Confusion over Libs’ pledge to recognise West Jerusalem
The coalition’s foreign affairs spokesman has seemingly contradicted the opposition leader about a major foreign policy decision on Israel’s capital.
David Coleman
The coalition’s policy about whether it would recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital remains unclear after an apparent policy contradiction.
Former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison unilaterally recognised West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital ahead of a 2018 by-election, in a move that was branded as a political ploy to get Jewish votes in the eastern Sydney electorate.
The move was reversed in 2022 by Foreign Minister Penny Wong after Labor took power, returning it to Australia’s multi-decade, bi-partisan policy.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman David Coleman affirmed the coalition’s policy was to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, in a major foreign policy speech to the Sydney Institute on Thursday night.
“We will conduct an orderly and professional consultation process, including discussions with local community groups, our agencies and Israel’s government,” he said as he called Labor’s reversal “contemptuous treatment of our democratic ally”.
But when asked about recognising West Jerusalem last month, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told reporters the coalition “have no proposals to make any changes to any settings that we’ve got in place at the moment”
Mr Morrison’s recognition determined a final status issue that should have been resolved as part of two-state solution negotiations in a ploy to win votes, a spokesperson for the foreign minister said.
Mr Coleman’s speech was a “fictional rewrite of Australia’s Middle East policy”, the spokesperson told AAP.
“(It) erases the part where the Liberals overturned decades of bipartisanship and isolated our nation from the overwhelming majority of the international community.
Mr Dutton’s office was contacted for comment about the apparent contradiction.
Mr Coleman also criticised Labor for talk of recognising a Palestinian state ahead of a negotiated two-state solution.
Senator Wong has said recognition should now come as part of negotiations, as people within the Israeli political system, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, didn’t support a Palestinian state.
“Now, that presents certain issues, doesn’t it?” she told a parliamentary hearing.
The coalition believes recognition should come at the end of negotiations with Israel.
“Once you recognise Palestine, you have two states,” Mr Coleman contended in his speech when referencing the shift.
“And how can you recognise Palestine if there has been no agreement on its borders?”
Palestine is recognised by about 75 per cent of UN member states, accounting for almost 150 countries.
By: Dominic Giannini/AAP
