the 1917 Balfour Declaration and decades of colonialist rule over the people of Palestine.

Three-quarters of UN members already recognize Palestinian statehood, with more than 140 of the 193 nations having taken the step.

Starmer said on Sunday that Britain was acting "in the face of the growing horror in the Middle East".

The Labour leader renewed calls for a ceasefire and again demanded that the Palestinian militants release the hostages seized in their 2023 attack on Israel.

Still, Starmer branded Hamas a "brutal terror organization" and confirmed plans to step up sanctions on the group.

The prime minister has also led a brutal crackdown on freedom of speech and opinion in Britain in response to a growing Palestine solidarity movement – as have the governments of Canada and Australia.

Head of the Palestine Mission to the UK Husam Zomlot celebrated the news, calling it long overdue, while Netanyahu vowed there would never be a Palestinian state and promised to complete the illegal annexation of the West Bank.