Key Points
- Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong announced Australia will not recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
- Senator Wong's announcement reverses a decision made by former prime minister Scott Morrison in 2018.
Israel's foreign ministry will summon Australia's envoy in the country after the federal government announced it would no longer recognise West Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong had made the announcement earlier on Tuesday, reversing a decision made by former prime minister Scott Morrison in 2018.
Mr Morrison followed the decision of United States president Donald Trump, who made the formal announcement in 2017 and relocated the US embassy from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem.
Senator Wong said Labor was remaining firm in its view expressed in 2018 that Jerusalem remains a "final status issue" that must be resolved between the Palestinian territories and Israel.
What people saw was the Prime Minister of the day trying to play foreign policy in order to win votes in the seat.Senator Penny Wong
She said that this is an issue that "should be resolved as part of any peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people".
"We are committed to international efforts in a responsible progress, responsible issue of progress towards a just and enduring two-state solution," she said.
"Australia's embassy of course has always been and remains in Tel Aviv."
Senator Wong acknowledged that Mr Morrison's decision was "out of step with the majority of the international community". She further accused him of a "cynical play" to win the Wentworth by-election, an electorate that has a sizeable Jewish population.
"This was a cynical play, unsuccessful, to win the seat of Wentworth in a by-election. What people saw was the Prime Minister of the day trying to play foreign policy in order to win votes in the seat," she said.
Donald Trump relocated the US embassy from Tel Aviv to West Jerusalem when he was US president. Source: AP / Morry Gash
Senator Wong emphasised Australia's relationship with Israel remains strong despite her decision .
"Australia will always be a steadfast friend of Israel ... We will not waver in our support of Israel and the Jewish community in Australia. We are equally unwavering in our support of the Palestinian people, including humanitarian support," she said.
The announcement was made following a report from the Guardian that revealed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade deleted sentences from its website in recent days that read: "Consistent with this longstanding policy, in December 2018, Australia recognised West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, being the seat of the Knesset and many of the institutions of the Israeli government."
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has taken aim at Labor's reversal, accusing the government of establishing a poor relationship with Israel.
"The engagement with Israel is important, and we will continue that because they are dear friends and allies in many ways against many enemies around the world," he said.
"I certainly won't be taking the lectures from the Labor Party when it comes to the relationship with Israel."
Both the Palestinian territories and Israel have claimed Jerusalem as their capital.
Correction: This article has been updated to remove a quote that was incorrectly attributed to the Israeli foreign ministry.
