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Australia plans to follow the United States and move its embassy to Israel to Jerusalem and withdraw support for the Iran nuclear deal as part of a re-examination of its policy in the Middle East. -East.
Scott Morrison, Australian Prime Minister, said on Tuesday that no final decision had been made by the government, but it was appropriate to examine the issues and determine whether or not Canberra should recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
He added that the review was not motivated by representations from Washington, which moved its embassy to Jerusalem and ended the Iran nuclear deal in May.
"We believe that three years after the Iran nuclear deal, it is time to take a close look at the situation and determine whether it is meeting our targets. Does this contribute to greater stability or not? "Did he declare.
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Morrison said new ideas were needed to reach a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, and his government was open to suggestions, including the location of its embassy in Israel. He also announced a strengthening of military ties between Australia and Israel.
His comments were welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said in a tweet that he was "very grateful" to Mr. Morrison for his review.
Washington's decision to transfer its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem provoked clashes along the Israel-Gaza border, which resulted in the death of many Palestinian protesters. It has drawn international criticism for exacerbating tensions and undermining progress towards a two-state peace agreement in the Middle East.
Mr Morrison said the Canberra review was to coincide with a UN vote this week on whether the Palestinian Authority should chair a group of developing countries, the G77. Australia will vote against the proposal.
However, Labor and Middle East opposition experts said the policy review was likely driven by Australia's domestic policy and would not result in any major changes in foreign policy. .
On Saturday, the center-right government will face a critical by-election in a 13-percent Jewish constituency. A loss of Wentworth headquarters would result in the Liberal-National coalition losing its parliamentary majority of one seat.
"This policy review tells you more about the internal poll the government is making at Wentworth this weekend than about any fundamental shift in Middle East policy," said Rodger Shanahan, a researcher at the Lowy Institute.
The opposition said the new prime minister was playing a "dangerous and misleading" game by threatening a long-standing bipartisan agreement on Middle East politics between the Labor and Liberal parties.
Mr. Morrison rejected the suggestion that the examination would have been chosen for the benefit of the Liberal candidate in the by-election, Dave Sharma, former ambassador of Australia to Israel. But he acknowledged that Mr. Sharma had raised the issue of the relocation of the Australian Embassy.
"We are committed to a two-state solution, but frankly things have not gone well," Morrison said. "Little progress has been made. And you do not keep doing the same thing and do not expect different results. "
