Australia announced on Tuesday that it would no longer recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel, reversing a decision taken by the previous Conservative government.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the issue of Jerusalem's status should be resolved through peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people and not through unilateral decisions.
"
We will not support an approach that undermines that prospect
," she said, adding that "
the Australian Embassy has always been, and remains, in Tel Aviv
."
The previous Conservative government of Scott Morrison came under heavy criticism when, in 2018, it announced that it was recognizing West Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
He made the announcement on the heels of a similar decision by US President Donald Trump.
“Conflicts and disarray”
It had also caused consternation in neighboring Indonesia - the country with the most Muslims in the world - temporarily derailing a free trade deal.
“
I know this has caused strife and dismay within part of the Australian community, and today the government is looking to resolve this
,” Penny Wong said on Tuesday.
She accused her predecessor's government of taking the decision at the time to try to win a crucial by-election in a Sydney suburb with a large Jewish community.
“
Do you know what it was?
It was a cynical, unsuccessful game to win Wentworth's seat and a by-election
”.
The centre-left Labor Party has been in power since May.
Penny Wong insisted that this decision is not a sign of hostility towards Israel.
“
Australia will always be an unwavering friend of Israel.
We were among the first countries to officially recognize Israel
.”
“
We will not waver in our support for Israel and the Jewish community in Australia.
We are also unwavering in our support for the Palestinian people, including our humanitarian support,
” the minister said.
“Eternal” and “indivisible” capital
The Jewish state seized East Jerusalem in 1967, annexed it and considers the entire city its “
eternal
” and “
indivisible
” capital.
The Palestinians want to make East Jerusalem the capital of the state to which they aspire.
Canberra's decision should come as no surprise to the Israeli government, however.
This reversal was preceded a few days ago by the withdrawal of a press release appearing on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on West Jerusalem, capital of Israel.
But for Ran Porat, a historian and researcher at Monash University in Melbourne, it could cause unease even if Australia is not a major player in the peace talks.
“
In the Middle East in general, symbolism is very present in the many conflicts.
The symbolism is not negligible, it is not without importance
”.
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The Likud, the Israeli opposition party led by ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could seize on this decision as proof of one of the failures of the current government in the run-up to the November 1 elections.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid will be disappointed, Ran Porat added, but the answer "
has to be somewhere between disagreeing and not spoiling relations with Canberra
".