Morrison should be applauded, he’s got the balance right on Jerusalem

Scott Morrison’s words and actions deserve success.

Scott Morrison has made a brave and good decision on Jerusalem.

He will today change Australia’s official position so that we now formally recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Technically, that has never been Canberra’s position.

Although we daily demonstrate that we do recognise West Jerusalem as sovereign Israeli territory — where our ambassadors present their credentials and our politicians and diplomats attend meetings — we have never formally recognised it as Israel’s capital. Morrison has corrected that anomaly.

This is a precise, balanced decision and it is important it not be misrepresented.

The Morrison government has recognised only West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. In doing this, it explicitly rejects Israel’s claim to have annexed all or parts of East Jerusalem.

Instead, Morrison recognises the Palestinian aspiration for East Jerusalem to be its capital and asserts, correctly, that the status of Jerusalem will be determined by negotiations. This is completely consistent with UN Security Council resolutions.

It is possible the Israeli government will be displeased with this element of the announcement, just as it was when Russia made a similar decision last year to explicitly recognise West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Similarly, while Morrison’s speech is warmly supportive of Israel, he criticises Israel’s West Bank settlement policies and land resumptions. This is a statement from a good friend of Israel, willing to go further than most in support of the Middle East’s only democracy, but not an uncritical friend or one who supports the Israeli Right’s maximalist positions.

I expect Israel will welcome Morrison’s statement, but if it doesn’t like parts of it, if it criticises parts of it, that’s fine too.

For Morrison has given expression to Australian values and Australian interests. In a critical sentence, he says the success of democratic Israel is in Australia’s national interests.

Similarly, there can be no grounds for any third country to demonise Australia, though some might. Every nation that has diplomatic relations with Israel de facto recognises West Jerusalem as Israeli sovereign territory. Morrison shouldn’t be criticised for having the temerity to weigh in on big geo-strategic issues. He powerfully quotes Malcolm Fraser 40 years ago making the case for our right to be heard.

Fraser made three arguments: Australians died in large numbers to secure peace in these locations; middle powers have international responsibilities and need to make their contribution; and in effect (though Fraser used different words) every argument for the good is to the good.

Politically, Morrison’s words and actions deserve success.

Had he decided to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, he could not have accomplished this before the next election and it would have made Australia too much an outlier. Bill Shorten would have promised not to proceed.

But now, to contradict Morrison’s statement, Labor must explicitly argue that West Jerusalem is not sovereign Israeli territory. That would be wrong in fact, wrong in principle and destructive.

The decision to establish a modest trade and defence office in West Jerusalem does no more than mirror the Australian Representative Office in Ramallah.

Canberra looks forward to moving its embassy to Jerusalem only when there is a peace agreement and a Palestinian state lives beside Israel. No one can seriously argue with that.

This is a well-crafted speech that develops positions sound in themselves and constructive in intent and which reflect our values.