Australia Reverses Recognition of Jerusalem As Israeli Capital

Facts

• On Tuesday, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that the new Labor government has reversed former PM Scott Morrison’s 2018 decision to formally recognize West Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying Jerusalem's status should be resolved through peace negotiations, not unilateral decisions.
• Wong announced the Labor Government was committed to a two-state solution in which Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist "in peace and stability," adding that Australia's embassy would remain in Tel Aviv, where it "has always been."
• Israeli PM Yair Lapid slammed Canberra's announcement and expressed deep disappointment over the decision, saying it was the result of "shortsighted political considerations." The Foreign Ministry also summoned Australia's envoy to discuss the revised policy.
• The Foreign Ministry reportedly published the decision on its website before the Cabinet confirmed the policy change, causing conflicting media reports on Australia's position. Lapid first blamed Australia's policy change on this media confusion.
• The Palestinian Authority's civil affairs minister, Hussein al-Sheikh, hailed Australia's move and the country's call for a two-state solution, tweeting "that the future of sovereignty over Jerusalem depends on the permanent solution based on international legitimacy."
• Both Israel and the Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital. Jerusalem's status has been a complicating factor for the US — which formally recognized it as Israel's capital in 2017 — and the world community when trying to broker peace in the Middle East.

Sources: France 24, Sky News, Times of Israel, CBS, Al Jazeera, and Wall Street Journal.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Haaretz. Besides being a poor policy move that panders to the most drastic parts of Australia's labor party, the way the news was delivered is insulting: Approved on a Jewish holiday, the Australian government thought the quiet removal of Jerusalem's status from its website would go unnoticed — a chaotic and unprofessional lack of courtesy.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by VOA. Australia is firmly committed to a two-state solution, and recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel directly undermines this. Australia's former PM Morrison's 2018 decision was nothing more than a manipulative attempt to win favor, and the new Labor leadership has rightly reversed this.

Predictions