by Lahav Harkov
The Australian government cited its belief that the status of Jerusalem should be resolved through peace negotiations.
Israel blasted Australia on Tuesday and summoned the country's ambassador for a reprimand after Canberra reversed its recognition of western Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who also serves as foreign minister, called the decision "a hasty response to an incorrect report in the media," and expressed "hope that the Australian government manages other matters more seriously and professionally."
"Jerusalem is the eternal and united capital of Israel and nothing will change that," Lapid said.
The Foreign Ministry also summoned Australian Ambassador Paul Griffiths to Jerusalem for a reprimand following Canberra's zigzag on the capital.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong speaks during a news conference
on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly at UN
headquarters in New York City, New York, US, September 20, 2022.
(credit: REUTERS/BRENDAN MCDERMID)The capital of Israel is all of Jerusalem, not just the western part of the city, though that is where the Knesset, Supreme Court, and several government ministries are located. Australia and Russia were among the countries that only recognized western Jerusalem as the capital, but did not open embassies in the city. In recent years, the US, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo opened embassies in Jerusalem.
"Jerusalem is the eternal and united capital of Israel and nothing will change that."
Prime Minister Yair Lapid
The decision was announced by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who said that “Jerusalem is a final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations… This reverses the Morrison Government’s recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”
Wong, however, said the decision "recommits Australia to international efforts in the responsible pursuit of progress towards a just and enduring two-state solution.”
The 2018 recognition of Jerusalem by previous prime minister Scott Morrison "put Australia out of step with the majority of the international community,” Wong said. “I regret that Mr. Morrison’s decision to play politics resulted in Australia’s shifting position, and the distress these shifts have caused to many people in the Australian community who care deeply about this issue.”
Australian Jewry 'extremely disappointed'
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said it was "extremely disappointed" in the decision to reverse recognition of western Jerusalem, saying the decision was made "in a conspicuously opaque manner," in contrast with the new government's stated commitment to greater transparency.
"The timing of this morning's cabinet decision was clearly media driven," the ECAJ said. "The status of Jerusalem is an important foreign policy issue and it is demeaning for Australia to have its international position changed in such a shoddy manner... [It is] a gratuitous insult to a key economic and strategic ally, with no countervailing benefit for Australians. This is no way to treat an ally whose intelligence-sharing with Australia has prevented at least one terrorist attack against Australians that we know of."
In addition, the council said that "the decision panders to the most extreme elements of the Labor Party and will also serve as a disincentive for the Palestinians to return to negotiations."
The Zionist Federation of Australia also said that it was disappointed with the government’s reversal.
“The decision by the Albanese Government to reverse Australia’s recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is deeply disappointing and counterproductive to achieving the Government’s objective of a two-state solution," said ZFA President Jeremy Leibler. "Every other sovereign country is allowed to determine the location of its capital. Israel should be treated no differently. When the previous government recognized West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, it was recognizing the reality on the ground – something that every Australian Government in effect acknowledges when they visit the prime minister of Israel and the Knesset in Jerusalem."
Canberra's U-turn
The media report that Canberra denied and then confirmed within a day was in The Guardian, which pointed out on Monday that The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) deleted two sentences from its website pertaining to the status of Jerusalem.
President Rivlin with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (credit: KOBY GIDEON/GPO)Previously, the website said: “Consistent with this longstanding policy, in December 2018, Australia recognized West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, being the seat of the Knesset and many of the institutions of the Israeli government. Australia looks forward to moving its embassy to West Jerusalem when practical, in support of, and after the final status determination of, a two-state solution.”
Australia's current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese entered office in May the first from the Labor Party in nine years. Albanese is a self-declared critic of Israel, who has called Israel an "oppressor" that collectively punishes Palestinians. His party platform proposed to have Australia recognize a Palestinian state.
Lahav Harkov
Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/article-719854
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