Israeli Foreign Ministry chides Australian ambassador
'Jerusalem is the eternal capital of united Israel and nothing will ever change that.'
ISRAEL’S Foreign Ministry expressed Israel’s “deep disappointment” to Australian ambassador Paul Griffiths on Tuesday over Canberra’s decision to reverse its recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and said the government was weighing additional steps in response.
Foreign Ministry political director Aliza Bin Noun told the Australian ambassador that the move was a “wretched decision that ignores the deep and eternal connection between Israel and its historical capital, and runs counter to the positive ties between Israel and Australia”.
She added that it encourages extremist elements in the West Bank, and risks destabilising the region. It also goes against the deepening ties between Israel and Arab countries as part of the Abraham Accords, she said.
The senior Israeli diplomat put an emphasis on the timing of the Australian announcement. It came as Jews in Israel and around the world wrapped up celebrations of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, amid heightened tensions with Palestinians, and as a maritime border deal with Lebanon is close to completion.
According to individuals with knowledge of the meeting, the Australian delegation stressed in response that Canberra’s stance on Jerusalem was the continuation of a long-term policy, and that the 2018 recognition was a departure that had been corrected.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid also slammed Australia’s announcement on Tuesday. “In light of the way in which the decision was made in Australia, as a hasty response to incorrect news in the media, we can only hope that the Australian government manages other matters more seriously and professionally,” Lapid said in a statement.
“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of united Israel and nothing will ever change that.”
At a faction meeting of his Yesh Atid party later on Tuesday, Lapid said that “what happened in Australia was a change of leadership”. He added that as a general rule, Israel did not define the capital cities of other nations, so other countries should not do so for Israel.
However, the Palestinian Authority applauded the decision.
“We welcome Australia’s decision with regards to Jerusalem & its call for a two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy,” the Palestinian Authority’s Civil Affairs Minister, Hussein al-Sheikh, said on Twitter.
In addition, Hamas official Basim Naim said he appreciated the Australian government’s decision “to drop its recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli occupation’s capital” and said it was “a step in the right direction for world peace and stability”.
Arsen Ostrovsky, the CEO of the Israel-based International Legal Forum and originally from Australia, called it a “shameful and cowardly decision … which tellingly, has already been applauded by the Hamas terror group”.
The Walla news site reported that Israel was taken by surprise by the decision, which came just months after the head of the Middle East Division of the Australian Foreign Ministry visited Israel and made clear to his counterparts that there was no change expected in Australia’s policy on West Jerusalem.
In 2017, then US president Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, with the American embassy moving there a year later. Current President Joe Biden has not sought to reverse this move.
An Israeli official linked the harsh response to Israel’s concerns that the Australian government could follow up by recognising a Palestinian state.
“This is the reason we reacted so strongly, and we are sure that got the message across,” the official told the Walla news site.
A former senior Israeli diplomat also told Ynet that Australia potentially recognising a Palestinian state was the central concern for Israel.
“One can only hope that’s not where this is going,” the former diplomat said.
Times of Israel
Carrie Keller-Lynn and agencies contributed to this report.
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