More criticism on the ALP reversal of west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese admits Australia’s decision to reverse recognising West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel could have been handled better, as one government MP blasted his own party’s handling of the matter.
Mr Albanese said circumstances around the announcement weren’t ideal but said Labor policy had been entirely consistent, and criticised the former government for playing politics with the matter.
“Some things can always be done better, but the truth is we’ve been very clear about what our position was,” he told ABC Sydney.
“The former government was duplicitous – they said the embassy would move, and it, of course, didn’t move.”
Anthony Albanese
Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns took to Twitter to deliver strong criticism of his own government, whose actions he said were disappointing.
“I didn’t like the Morrison government playing politics with these sensitive issues, and it’s my view any further alteration to Australia’s policy needed to be considered extremely carefully … to my disappointment, this did not happen,” he wrote.
“People in my electorate and across Australia are hurt by this decision and to be honest, so am I.”
Mr Burns said he would focus on rebuilding trust between his government and Australia’s Jewish community.
Allegra Spender, the incumbent independent MP for Wentworth said: “I am very disappointed by the actions of the government in the last few days.
The federal government’s decision to withdraw recognition of West Jerusalem was rushed and badly handled – made without proper consultation. Announcing the decision on a Jewish holyday was even worse, as it precluded community organisations from making a public response.
Every sovereign nation, including Israel, has the right to determine its own capital.
Australia should play a constructive role in supporting a two-state solution, and these actions undermine our efforts without any gains.
I am writing to the Foreign Minister to express my deep concerns.
Yossi Goldfarb, President of Zionism Victoria added: “That the government has decided to reverse Australia’s recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a matter of profound regret.
Not only does it ignore the right of a sovereign nation to determine its own capital, it also ignores the facts on the ground – Jerusalem is the seat of Israel’s government, home to its Parliament and highest courts.
It is the location of national monuments and venue for national ceremonies. It is where visiting presidents and prime ministers – Australia’s included – meet with their counterparts and pay their respects to Israel’s and the Jewish people’s fallen.
Geopolitical realities aside, Jerusalem is – and has always been – the spiritual centre of the Jewish world: both the city we pray for and towards. Indeed, the Zionist movement acknowledges Jerusalem’s centrality in its very name.
Zion and Jerusalem are synonymous – Zion is Jerusalem, Jerusalem is Zion – the eternal capital of the Jewish people and at the very heart of the Jewish people’s movement for national self-determination.
In her comments yesterday, Penny Wong described Jerusalem as ‘a final status issue’, declaring that its status ‘has to be resolved through negotiation between the parties’. There are a number of other key issues that can only, and must only, be resolved through negotiation.
We can only hope that the government does nothing to pre-empt those issues ahead of a final settlement.”
Helen Shardey, president of ARZA, and UPJ Vice-President and David Knoll and Brian Samuel Co-Presidents UPJ said: “The Progressive Jewish community is astonished at the Albanese Government’s announced withdrawal of Australia’s recognition of West Jerusalem, as the capital of Israel.
Not only is this decision bad policy, its bad in international law and a betrayal of the Australian Jewish community.
Not a word of this was mentioned during the recent Federal election, as the ALP pandered to the Jewish community for electoral support. Had they been honest about their intention, Josh Burns would have lost the seat of Macnamara. He came perilously close to losing to the Greens anyway.
Disappointingly, the decision was announced on the Jewish holyday of Simchat Torah, when the Jewish community celebrates the receiving of Torah, the commandments of which guide the principles by which the free world lives today.
There is certainly no demonstrable benefit to Australia. On the contrary, why insult the one democracy in the Middle East, which is also an ally and helps protect Australians through a program of intelligence sharing?
One would also have to ask, what was the process of consultation that Mr Albanese promised the Jewish community before the election? Clearly there was none, as this announcement took the community completely by surprise and was announced when many were praying in synagogues and unable to respond publicly.
It is to be hoped that community outrage will make Mr Albanese think again.
Norman and Barbara Miller, Indigenous Friends of Israel
So now we have Penny Wong, Anthony Albanese, Tony Burke, and the ALP cabinet reversing the previous government’s decision that West Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Who is Australia to be telling another nation where its capital is? How insulting! No wonder Hamas has congratulated Australia for the decision.
Unsurprisingly, there has been an angry reaction from Israel and the Australian Jewish community who were blindsided by this with no consultation with them. It is the first time Israel has called in the Australian ambassador to explain our actions.
Also, there was no discussion of this pre-election and there has been no public consultation about it or discussion with the Australian parliament or even it appears, with the ALP caucus.
The decision by the Albanese government that West Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel flies in the face of the Abraham Accords with the increasing cooperation of Arab states with Israel. Australian foreign policy needs to be more mature in this area and aware of the new face of the Middle East.
It is also disappointing that the previous Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, did not follow through with his intention to recognise a United Jerusalem and move the Australian embassy there. It is likely that a number of Arab governments will at least move their embassies to West Jerusalem in the future as this is where the Knesset or parliament is and many national institutions.
As Indigenous Australians, we do not agree that Israel is a colonial settler apartheid state as the propaganda of Hamas asserts. There has always been a Jewish presence in Israel which became a nation about 3,000 years ago and reformed in 1948. The Arab presence is relatively recent. We believe the Jews are the Indigenous people of Israel. Israel respects human rights and does not practice apartheid with Arabs in the Knesset and many occupations. Arab Israelis have the same rights as other citizens.
Re a two-state solution, Israel has come to the table and been prepared to accept peace plans a number of times over the years. However, the Palestinians want Israel, the only Jewish state, wiped off the map so it is hard to get a two-state solution in this atmosphere, particularly with terrorist attacks against Israel occurring regularly.
In a double-whammy, this decision was announced on a Jewish sacred holiday and follows Labor’s pledge on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana of $20 million to the UNRWA for Palestinian Arabs as well as Labor’s refusal to sign up for a Pro-Israel Motion at the UN. Australia and some other nations had reduced their funding of UNRWA because of its funding of terrorism.
Disgusting ! Antisemitism at its worst !
Thank you, Allegra Spender for your timely comments and your intention to write to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. And thank you also to Norman and Barbara Miller, Indigenous Friends of Israel, who understand so well what Israel’s presence on the land going back 3,000 years means.
It is more than obvious after Penny Wong’s quite arrogant speech, which also showed historical ignorance, that Labor’s previous overtures to the Australian Jewish community and their reference to support for Israel, is nothing but a facade, not to be taken seriously.
I haven’t seen mention anywhere of Wong’s reference to Indonesia in that speech, and am wondering what the significance of it was? How is it relevant? Maybe she should stick to the Pacific and keep out of Middle Eastern affairs.