Australia ‘considering’ moving embassy to Jerusalem
Prime minister accused of ‘deceitful, dangerous games’ ahead of crucial by-election

Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has revealed that his government is considering following America’s lead to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and shift the Australian embassy from Tel Aviv.
Morrison confirmed that Australia remains committed to a two-state solution, “but frankly, it hasn’t been going that well”, he said, adding: “Not a lot of progress has been made. And you don’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”
The Guardian says that any such move “would go against broad international consensus, which has been that the holy city’s status should be settled in a peace deal”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that he had spoken to Morrison about the idea, using Twitter to say he was “very thankful” to the Australian prime minister for the proposal.
The timing of the announcement by Morrison has been questioned by political opponents, coming just days before a crucial by-election in the federal electorate of Wentworth, which was vacated by ousted prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The electorate has a relatively high Jewish population, and the government’s candidate for the seat, former Australian ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma, was credited by Morrison as the person who persuaded him to consider the policy shift, Bloomberg says.
If the government fails to win this weekend’s by-election, it will lose its single-seat majority in the lower house, forcing Morrison’s coalition into a minority government.
Morrison has since denied that his comments on the status of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital had any link to the upcoming by-election, however opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong accused the prime minister of playing “dangerous and deceitful word games with Australian foreign policy”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How to create a healthy 'germier' home
Under The Radar Exposure to a broad range of microbes can enhance our immune system, especially during childhood
-
George Floyd: Did Black Lives Matter fail?
Feature The momentum for change fades as the Black Lives Matter Plaza is scrubbed clean
-
National debt: Why Congress no longer cares
Feature Rising interest rates, tariffs and Trump's 'big, beautiful' bill could sent the national debt soaring
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical