Australia reverses recognition of W Jerusalem as Israeli capital

Tiffanie Turnbull - BBC News, Sydney
Tue, October 18, 2022, 2:52 AM·2 min read

The status of Jerusalem is a contentious issue
Australia has reversed a decision made four years ago to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Canberra's decision in 2018 had undermined peace and put Australia out of step with other nations, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
She stressed that Australia remained a "steadfast friend" to Israel. Its embassy will stay in Tel Aviv.
The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contested issues between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel Prime Minister Yair Lapid said: "In light of the way in which this decision was made in Australia, as a hasty response to an incorrect report in the media, we can only hope that the Australian government manages other matters more seriously and professionally.
"Jerusalem is the eternal and united capital of Israel and nothing will ever change that."
Former US President Donald Trump drew international criticism in 2017 when he reversed decades of American foreign policy by recognising the ancient city as Israel's capital. The US embassy was relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018.
Months later, Australia's then Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced his government would follow suit.
At the time, Mr Morrison said Australia would recognise West Jerusalem immediately but not move its embassy from Tel Aviv until a peace settlement was achieved.

• Palestinian anger at possible UK embassy move
• Why Trump and Jerusalem was not about peace
• The Israel-Palestinian conflict explained

Mr Morrison's government lost power in an election in May this year.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the former government's decision a "cynical play" to win over Jewish voters ahead of an election in Australia.
"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," she said.
She reaffirmed the country's "previous and longstanding" position that the status of Jerusalem should be resolved as part of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people.
The UK is currently considering moving its embassy to Jerusalem. Honduras, Guatemala and Kosovo are the only places other than the US with embassies in the city.
While Israel regards Jerusalem as its "eternal and undivided" capital, the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem - occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war - as the capital of a future state.
The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognised internationally, and according to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks.

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Amazing decision from Australia

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Australia reverses decision to recognise West Jerusalem as Israeli capital

Canberra will no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital, four years after changing its stance.

ca.news.yahoo.com

 

[Abu Shaleh Rumi]

People babbling about Israel stealing land should think in Aussies white people stole a whole continent to native people.

Yah, whites are pathological lunatic race. Jews are even worse...

 

[hussain0216]

This is pretty stupid and Australia is acting like banana republic. Whether or not it was the right decision in the first place, governments that come into power are supposed to respect the decision of the previous govt in such matters. What if there is a government change again and the new govt again shifts its stance, this can go on and on


They did it due to backlash from rich gulf states, not you, Indonesia doesn't matter at all, like not even a bit

It's never too late to correct a decision, the Australians made a mistake and they fixed it

But it can

Not really, the cracks in Israel and it's supporters are starting to appear, it's only a matter of time now

 

[Indos]

They did it due to backlash from rich gulf states, not you, Indonesia doesn't matter at all, like not even a bit

The first foreign state visit of any new Australian PM is always to Indonesia.

Go learn Geopolitics and our region first before commenting kid

 

[RealDeal]

The first foreign state visit of any new Australian PM is always to Indonesia.

Go learn Geopolitics and our region first before commenting kid

Lmao still mad that i said that your indonesian plane is going to be a disastrous failure, so you are resorting to lame attacks . Fool Indian PM visits Nepal/BD first always doesn't mean that we will shift our foreign policy for them, it doesn't mean anything. Australia - Indonesia trade is barely anything, they don't give 2 beeps what you think they are a firm western ally. The only thing that swayed them in this matter was rich gulf countries, not your broke ***.

 

[Indos]

Lmao still mad that i said that your indonesian plane is going to be a disastrous failure, so you are resorting to lame attacks . Fool Indian PM visits Nepal/BD first always doesn't mean that we will shift our foreign policy for them, it doesn't mean anything. Australia - Indonesia trade is barely anything, they don't give 2 beeps what you think they are a firm western ally. The only thing that swayed them in this matter was rich gulf countries, not your broke ***.

Only the one that badly hurt is you, not me. That loughing emoticon and your first tagging me and your comment shows that.

You ridicule my country, and I ridicule you....nothing related to previous conversation.

LOL that Saras thread in Indian Defense Forum...My respond make you spechless and you only can use loughing emoticon like how a kid reach. If some one is mad, it must be you. Any one can see that thread in Indian forum.