Israel summons Australia's ambassador after Canberra ends recognition of West Jerusalem as capital

Australia said it would no longer recognise West Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Tuesday, a policy reversal that prompted a curt Israeli rebuke but was cheered by Palestinians.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the city's status should be decided by Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, unwinding a contentious decision by the previous conservative government.

The political director of the Israeli foreign ministry, Aliza Bin Noun, summoned Australia's ambassador Paul Griffiths on Tuesday to express her country's "deep disappointment" and to protest Canberra's "surprising decision".

Bin Noun told Griffiths that the move would encourage extremism and jeopardise regional stability, a foreign ministry statement said.

In 2018, Australia's then-prime minister Scott Morrison followed US president Donald Trump's lead in unilaterally recognising West Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

The move caused a domestic backlash in Australia and friction with neighbouring Indonesia – the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation – temporarily derailing a bilateral free trade deal.

"I know this has caused conflict and distress in part of the Australian community, and today the government seeks to resolve that," Wong said.

The status of Jerusalem is a centrepiece of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel conquered East Jerusalem following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and illegally annexed it in 1980 in a move rejected by the international community.

It has declared the entire city its "eternal and indivisible capital".

Palestinians view the city's eastern sector as the capital of their future independent state.

Most foreign governments avoid putting embassies in Jerusalem to avoid prejudging the outcome of negotiations for a lasting peace.

"We will not support an approach that undermines" a two-state solution, Wong said, adding: "Australia's embassy has always been, and remains, in Tel Aviv".

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid criticised Tuesday's move – which comes as he prepares to face a 1 November general election.

"We can only hope that the Australian government manages other matters more seriously and professionally," he said.

'Steadfast friend' to Israel

The Palestinian Authority's civil affairs minister, Hussein Al-Sheikh, welcomed the move by Canberra as an "affirmation" that Jerusalem's status depends on the outcome of negotiations.

Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, called it "a step in the right direction".

Indonesia also welcomed the decision.

"This policy would hopefully contribute positively to Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations," the foreign ministry in Jakarta said.

Wong insisted that the decision – which has limited practical impact – did not signal any broader shift in policy or hostility towards Israel.

"Australia will always be a steadfast friend of Israel. We were amongst the first countries to formally recognise Israel," she said.

While Israel illegally annexed Jerusalem in 1980 in a move rejected by the international community, Palestinians view East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state 👇https://t.co/mhjxO3Qtv8

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) October 18, 2022

"We will not waver in our support of Israel and the Jewish community in Australia. We are equally unwavering in our support of the Palestinian people, including humanitarian support."

Symbolism

The centre-left Labour party, with Anthony Albanese as prime minister and Wong as foreign minister, came to power in May 2022 after strongly opposing the previous government's Jerusalem policy.

Wong accused the Morrison government of making the Jerusalem decision to influence a byelection in a Sydney suburb with a sizeable Jewish community.

"You know what this was? This was a cynical play, unsuccessful, to win the seat of Wentworth and a byelection," she said.

The United States, now led by President Joe Biden, declined to weigh in on the Australian decision but reiterated that it was not reversing Trump's Jerusalem move.

"The US position is that our embassy will remain in Jerusalem, which we recognise as Israel's capital," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said in Washington.

Canberra's shift was foreshadowed by the removal of language about the Israeli capital from the website of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Although Australia is not a major player in peace talks, Ran Porat, a historian and researcher at Melbourne's Monash University, said the move was significant.

"In the Middle East in general, symbolism is very much at the centre of many conflicts. Symbolism is not negligible, it's not unimportant."

Porat added that the move could be seized on by Israel's opposition Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, as evidence of the government's failings ahead of next month's election.

Netanyahu tweeted on Tuesday that it was "no surprise" Australia made the decision while Lapid was in power, condemning the premier for supporting Palestinian statehood in an address to the UN General Assembly last month.