Australia revokes recognition of West Jerusalem as Israeli capital. This was announced by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong in Canberra. The status of Jerusalem should be decided as part of the peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Australian embassy has always been in Tel Aviv and will remain there, the statement said. Australia stands by a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist “in peace and security.”
The new government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is changing the course of his predecessor Scott Morrison. In December 2018, he recognized West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, but left the embassy in Tel Aviv. In addition, he had pledged to recognize a future Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital – if a permanent two-state solution was achieved. Palestinian representatives had sharply criticized the decision at the time. Israel’s Foreign Ministry had spoken of “a step in the right direction”.
Earlier in 2017, under then-President Donald Trump, the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The relocation of the US embassy was a historic step for the Israelis and an affront for the Palestinians. Israel conquered eastern Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War.
