Newly-installed Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for closer ties with Israel and said that he would consider moving the Australian embassy to Jerusalem at a press conference Tuesday.
At the joint press conference held with Foreign Minister Marise Payne, Morrison, who became Prime Minister in August, addressed three aspects of Australia’s ties to Israel.
After noting Australia’s improving defense cooperation with the Jewish state, Morrison said, “we share serious concerns about potentially destabilising behaviour in the Middle East when it comes to the activities of Iran.” In this context, the prime minister said that Australia would review its approach to the nuclear deal with Iran “without prejudice.”
Specifically, Morrison vowed that Australia would make “an assessment of the IAEA and other agencies’ advice on Iran’s compliance with the agreement and on whether the JCPOA can meet our long-term objective of preventing Iran from having the capability to develop nuclear weapons.” He added that his nation would also work with allies, including the United States, to address threats presented by Iran. The prime minister explicitly cited the Islamic Republic’s support and financing of terror.
The prime minister also said that in light of Australia’s growing cooperation with Israel in military affairs, he proposed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “that we appoint defence attaches in each of our embassies of Australia in Tel Aviv” to enhance that collaboration.
The most-reported news of the press conference was that Morrison said that Australia would consider moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. While reiterating that he is committed to a two-state solution, Morrison said that it’s time to reconsider whether recognizing Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem is incompatible with the two-state solution.
He noted that he was leaning towards accepting the advice of former Australian Ambassador to Israel David Sharma that by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, “you are actually aiding the cause for a two state solution.” Morrison observed that “not a lot of progress has been made” on the two-state solution under the current assumptions. He added, “and you don’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”
Morrison would not commit to moving the embassy but said he was “open” to the idea and would proceed to consult with both his fellow ministers and other world leaders on the embassy move.
https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/1051915579311960065
[Photo: Prime Minister of Australia ]