Israel's government has criticised Australia's decision to withdraw recognition of West Jerusalem as the country's capital, summoning Australia's ambassador to lodge a complaint and suggesting the federal government's announcement was rushed and unprofessional.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday morning that the government would reverse the former Coalition government's decision to recognise West Jerusalem, calling it a "cynical" ploy to win electoral support.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had already deleted references to the Morrison Government's decision online, although Cabinet only made a formal decision on the issue on Tuesday morning.
Several media outlets reported on the change on Monday night, forcing the federal government to clarify that no decision had yet been made.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Yair Lapid, criticised the move in a statement issued on Tuesday.
"In light of the way in which this decision was made, 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," he said.
"Jerusalem is the eternal and united capital of Israel and nothing will ever change that.
Senator Wong, speaking after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, said Australia remained a steadfast friend of Israel, and an unwavering supporter of the Palestinian people.
"Today, the government has reaffirmed Australia's previous and long-standing position that Jerusalem is a final status issue, a final status issue that should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people," she said.
"Australia's embassy has always been, and remains, in Tel Aviv."
In late 2018, the then-Morrison government moved to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, following the former Trump Administration’s decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem.
Senator Wong accused Scott Morrison of playing politics over the decision.
"I think we all know when we saw some of it publicly that the 2018 decision put Australia out of step with the majority of the international community," she said.
"It was received with great concern by members of the international community.
"You know what this was? This was a cynical, unsuccessful, play to win the seat of Wentworth and a by-election."
Mr Morrison denied at the time that the decision was aimed at winning over Jewish voters in the seat, which the government ultimately lost to independent Kerryn Phelps.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has left the door open to what city Australia should recognise as the capital of Israel.
"We took a policy to the last election. We will make an announcement about our policy in the run-up to the next election," he said.
"Penny Wong is looking for a distraction away from what, I think, increasingly is looking like a budget that doesn't have a plan that they promised for cost-of-living pressures that families are facing now."
Shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser described the decision as "shambolic".
"In the Jewish press before the election, Mark Dreyfus and Josh Burns said there was no difference between the Morrison government's policy on Israel and the Albanese opposition," he said.
"This shows that this is just not true. West Jerusalem has been a part of Israel since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948.
"The parliament is there, the supreme court is there, the PM lives there, the president lives there. It looks like the capital of Israel to me, I don't know what it is the Labor party can't see".
Labor had long vowed to reverse the move if elected to office and, in recent days, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), without fanfare, deleted online references to the decision.
"The updating of the website occurred ahead of government processes. That happens sometimes," Senator Wong said.
"I am not going to blame anybody for that. That happens. That is why I am also here, today, making sure we are clear about our position and I want to make sure that the website did reflect the position I articulated."
Indonesia's government — which criticised the Morrison government's decision in 2018 — issued a statement through its foreign ministry praising the move.
"Indonesia welcomes the decision by Australia under PM Albanese to reverse the recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel," it said.
"This policy would hopefully contribute positively to Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations.
"Indonesia appreciates Australia's reaffirmation of its commitment to support a peaceful resolution to the conflict based on a two-state solution, within internationally recognised borders."
But the Director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council Dr Colin Rubenstein slammed the move, saying it was “frankly bizarre” to “withdraw recognition of Israel’s right to choose its own capital on its own sovereign territory.”
“This decision by the Government is not only deeply disappointing, but appears a pointless own goal, undermining the Government’s self-declared policy of seeking to encourage a negotiated two-state Israeli-Palestinian peace,” he said.
“The reversal also risks denting Australia’s credibility with some of our closest allies.”
