Scott Morrison’s review into moving Australia’s Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has received mixed support across the nation, with Newspoll revealing 26 per cent of voters have no view on the major foreign policy shift.
Support for Mr Morrison’s review, announced in the lead-up to the Wentworth by-election in a last-ditch move to win Jewish votes, was split across political lines with higher support for the relocation coming from Coalition and One Nation supporters.
An exclusive Newspoll conducted for The Australian, based on 1717 interviews with voters from November 22-25, reveals 34 per cent of Australians support shifting the embassy, 26 per cent remain uncommitted and 40 per cent are opposed. Asked whether concerns raised by regional Islamic nations Indonesia and Malaysia should force a rethink by the Prime Minister, almost one in two Australians — mainly Labor and Greens voters — said Mr Morrison should announce the move would not happen. Most One Nation voters called on the government to ignore the concerns of Indonesia and Malaysia, and proceed with the embassy relocation.
Since announcing the embassy review, which is expected to be released within weeks, Mr Morrison has been forced to fend off criticism that the proposed foreign policy pivot has put the Indonesian free-trade agreement at risk. The Australian previously revealed that more than a dozen Coalition MPs, including Josh Frydenberg, were in favour of the government following through with moving the Australian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
Read the report by Geoff Chambers (Canberra Bureau Chief) and Primrose Riordan (Political Reporter) in The Australian.