Israel fears Australia would recognize a Palestinian state after Canberra revoked recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Tuesday.
Australia said that it will no longer recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and will instead return to recognizing Tel Aviv.
The announcement by Australia’s center-left Labor government overturned a 2018 decision by the previous Conservative government.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid rejected the decision and the Foreign Ministry summoned the Australian ambassador for a meeting and told him the move was a “miserable decision”.
An Israeli official linked the harsh response to Israel’s concerns that the left-wing Australian government might follow suit by recognizing a Palestinian state.
He also said Israel was caught off guard by Australia’s announcement.
The official did not address concerns that Canberra might recognize a Palestinian state, but a separate report from a news site mentioned the now-ruling Labor Party’s endorsement of a commitment to that effect in 2018.
A senior official also criticized Australia’s handling of the announcement, saying it violated “all diplomatic protocols anyone has ever heard of.”
The official said that Australia had not issued any warnings to Israel prior to the announcement, claiming the Australian ambassador to Israel was not even aware of the move in advance.
In addition to its pledge to recognize a Palestinian state, Australia’s center-left Labor Party also pledged to rescind then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Labor’s Penny Wong, which now acts as Australia’s foreign office, had argued the move was “all risk and no gain” and had put Australia “out of step” with the international community.
Wong’s announced the West Jerusalem reversal on Tuesday in response to a media report on the matter. She said the status of Jerusalem should be decided through peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, not unilateral decisions.
Lapid called the announcement “a hasty response to fake news in the media.“We can only hope that the Australian government will take other issues more seriously and with more professionalism,” Lapid said. “Jerusalem is the eternal capital of united Israel and nothing can ever change it.”
The State Department, which Lapid also heads, said Israel “expresses its deep disappointment” at the decision, calling it the result of “shortsighted political considerations.” The ministry said the government is considering further measures in response.
Wong previously denied on Tuesday that any policy changes had been made, but hours later he said a conservative government’s decision four years ago “caused conflict and suffering in the part of the Australian community, and today the government is trying to resolve it.”.
Wong accused Morrison’s government of being motivated by a crucial by-election in a Sydney beach suburb with a sizable Jewish community. “Do you know what this was? This was a cynical, unsuccessful game to win Wentworth’s seat and a by-election, “he said.
Wong argued that the current decision was not a sign of hostility towards Israel. We are equally unwavering in our support for the Palestinian people, including humanitarian assistance.
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Canberra’s decision came amid confusion after Britain’s The Guardian newspaper reported on Monday that Australia’s Foreign Office had removed text from its website about recognizing West Jerusalem.
The deleted text described “West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel” and noted that Australia “looks forward to moving its embassy to West Jerusalem when possible, in support of and following the final establishment of dual status.” states”.
Morrison’s 2018 decision was met with
a lukewarm reception in Israel at the time, with many politicians arguing the move didn’t go far enough, as they failed to recognize the entire city as the capital of the Jewish state and preserve the Australian embassy in Tel Aviv.
The year before, the United States under then-President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and later moved the American embassy there.
Both Israel and the Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital. Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a way never recognized by the international community. For decades, the international community has insisted that the city’s status be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians.
Critics argue that declaring Jerusalem the capital of both will fuel tensions and undermine the outcome of the final state peace talks.
