Foreign Minister Penny Wong has denied Labor has dropped recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel instead of Tel Aviv after the DFAT website deleted sentences relating to the previous Coalition government’s policy.

Scott Morrison formally recognised West Jerusalem in ­December 2018, despite holding off relocation of the Australian embassy from Tel Aviv.

Labor made clear at the time it did not support recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state after the former prime minister made Australia one of the few countries to do so.

It followed a decision by then-US president Donald Trump to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Despite Labor’s opposition to the move, the website for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital until a few days ago, when it quietly deleted relevant sentences regarding that policy. The sentences said: “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.

“Australia looks forward to moving its embassy to West Jerusalem when practical, in support of and after the final status determination of, a two-state solution.”

A spokeswoman for Senator Wong said the government had not made any decision on changing official recognition of Israel’s capital.

“The former government made the decision to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” the Foreign Minister said.

“No decision to change that has been made by the ­government.”

A spokesman for Mr Morrison said the shift on the capital of Israel was “dis­appointing and represents a further diminution in Australia’s support for the state of Israel by the Labor government from the high water mark ­established by the Morrison ­government”.

The 2021 Australian Labor Party national platform said Labor supported “an enduring and just two-state solution to the ­Israeli-Palestinian conflict”, but also explicitly called on the Labor government to “recognise Palestine as a state”.

Israel has come under fire in recent months from the international community for its “illegal settlements”, which refers to neighbourhoods being built in contested territories, and concerns around the treatment of ­Palestinians. Australia has raised human rights concerns.

Israel and Jewish organisations in Australia have raised issue with the language surrounding the conflict, which they warn is becoming increasingly anti-Semitic.

DFAT makes note on its website that Australia is “strongly ­opposed to unfair targeting of ­Israel in the UN and other multilateral institutions … however, we make clear our concerns about Israeli actions that undermine the prospects of a two-state solution and continue to urge Israel and other actors to respect international law.”

Australia was the first country to vote in favour of the 1947 UN partition resolution, which ultimately led to the creation of Israel as a nation state.

Canberra established diplomatic relations with Israel two years later and presided over the vote admitting Israel to the UN.

Israel set to summon Aust Ambassador over recognition of nation’s capital

(Herald-Sun, 19/10/2022)

Israel will summon Australia’s Ambassador to explain the federal government’s decision to reverse its recognition of West Jerusalem as the country’s capital.

Israel’s embassy in Canberra was blindsided by the move, which prompted an angry response from Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who called into question Australia’s treatment of a close ally.

Jewish groups blindsided by Labor’s reversal of recognition of West Jerusalem as Israeli capital

Prominent Jewish community leaders in Australia say Albanese government’s withdrawal of recognition ‘a gratuitous insult’ – but criticism is not universal (The Guardian, 19/10/2022)

Several Jewish community leaders say they were blindsided by the Albanese government’s decision to reverse recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, describing the handling of the issue as “shoddy” and “a gratuitous insult”.

A Labor parliamentarian has also privately said the government “mishandled” the sensitive issue and should not be “making foreign policy on the fly” after Israel’s foreign ministry summoned the Australian ambassador to demand an explanation.

Jewish community representatives were surprised by a Guardian Australia report on Monday revealing the Morrison government-era decision was being reversed, and contacted the government seeking clarity.

It is understood a number of community representatives were informed on Monday that no decision had been made, only to be notified the following morning of the outcome of Tuesday’s cabinet meeting shortly before the public announcement.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) said it was “extremely disappointed” the government had made the decision in an “opaque manner” without public consultation or opportunity for public debate.

The group said stakeholders had “simply been presented with a fait accompli” and noted “with regret that this decision was communicated to us on the Jewish holyday of Simchat Torah, when we were precluded from making any public response”.

“There is a bitter irony in the fact that the government made its decision in the way that it did on a day when Jews celebrate receiving the Torah, the ethical basis of western civilisation,” it said.

The president of the ECAJ, Jillian Segal, together with co-chief executives Peter Wertheim and Alex Ryvchin, issued the scathing statement after sunset on Tuesday at the conclusion of the holy period.

They said the timing of the cabinet decision was “clearly media-driven” and said it was “demeaning for Australia to have its international position changed in such a shoddy manner”.

“Aside from being poor policy, the withdrawal of Australia’s recognition that Israel’s capital is in Jerusalem is a gratuitous insult to a key economic and strategic ally, with no countervailing benefit for Australians,” Segal, Wertheim and Ryvchin said.

“This is no way to treat an ally whose intelligence-sharing with Australia has prevented at least one terrorist attack against Australians that we know of.”

The executive director of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (Aijac), Colin Rubenstein, also questioned the “odd” timing. He said the “deeply disappointing” decision appeared to be “a pointless own goal”.

But the announcement by the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, was not greeted with universal criticism.

The New Israel Fund Australia, which promotes a vision of Israel as both the Jewish homeland and a democracy for all its citizens, said the previous policy had placed Australia “firmly in the global minority”.

The group’s executive director, Liam Getreu, said the change suggested the Australian government would be “a balanced partner in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by forging policies which are more in line with our likeminded allies and partners around the world and support the advancement of a peaceful resolution”.

Antony Loewenstein, a journalist who co-founded Independent Australian Jewish Voices and lived in East Jerusalem between 2016 and 2020, welcomed Wong’s move to clarify Australia’s position.

“The problem really is this doesn’t change anything. It’s a continuation of a status quo that for decades has allowed Israel to not just expand its occupation but to make it permanent,” he said.

“We’re at a stage now where the two-state solution is a zombie phrase that people keep repeating but is out of step with the reality on the ground. This is a good minor change of language but the reality is that nothing is changing other than the occupation getting deeper.”

Israel’s prime minister, Yair Lapid, had earlier criticised the Australian government for what he called a “hasty” foreign policy shift.

Indonesia, however, welcomed the Albanese government’s decision, saying it hoped the new policy would “contribute positively to Palestinian-Israeli peace negotiations”.

“Indonesia appreciates Australia’s reaffirmation of its commitment to support peaceful resolution to the conflict based on two-state solution, within internationally recognised borders,” the country’s foreign affairs ministry said.

A federal Labor parliamentarian from the right faction criticised the government’s handling of the issue.

“It’s really been mishandled,” said the parliamentarian, who asked for anonymity to discuss the topic openly. “I still can’t believe it’s happened.”

While the parliamentarian agreed with the claim that the former prime minister Scott Morrison had politicised the issue in the lead-up to the Wentworth byelection in 2018, they said the new government should have engaged in adequate consultation to maintain trust with the community.

Others within the government pointed to Morrison’s handling of the announcement of his own review in 2018, with the then foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, informed of the plans in a phone call only a day before media were briefed.

Wong declined to say whether the government had received any representations from Israel or community groups against proceeding with the change, arguing it would not be reasonable “to disclose all of the interactions I and my office might have with stakeholders”.

“This government will not waver in its support of Israel and the Jewish community in Australia,” she said.

Wong said the decision was made at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning. She said it was in line with her public comments in December 2018 that Labor would unwind Morrison’s stance.

Wong said the Morrison government’s decision to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital – rather than leaving it as a matter to be resolved in peace negotiations – “put Australia out of step with the majority of the international community”.

“This was a cynical play, unsuccessful, to win the seat of Wentworth in a byelection. And what the people saw was the prime minister of the day trying to play foreign policy in order to win votes in a seat.”

Like most countries, Australia has continued to maintain an embassy in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem.