Australia on Tuesday reversed its 2018 decision to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. File Photo by Debbie Hill/UPI |
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Oct. 18 (UPI) -- In a reversal of a controversial move by the previous Morrison government, Australia on Tuesday said it will no longer recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, sparking criticism from the Middle Eastern country.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the reversal during a press conference, saying Canberra is committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist and it "will not support an approach that undermines this prospect."
By reversing its recognition of West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, Australia was reaffirming its previous and longstanding position that Jerusalem is "a final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people," Wong said.
Australia officially announced its recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in late 2018 in the wake of the United States opening an embassy in the city that May. A year prior, then-U.S. President Donald Trump had announced that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Wong called former Prime Minister Scott Morrison's decision concerning West Jerusalem a "cynical play" to win over Jewish voters in an electoral vote.
"I think we all know and we saw some of it publicly that the 2018 decision put Australia out of step with the majority of the international community and it was received with great concern by members of the international community," she said.
In a brief statement, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid rebuked Australia for the reversal, calling it "hasty."
"In light of the way this decision was made in Australia ... we can only hope that the Australian government manages other matters more seriously and professional," he said. "Jerusalem is the eternal and united capital of Israel and nothing will ever change that."
To Australia's roughly 100,000 Jewish residents and citizens, Wong said Canberra "will always be a steadfast friend of Israel" and its support for both Israel and Australia's Jewish community will not waver.
Following the announcement, Sen. Jordon Steele-John, a member of the Australian Greens party, said he welcomed the move but it didn't go far enough.
"The Australian government must recognize the self-determination and statehood of Palestinians and push to ensure an end to the Israeli occupation," he tweeted.
