Jakarta: Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has savaged Scott Morrison’s proposal to consider moving Australia’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, describing it has “foolhardy”, and warning it could lead a new wave of violent protest in the Middle East.
In a blistering critique of the prime minister’s proposal, Mr Rudd says it is regrettable that Mr Morrison has even considered departing from the long-held bipartisan consensus in Australian politics on the status of Jerusalem “for domestic political purposes”.
Moving the embassy would amount to “sacrificing Australia’s international political credibility for petty local partisan advantage”.
“As a former prime minister and foreign minister of Australia, I would call on Prime Minister Morrison to abandon this foolhardy position. There should be no ‘process’ for him to reach the decision that all his predecessors have reached over many decades, including Prime Minister Howard.”
The comments are contained in a major speech Mr Rudd will deliver in Jakarta on Thursday titled “The US, China, & ASEAN : Can The Right Equilibrium be Found?” and come after another former prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull recently warned of a “very negative reaction” from Indonesia if the proposal to move the embassy and to diplomatically recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is implemented.
Fairfax Media revealed on Wednesday the free trade deal was due to be signed next week in Singapore, but if the embassy proposal is implemented, the Indonesian parliament might still delay ratification.
Read the article by James Massola In The Sydney Morning Herald.