Australia on Tuesday reversed the previous government’s recognition of west Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and said the issue should be resolved as part of peace talks between Israel and Palestine.
“Australia is committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist, in peace and security, within internationally recognised borders,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said during a media briefing.
“We will not support an approach that undermines this prospect.”
In 2018, the conservative coalition government led by Scott Morrison formally recognised west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, reversing decades of Middle East policy. Morrison’s decision to recognise west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital followed US president Donald Trump’s administration in naming West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, has slammed the decision on Twitter stating that””Jerusalem is the eternal and united capital of Israel and nothing will ever change that.” Australia’s ambassador to Israel has reportedly been summoned to a reprimand at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Image Credit: Josh Appel on Unsplash
