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Foreign Minister Penny Wong says authorities ‘regrets’ determination made by erstwhile medication and reiterates committedness to two-state solution.
Published On 18 Oct 2022
Australia says it volition nary longer recognise West Jerusalem arsenic the superior of Israel, reversing a determination taken by the authorities of erstwhile Prime Minister Scott Morrison successful 2018.
“Today the Government has reaffirmed Australia’s erstwhile and longstanding presumption that Jerusalem is simply a last presumption contented that should beryllium resolved arsenic portion of immoderate bid negotiations betwixt Israel and the Palestinian people,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong said successful a statement.
“This reverses the Morrison Government’s designation of West Jerusalem arsenic the superior of Israel.”
Wong reiterated that Australia’s embassy would stay successful Tel Aviv and that Canberra was committed to a two-state solution “in which Israel and a aboriginal Palestinian authorities coexist, successful bid and security, wrong internationally recognised borders”.
She added: “We volition not enactment an attack that undermines this prospect.”
The presumption of Jerusalem is 1 of the biggest sticking points successful attempts to scope a bid woody betwixt Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel regards the full city, including the eastbound assemblage it annexed aft the 1967 Middle East war, arsenic its superior portion Palestinian officials, with wide planetary backing, privation occupied East Jerusalem arsenic the superior of a aboriginal authorities they anticipation to found successful the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Authority hails the move
The Palestinian Authority hailed Australia’s determination that volition apt bring the Israeli-Palestinian contented into spotlight.
“We welcome Australia’s determination with regards to Jerusalem & its telephone for a two-state solution successful accordance with planetary legitimacy,” the Palestinian Authority’s civilian affairs minister, Hussein al-Sheikh, said connected Twitter.
Sheikh hailed Australia’s “affirmation that the aboriginal of sovereignty implicit Jerusalem depends connected the imperishable solution based connected planetary legitimacy”.
Shahram Akbarzadeh from Deakin University said that the Australia’s determination volition revive the planetary statement connected the presumption of Jerusalem.
“Australia was diverging from that statement but present it’s coming backmost to it.
“It volition decidedly bring the issue, the Palestinian-Israeli quality and the aboriginal of a two-state solution into spotlight,” helium told Al Jazeera from Melbourne, adding that the planetary assemblage has a large work to code this long-standing problem.
“There is an planetary statement that the presumption of Jerusalem should beryllium handled, decided arsenic portion of a larger dialog connected the aboriginal of the 2 states wrong Israel and Palestine. They cannot beryllium divorced from that matter.”
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid connected Tuesday sharply criticised Australia’s decision.
Lapid described the determination arsenic a “hasty response”, adding: “We tin lone anticipation that the Australian authorities manages different matters much earnestly and professionally.
“Jerusalem is the eternal and agreed superior of Israel and thing volition ever alteration that,” the premier curate besides said successful a connection released by his office.
The Israeli overseas ministry said it had summoned the Australian ambassador to lodge a ceremonial protest.
Former Australian Prime Minister Morrison announced his blimpish authorities would recognise West Jerusalem arsenic Israel’s superior aft the United States went backmost connected decades of argumentation by recognising the metropolis and moving the US embassy determination from Tel Aviv.
The Australian determination was wide criticised by pro-Palestinian groups arsenic good arsenic by the Labor party, which was past successful absorption and promised to reverse the determination if it was elected.
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