After the Albanese government recently announced that it would no longer recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, returning Canberra to the global consensus after Scott Morrison’s 2018 decision to imitate Donald Trump, the Jewish establishment expressed outrage.
The public heard Jewish spokespeople from Zionist organisations condemning the government for its supposed insensitivity and ignorance. Even the Israeli government chastised the decision, saying it hoped that Australia managed “other matters more seriously and professionally”.
These critics hoped that by making enough noise they’d dissuade the Albanese government from recognising Palestinian statehood – a pre-election pledge – or more strongly criticising Israeli government policies.
Australia has long been one of Israel’s strongest backers and for all the recent noise, the Albanese era doesn’t signal a radical shift. The Jerusalem decision was akin to a footnote change. Recognising Palestine would be an equally small step, though it’s important that Australia shows it regards Palestinians as human beings who deserve equal rights.
After all, Israel has been illegally occupying Palestinian territory for more than 55 years. The year 2022 is set to be the deadliest for Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005. Israel is accelerating demolition of Palestinian homes and the Israeli army is openly colluding with Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Settlement building has exploded.
Read the article by Antony Loewenstein in The Age.