CNN
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The Australian government reversed its earlier decision to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital Israelwhich led to a reprimand from the Israeli government.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong reiterated Canberra’s “previous and long-standing position” on Israel in a briefing on Tuesday, stressing the new Labor government’s support for both Israel and the Palestinian people.
“Australia is committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist, in peace and security, within internationally recognized borders,” Wong said. We will not support any approach that undermines this possibility.
The previous government, led by former coalition prime minister Scott Morrison, recognized West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2018, following a declaration by former US President Donald Trump.
In 2017, Trump Seven decades of US foreign policy have been overturned The United States declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel. The following year, . was released The United States moved its embassy From Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Australia’s decision to return to its previous position on Tuesday was “a hasty reaction to an incorrect report in the media”.
“In light of the way this decision was made in Australia, as a hasty response to an incorrect report in the media, we can only hope that the Australian government manages other matters more seriously and professionally,” Lapid said in a statement. Without going into detail about the “incorrect report”.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry also summoned the Australian ambassador to Israel.
Prior to Trump’s announcement, successive US leaders had resisted making any announcement on the issue before the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was resolved. Trump’s decision drew condemnation from world leaders and sent shock waves across the Muslim world. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim the Holy City as their capital.
Morrison’s decision to follow Trump’s lead It also sparked outrage, and Wong apologized on Tuesday for any ordeal he had caused.
“I regret that Mr Morrison’s decision to engage in politics has changed Australia’s position, and the concern these transitions have caused to so many people in the Australian community who care deeply about this issue,” Wong said.
The history of the division of Jerusalem into east and west dates back to the 1949 armistice agreement that ended the fighting between Israel and the Arab powers, and Leave the city divided.
West Jerusalem was in the hands of Israel and East Jerusalem was under the control of Jordan. The 1947 United Nations plan to partition Palestine into two, creating a Jewish state and an Arab state, envisioned Jerusalem as a “separate entity” to be administered internationally, apart from the two states.
In 1967 Israel occupied East Jerusalem in the Six Day War. It expanded the municipal boundaries of the city and declared it all to be the united capital of Israel.
Until Trump’s announcement, the international community was largely united in not officially recognizing Israel’s position, stating instead that only a negotiated agreement between the two sides could determine the city’s final status.
The city is home to very sacred places to Jews, Muslims and Christians. The issue was so thorny that negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians left the question of Jerusalem to the final stages of any peace agreement.
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