Israel blasted Australia for reversing its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, with Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday sharply condemning the decision.
“Jerusalem is the eternal and united capital of Israel, and nothing will ever change that,” the prime minister said in a statement released by his office.
“Today the government has reaffirmed Australia’s previous and long-standing position that Jerusalem is a final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement.
“This reverses the Morrison government’s recognition of west Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” the statement said.
Morrison’s Liberal Party-led coalition government lost a national election in May, returning a Labor government for the first time in nine years.
Wong reiterated that Australia’s embassy would remain in Tel Aviv and that Canberra was committed to a two-state solution “in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist, in peace and security, within internationally recognized borders.”
She added: “We will not support an approach that undermines this prospect.”
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Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Yair Lapid
(Photo: AP, Shutterstock, AFP)
Israel’s Foreign Ministry summoned Australia’s ambassador for a reprimand after Canberra made the announcement.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh hailed the decision, calling it “wise” and “courageous.”
“We welcome the Australian government’s decision to reverse its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, to affirm its commitment to the two-state solution, and to reject any attempts to undermine this solution,” he said.
Oded Eran, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, said that, despite official Israeli outrage following the announcement, it will have “almost zero impact” on bilateral relations.
“Israel maintains excellent relations with Australia. The interests of the two countries dictates their relations,” Eran said, adding that this hiccup between the two countries “will have a short-lived impact on ties.”
Eran, who had a long career in Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in other government positions, described Canberra’s move as “strange,” saying that “capitals are important and every country wants to preserve the simple fact that its government and institutions are located in it, but beyond that it’s a decision of every country to decide what its capital is and where it is located.”
Ghassan Khatib, professor of contemporary Arab studies and international studies at Birzeit University, located in the West Bank, said that Palestinians are “happy” with the decision.
“First of all, I think this is a very positive development and, second, instigated by internal political changes in Australia, the previous conservative government was allied with the former conservative American government and (former U.S. President Donald) Trump, and was influenced by the Trump administration’s approach to this issue,” he explained.
The story is written by Mohammad Al-Kassim and reprinted with permission from The Media Line