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When Terrorists Hail Australia's Diplomacy, Call It a Dangerous Blunder
(The Age-Australia) Josh Feldman - On Tuesday, the Australian government confirmed it had reversed former Prime Minister Scott Morrison's 2018 recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel's capital. How exactly this will advance peace is anyone's guess. Australia's assertion that West Jerusalem's status remains undetermined is an ahistorical, patronizing insult to its only democratic ally in a volatile region. West Jerusalem has been under Israeli control since Israel's establishment in 1948, while Israel's parliament has sat in West Jerusalem since 1950. Every serious peace proposal has accepted Israel's control over West Jerusalem. That Jerusalem is the Jewish state's capital is unavoidable. So why is the Albanese government denying it? Australia's announcement, which was lauded by Palestinian leadership, will be correctly viewed as a free diplomatic victory and will further disincentivize Palestinians from returning to negotiations. Moreover, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - both designated by Australia as terrorist organizations - hailed the move. That certainly tells us everything we need to know about an easily avoidable foreign policy blunder.