Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has sparked strong divisions between Australia’s Jewish and Muslim communities.
While the Executive Council of Australian Jewry welcomed the decision as a “pragmatic acknowledgment of an existing reality”, the Australian Federation of Islamic Council this morning condemned it as “provocative and dangerous” and urged the Turnbull government to oppose the move.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Peter Wertheim said the Jewish community had called “for many years” for the Australian government to move its embassy to Jerusalem.
He said the area in which Israel’s parliament and other government buildings were located in west Jerusalem had been part of Israel’s sovereign borders since 1948.
“When government officials from other countries visit Israel, they meet with Israeli government officials, and one another, in Jerusalem … Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is therefore a pragmatic acknowledgment of an existing reality,” he said.
Read the full article by Nicola Berkovic at The Australian (subscription only).