CANBERRA, Australia (AP) 鈥� Australia has reversed a previous government's recognition of west Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the foreign minister said Tuesday, prompting consternation from Israel.
The center-left Labor Party government agreed that the Australian Embassy would remain in Tel Aviv, as it has been. The Cabinet also reaffirmed that Jerusalem鈥檚 status must be resolved in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said.
Australia remained committed to a two-party solution to the , and 鈥渨e will not support an approach that undermines this prospect,鈥� Wong said.
Israel's Prime Minister Yair Lapid expressed disappointment in Australia's changed position.
"Jerusalem is the eternal undivided capital of Israel and nothing will change that,鈥� Lapid said in a statement.
Wong said her department made an error by updating its website on Australia鈥檚 revised policy on Israel鈥檚 capital before Cabinet had confirmed the change.
This led to conflicting media reports on Australia鈥檚 position before Wong鈥檚 announcement.
Lapid appeared to blame this media confusion for Australia changing its policy.
鈥淚n light of the way the decision was made in Australia, as a hasty response to a mistaken report in the media, one can only hope in other issues the government of Australia behaves more seriously and professionally,鈥� Lapid said.
Israel鈥檚 Foreign Ministry said it will summon the Australian ambassador to express 鈥渄eep disappointment" over a decision that was "based on short-sighted political considerations.鈥�
Senior Palestinian official Hussein Al-Sheikh said he welcomed Australia鈥檚 decision 鈥渁nd its affirmation that the future of sovereignty over Jerusalem depends on the permanent solution based on international legitimacy.鈥�
Former conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison as Israel's capital in December 2018, although the Australian Embassy remained in Tel Aviv.
The change followed then-U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President Joe Biden has kept the embassy in Jerusalem as the U.S. steps back from its once-intense mediation between the , who have not held substantive peace talks in more than a decade.
Wong described Morrison鈥檚 move as out of step internationally and a 鈥渃ynical play" to win a byelection in a Sydney locale with a large Jewish population.
Morrison鈥檚 Liberal Party ran Jewish candidate Dave Sharma who was defeated in the byelection but won the seat in the next general election.
Morrison鈥檚 government was elected out of office in May after nine years in power.
Nasser Mashni, vice president of the human rights group Australia Palestine Advocacy Network, thanked the government for 鈥渄ifferentiating itself from the dangerous political posturing of the previous government.鈥�
鈥淭his reversal brings Australia back into the international consensus 鈥� Australia must not pre-empt the final status of Jerusalem,鈥� Mashni said in a statement.
鈥淚srael asserts that the entire city is exclusively theirs, denying Palestinian connection to their ancient spiritual, cultural and economic capital,鈥� Mashni added.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which represents Australia's Jewish community, branded the reversal a 鈥済ratuitous insult to a key economic and strategic ally.鈥�
鈥淭his decision panders to the most extreme elements of the Labor Party and will also serve as a disincentive for the Palestinians to return to negotiations,鈥� the council said in a statement.
Morrison, who remains an opposition lawmaker, said the government's decision was disappointing.
The decision "represents a further diminution in Australia鈥檚 support for the state of Israel by the Labor government from the high water mark established by the Morrison government,鈥� his office said in a statement.
But opposition leader Peter Dutton left the door open to the conservatives abandoning Morrison鈥檚 policy.
鈥淲e鈥檒l make an announcement about our policy in the run-up to the next election,鈥� Dutton told reporters. The next election is due in 2025 .
Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham described the change as a 鈥渃ompletely unnecessary decision鈥� that followed a 鈥渟hambolic process.鈥�
In the 1967 Mideast war, Israel captured east Jerusalem, home to holy sites of three faiths, along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. The status of Jerusalem remains one of the thorniest issues in the decadeslong conflict and has precipitated numerous rounds of violence.
Only a handful of countries, including Kosovo and Guatemala, have joined the U.S. in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel鈥檚 capital.
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Associated Press writer Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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This story has been updated to remove an incorrect reference to the Australian government again recognizing Tel Aviv as the capital. Wong said the embassy would stay in Tel Aviv but did not mention recognizing the city as the capital.
Rod Mcguirk, The Associated Press
