Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has slammed Australia as “shameful” for a decision he was certain it would make – recognising a Palestinian state.

Speaking to world media overnight, Netanyahu assumed such an outcome in Canberra – that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the federal cabinet would choose to recognise Palestinian statehood before joining other countries in voting for this position at the United Nations next month.

Anthony Albanese and his cabinet have chosen to recognise Palestinian statehood.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

And his sharp and emotive jab at Australia during the press conference in Jerusalem did nothing to stop it happening.

Netanyahu knew where Albanese was heading – because Albanese had told him last Thursday and Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed this in a call with the Israeli foreign minister on Sunday. So the Israeli prime minister made no attempt to be diplomatic in urging Albanese to take a different path. Instead, he delivered a slap-down.

The context is important. The Israeli leader made his remarks after taking a question from ABC correspondent Matt Doran about calls from Western leaders to recognise a Palestinian state. Netanyahu was pointed about how people in Sydney and Melbourne would feel if they came under attack from terrorists such as Hamas.

“I think we’re actually applying force........

© The Age