Australia Cancels Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital
Sydney, MINA – Australia Government announced it would no longer recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, reversing a controversial decision by the previous conservative government.
“Jerusalem is a final status issue to be resolved as part of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement on Tuesday.
In a report by the Guardian newspaper, it was revealed that the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) removed two sentences from its website in recent days declaring the move, indicating its decision to withdraw it tacitly.
The two omitted sentences state: “Consistent with this long-standing policy, in December 2018, Australia recognized West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, being the seat of the Knesset and many Israeli government agencies.”
Then another sentence was, “Australia hopes to move its embassy to West Jerusalem when practical, in support of, and after final status determination, a two-state solution.”
The Australian government appears to have backtracked on its decision to recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, four years after its initial announcement that it would move its embassy to the city.
The initial decision to recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was made by former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2018, a year after the United States and then-President Donald Trump first announced his recognition and called on other countries to follow suit.
The Australian Labor government – elected this Summer – guaranteed that it would reverse Morrison’s move amid other policies from him, but that was reportedly not acted upon until the Guardian asked DFAT for information on the matter.
According to a DFAT spokesman, quoted by the newspaper, the Australian government regards Jerusalem’s status as an issue that must be resolved as part of any peace negotiations. (T/RE1)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
