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SYDNEY, Australia – Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke Tuesday of the possibility of transferring the Australian Embbady to Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, an idea that has drawn criticism as a mere bald political ploy. meaning that victory in local elections.
The relocation of the embbady to Jerusalem would mark a break in Australia's long-standing position on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and could have global consequences by encouraging others to do the same. Mr. Morrison made the announcement on Tuesday, saying he was "open-minded" about the embbady's move, while insisting that he remain committed to a two-way solution. States.
"Frankly, things did not go well," Morrison said of efforts to reach a two-state solution. "Little progress has been made. And you do not continue to do the same thing and expect different results. "
million. Morrison thanked a Liberal Party candidate, Dave Sharma, for persuading him to consider the proposal. Sharma, a former ambbadador to Israel, is standing in local elections to occupy a seat long occupied by former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is now at stake.
A loss of the Liberal Party in elections would mean that the Conservative coalition government, including the Liberal and National parties, would lose its majority of one seat in Parliament. This means that he will have to negotiate the individual votes of the other members to pbad a law or the federal budget.
Turnbull had been at the Liberal Party headquarters in Wentworth for 14 years. But he left after being ousted from his duties as party leader and prime minister in August.
Rather than staying in Parliament to maintain the meager majority of the coalition, he resigned and moved to his West Side apartment in Manhattan. He recently participated in a forum on Indonesia and Australia organized by a Washington think tank.
The Liberal treatment of Mr. Turnbull turned the choice of seat into a real competition, with party observers worried that it might come back to one of Mr. Sharma's opponents.
Some voters expressed distrust of Mr. Morrison's tactics.
Environmental consultant Michael Mobbs described Mr. Morrison's announcement as "opportunistic politics" at Sydney's wine shop and wine bar.
Wentworth hosts a considerable number of Jewish voters. He added that he would vote for the Labor candidate.
"This is not the time to talk about an embbady in a far country," he said. "It's degrading, ethnic politics."
But in a kosher bakery in Rose Bay, Sarah Lavan, a kindergarten teacher, welcomes this announcement.
"We are happy and proud of him," she said. Minister. "I think it's a brave step. My husband was so happy this morning – he has voted for the Liberals all his life. "
She dismissed criticisms that it was a political gesture aimed at securing victory at Wentworth.
" I do not think that we should win more. Jewish votes, "she said. "Whatever the reason, action is what matters."
Penny Wong, Foreign Minister of Opposition Shadow, said the announcement showed "how much Scott Morrison is desperate to want to retain the seat of Wentworth."
"Does anyone really believe that he will carry out this task?" She said. "He is just applying for a by-election that he is desperate to win in order to keep a slim majority."
Ms. Wong said that Mr. Morrison's position went against that of former Liberal Party leaders, and even of Mr. Morrison himself. Morrison said in June that it was unlikely the party would support such a move.
The proposal has already been approved in Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heading to Twitter to share the news.
Relocating the embbady is not new, said Lydia Khalil, senior research fellow at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. The decision of the embbady, as well as the opposition to the Iranian nuclear deal, are part of a "persistent stance defended by Australian Jewish voices," she said.
The relocation of the embbady to Jerusalem would be beneficial for the alliance between Australia and the United States. , help to forge a deeper relationship with the Trump administration, and "isolate some of the most erratic positions against allies," Ms. Khalil said.
"This would also promote the view that Australia is driving its foreign and domestic security policies through the lens of this alliance," she said.
But the displacement of the embbady in Jerusalem "would make very difficult the resumption of negotiations already blocked and difficult". "This gives more ammunition to those who want to derail the peace process even more and that does not help the already entrenched positions that have consolidated over the years and do not seem to be going anywhere."
D & D Other countries followed Mr. Trump, including Paraguay, Honduras and Guatemala. However, the opening of the United States Embbady in Jerusalem in May sparked protests across the Palestinian territory and beyond. More than 10,000 demonstrators in Morocco took to the streets of Casablanca to condemn this initiative.
Vicky Xiuzhong Xu contributed to the report
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