Australia recognizes West Jerusalem as Israel's capital: PM Morrison
Australia formally recognizes West Jerusalem as
Israel’s capital, reversing decades of Middle East policy, but will not move
its embassy there immediately, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Saturday.
“Australia now recognizes West Jerusalem, being
the seat of the Knesset and many of the institutions of government, is the
capital of Israel,” Morrison said.
“We look forward to moving our embassy to West
Jerusalem when practical,” he told reporters in Sydney.
Morrison said in October he was open to shifting
Australia’s embassy from Tel Aviv. President Donald Trump’s decision to move
the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in May delighted Israel, infuriated
Palestinians and upset the wider Arab world and Western allies.
Morrison’s unexpected announcement in October was
viewed cynically because it came days before a crucial by-election in an
electorate with a strong Jewish representation, a poll his party subsequently
lost.
It also drew criticism from Muslim-majority
neighbors such as Indonesia and Malaysia, neither of whom formally recognize
Israel’s right to exist. Arab countries worried that the move would
unnecessarily inflame tensions in the Middle East.
Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital,
including the eastern sector that it annexed after the 1967 Middle East war,
and wants all embassies based there. The international community believes
Jerusalem’s status should be resolved through negotiation.
The status of Jerusalem, home to sites holy to the
Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths, is one of the biggest obstacles to a peace
agreement between Israel and Palestinians who want East Jerusalem recognized as
the capital of a Palestinian state.
Morrison said Australia would not move its embassy
to West Jerusalem until the city’s final status was determined, but said trade
and defense offices would be opened there.
He confirmed Australia’s support for a two-state
solution with a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem.
“What we are saying is we’ve got to move this
forward. The rancid stalemate has to be broken,” he said.
