The UK, Portugal, Canada, and Australia announced on Sunday their official recognition of the State of Palestine in a landmark shift in foreign policy.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the step aims to keep the two-state solution viable amid “mounting horror in the Middle East.”

Britain’s recognition comes more than a century after the Balfour Declaration and 77 years after the creation of the Zionist entity under the British mandate in Palestine.

France is expected to announce its recognition on Monday, coinciding with the planned release of hostages in Gaza to pave the way for opening a French embassy in occupied Palestine.