Australia announced on Tuesday that it was renouncing recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, reversing a decision taken by the previous Conservative government and drawing Israeli criticism but Palestinian praise.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the question of the status of Jerusalem should be resolved through peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people and not through unilateral decisions.
“We will not support an approach that undermines that prospect,” she said, adding that “the Australian Embassy has always been, and remains, in Tel Aviv.”
The Jewish state seized the eastern part of Jerusalem in 1967, annexed it and since then considers the whole city as its “eternal” and “indivisible” capital, while the Palestinians want to make East Jerusalem the capital of the state to which they aspire.
For the UN, the status of Jerusalem must be the subject of an agreement between Israelis and Palestinians and, in the meantime, the countries must not establish their diplomatic representation there with Israel.
Only four states have established their embassies in Jerusalem: the United States, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called the Australian decision a “hasty response to erroneous press information,” without specifying what “erroneous” information he was referring to.
“We can only wish the Australian government that it handles its other files in a more serious and professional manner,” he added, while Israeli Foreign Affairs summoned the Australian ambassador during the day.
“Steadfast Friend”
Ms. Wong insisted that this decision is not a sign of hostility towards Israel.
“Australia will always be an unwavering friend of Israel. We were among the first countries to officially recognize Israel.”
“We will not waver in our support for Israel and the Jewish community in Australia. We are also unwavering in our support for the Palestinian people, including our humanitarian support,” the minister said.
The Palestinian Authority welcomed this turnaround, hailing Canberra’s commitment that “Jerusalem’s future sovereignty depends on a permanent solution based on international legitimacy”, wrote on Twitter the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Civil Affairs, Hussein al-Sheikh.
Hamas, an Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip, spoke of a “measure […] going in the right direction for international security and stability”.
Australia’s previous Conservative government of Scott Morrison came under heavy criticism when, in 2018, it announced that it would recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He made the announcement on the heels of a similar decision by former US President Donald Trump.
It had also caused consternation in neighboring Indonesia — the country with the most Muslims in the world — temporarily derailing a free trade deal.
“I know this has caused strife and disarray within part of the Australian community, and today the government is looking to resolve this,” Ms Wong said on Tuesday.
She accused the previous government of taking the decision at the time to try to win a crucial by-election in a Sydney suburb with a large Jewish community.
“Do you know what it was? It was a cynical, unsuccessful game to win Wentworth’s seat and a by-election”.
The centre-left Labor Party has been in power since May.
Balance
Canberra’s decision should not come as a total surprise to the Israeli government, however.
It was preceded a few days ago by the withdrawal of a press release appearing on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on West Jerusalem, capital of Israel.
But for Ran Porat, a historian and researcher at Monash University in Melbourne, it could cause unease even if Australia is not a major player in the peace talks.
According to him, the Likud, the Israeli opposition party led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could seize on this decision as proof of one of the failures of the current government in the approach of the laws of November 1.
Mr Lapid’s response, probably disappointed, “has to be somewhere between disagreeing and not spoiling relations with Canberra”, Mr Porat added.