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Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid harshly criticised Australia’s decision to stop recognising west Jerusalem as his country’s capital on Tuesday. This move was a reversal of a previous right-wing government’s decision.
The action, according to Lapid, was a “hasty response,” and he continued, “We can only hope that the Australian government manages other things more seriously and professionally.
In a statement issued by his office, the prime minister stated, “Jerusalem is the eternal and united capital of Israel and nothing will ever change that.”
According to the Israeli foreign ministry, a formal protest had been lodged by summoning the Australian ambassador.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong of Australia’s center-left government announced the shift in stance, saying that rather than being decided unilaterally, the future of the city should be decided through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.
She added: “Australia’s embassy has always been, and remained, in Tel Aviv. We will not accept a strategy that undercuts” a two-state solution.
A conservative Australian government under Scott Morrison followed the lead of former US President Donald Trump in 2018 by designating west Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
The decision sparked a political outcry in Australia and strained relations with Indonesia, the country next door that has the largest Muslim population in the world, momentarily delaying the implementation of a free trade agreement.
Since both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem, few other states formally recognise it as the capital of any state.
