By Henry Benjamin/(JNS) – Australia said it recognizes West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and is now starting a search for a suitable site for a trade office within the city. Prime Minister Scott Morrison spoke to the Sydney Institute current affairs forum on Saturday where he announced the government’s decision. “We look forward to moving our Embassy to West Jerusalem when practical, in support of, and after the final status determination,” he said. He reiterated Australia’s support for a two-state solution. He added that the Australian government also recognizes “the aspirations of the Palestinian people for a future state with its capital in East Jerusalem.” In the same announcement Morrison said he plans to open a Trade and Defense office in West Jerusalem. Australia-Israel trade is over $1.3 billion a year. Under Morrison’s leadership, Australia last month opposed six resolutions that attacked Israel in the United Nations General Assembly. “Jerusalem – the home of the Al Aqsa Mosque, the Wailing Wall and the Via Dolorosa – deserves better than the rancid stalemate and better than the polarization that marks its peoples,” he also said in his announcement.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry in a statement praised the announcement as “a simple acknowledgement of a reality that has existed since 1950. The Prime Minister deserves credit for resisting pressure from many quarters against taking even this modest step.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry offered a lukewarm response to the announcement, focusing on the trade office and calling it “a step in the right direction.”

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit called on the Australian government “to correct its position and recognize the State of Palestine and its capital as East Jerusalem without delay. Thus, we will consider its position balanced.”