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Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed on Tuesday that Canberra had withdrawn its recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
“Jerusalem is a final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace talks between the Israeli and Palestinian people,” Huang said in a statement.
Wang held a media briefing shortly after his statement, saying Australia was committed to a two-state solution in which “Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist in peace and security within internationally recognized borders”.
She said Australia would not support a prospect-destroying approach, adding: “The Australian embassy has been and remains in Tel Aviv.”
Huang also said Canberra would always be “a steadfast friend of Israel”, and went on to say they were “the first country to officially recognize Israel”.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has announced the reversal of the Morrison government’s decision to recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
She said it was “cynicism” by the former prime minister during the 2018 Wentworth by-election @abcnews
#auspol pic.twitter.com/Kh4iW4mo2o— Matthew Doran (@MattDoran91) October 18, 2022
“We will not waver in our support for Israel and the Australian Jewish community. We are equally unwavering in our support for the Palestinian people, including humanitarian support,” she added.
Australia recognizes West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2018
In 2018, the coalition government led by the Conservative Party [former Prime Minister] Scott Morrison has officially recognised West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, reversing decades of policy.
Australia has become the third country after the United States and Guatemala to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
But unlike other countries, Australia only recognises the west of the disputed city.
When former U.S. President Donald Trump announced in 2017 his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and plans to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he did not distinguish between east and west of the city.
Scott Morrison said at the time that the Australian embassy would remain in Tel Aviv, but plans could change.
Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of any future state, while Israel sees the entire city as its capital. East Jerusalem is home to the city’s most religious sites.
Foreign Office drops language on West Jerusalem
The news comes hours after Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade removed two lines from its website about the Morrison government’s recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The department dropped claims that Australia looked forward to moving its embassy to West Jerusalem after the conflict between Israel and Palestine was resolved.
Labour’s Anthony Albanese will become prime minister in May 2022 after nearly a decade of conservative rule.
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