The Prime Minister of Australia said Wednesday that his government could have handled better the announcement reversing the recognition of west Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
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"Some things can always be done better," Anthony Albanese said after the proclamation drew criticism and led to a fallout with Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, he defended the move, saying it returned Australia to the international mainstream, and said that the Labor Party, which he leads, opposed the 2018 decision by then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison to grant recognition of west Jerusalem as Israel's capital in the first place. Albanese accused the previous government of hypocrisy, noting that even after the recognition, Morrison's administration failed to move the Australian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned the Australian ambassador after the announcement, expressing "deep disappointment in the face of the Australian government's decision resulting from short-sighted political considerations."
Prime Minister Yair Lapid criticized Canberra, saying that "We can only hope that the Australian government is more serious in other matters" and reiterated that "Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel, and nothing will ever change that."
As might be expected, the Palestinian Authority hailed Australia's decision.
"We welcome Australia's decision with regards to Jerusalem and its call for a two-state solution in accordance with international legitimacy," the PA's civil affairs minister, Hussein al-Sheikh, said on Twitter.
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