When Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that Australia would be moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, it seemed like a bold step. He was, after all, ignoring threats from two important trading partners, Malaysia and Indonesia, of possible economic consequences should he transfer the embassy. Upon inspection, however, the Australian announcement turns out to have been considerably less than one had reason to hope.
In the first place, the move, Morrison made clear, would be from Tel Aviv to “West Jerusalem.” Jerusalem has been the undivided capital of Israel since 1967 when, in a war of self-defense, Israel took East Jerusalem (and the Old City) from the Jordanians. Israel quickly tore down all barriers between the two parts of the city, seamlessly reuniting them, as any visitor to the city soon realizes. Morrison seems to support the re-dividing of the city into two parts, East and West Jerusalem, which in the several thousand years of Jerusalem’s existence, had happened only once, during Jordanian rule of what it called “East Jerusalem” from 1949 to 1967. In 1967, the Israeli victory allowed West and East Jerusalem to reunite into one undivided city, which it has been now for more than 50 years. The Israelis have vowed to keep it undivided forever. Morrison could have emulated the Trump Administration, when it announced its Embassy move to “Jerusalem” — even though the actual embassy buildings are all located in West Jerusalem.
Second, the actual move of the Australian Embassy will not take place, Morrison said, until there is a final peace settlement between Israelis and “Palestinians.” But when will that be? Given the refusal of the “Palestinians” to negotiate without preconditions, and the maximalist positions they have set out, it is difficult to imagine when that final peace settlement could ever be achieved — if, that is, it is left up to the “Palestinians” to agree, rather than being forced to submit to an agreement that has been forged by the Americans and the Saudis, as now seems possible.
Third, it may now be possible for Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, to impose a settlement on the “Palestinians.” The “Palestinians” are financially at the end of their rope, with America cutting off its contributions to both the Palestinian Authority and to UNRWA. They need, more than ever, help from fellow Arabs. We have already heard about the outlines of an Israeli- “Palestinian” settlement, as negotiated by Jared Kushner and Mohammad bin Salman. According to all the reports, the “Palestinian” capital in this scenario would be Abu Dis, a modern suburb of Jerusalem that lies south of the Old City, while Israel would retain as its capital an undivided Jerusalem. Would the “Palestinians” ever accept this? They might not have a choice.
Fourth, with Saudi Arabia throwing its full diplomatic and financial weight behind such an agreement, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Egypt would out of self-interest likely concur. Some are close Gulf allies, such as the Emirates and Bahrain, marching in diplomatic lockstep with Saudi Arabia. These countries are tired of the “Palestinians,” want to focus on their own problems, especially the threat from Iran, and they see Israel as an important ally in the struggle against Iran. They are ready to back Saudi Arabia in imposing a settlement, whether Mahmoud Abbas likes it or not. Egypt, too, under El-Sisi, is in the Saudi camp, largely indifferent to the “Palestinians.” Egypt relies on the billions it receives from Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. Even Jordan, though it has a large “Palestinian” population, is heavily dependent both on the direct financial aid, now in the billions annually, it receives from Saudi Arabia and the Saudis’ closest ally, the Emirates, and from the remittances sent back to Jordan by the 400,000 Jordanians now working in Saudi Arabia. Were the Jordanians to oppose such a Saudi deal that would include making Abu Dis the capital of “Palestine,” they would face the loss both of that direct aid, and of remittances, should the Saudis retaliate by kicking out those 400,000 Jordanian workers.
Fourth, Abu Dis was chosen to be the “Palestinian” capital by the Americans and the Saudis as a face-saving gesture for the “Palestinians.” They can tell the “Palestinians” that this dusty, unattractive, newly built-up suburb, with bad roads, is actually part of “Jerusalem.” And the “Palestinians” in turn, faced with a fait accompli, can put on their bravest face and proclaim that “Abu Dis” has always been part of Jerusalem. Let them. Israel will have its undivided Jerusalem, now supported, or at least not opposed, by a significant number of Arab states, including the two most important ones, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Fifth, it would have been better for Prime Minister Scott Morrison not to have linked the actual move of the Australian embassy to West Jerusalem to a final peace settlement, or to speak about East Jerusalem as the inevitable capital of a future “Palestine.” He surely has heard — hasn’t he? — that the Kushner-MBS negotiations include a provision for Abu Dis, not East Jerusalem, to be the future capital of “Palestine.” Why not wait to see the results of those negotiations, and do nothing to encourage the “Palestinians” to think they can hold out for East Jerusalem as their capital? If indeed that “Abu Dis” solution can be imposed on the “Palestinians” by their exasperated Arab brothers, that finally takes East Jerusalem, which the Israelis will never give up, off the table.
Sixth, Morrison could have announced that he was moving the Australian Embassy now, rather than making that move dependent on a peace settlement between Israelis and “Palestinians.” The embassy move, the Prime Minister could roundly proclaim, simply recognizes several truths: that Jerusalem is the undivided capital of Israel, that Jerusalem is where the Israeli government is located and where, in order to conduct their business, diplomats have to go, now having to shuttle inconveniently to and from Tel Aviv. Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Judaism for thousands of years before the “Palestinian people” were invented. It has been the place where much of Jewish history was made, a place, too, of uninterrupted Jewish settlement under many different rulers — Roman, Persian, Byzantine, Arab, Turkish, British.
Morrison can also announce that he has reconsidered his original announcement, and decided to move the Australian Embassy to Jerusalem without further ado because of “Palestinian” intransigence. He could explain that “given the continuing refusal of the Palestine Authority to engage in negotiations with Israel, it seems wrong to punish the Israelis by linking our Embassy move to a peace settlement that the ‘Palestinians’ themselves are blocking. Furthermore, there have been several dreadful terrorist attacks recently on Israelis by ‘Palestinian’ Jihadis. Still worse, these terrorists have been rewarded by the Palestinian Authority, which continues to give the families of terrorists large sums, in gruesome gratitude for their cowardly attacks. Our best response is to take Israel’s side, and to show solidarity with Israeli victims. I think it is fitting and proper that as our answer to these attacks, we move the Embassy of Australia to Jerusalem, where many of us believe it has always, by right, belonged.”
Buraq says
The solution for every civilized country is to open an office in Jerusalem with a plaque on the wall saying: “Bi-lateral Trade Center”. Then, when the time feels right, whip the plaque off the wall and replace it with “Embassy”!
There, all done!
Anjuli Pandavar says
Insightful piece. Thank you, Hugh.
keith says
This piece didn’t touch on the real reason for the announcement of the embassy move.
The by-election in the seat of Wentworth.
Scroto aka the PM Scott Morrison knew that there is a high population of jewish voters in the electorate.
Yes the move is a good thing and gives the finger to Islamic nations that try to intimidate Australia, BUT the reason for the announcement had nothing to do with what SCUMMO claimed and everything to do with keeping his corrupt ass in the Prime Ministers high paid job.
Battle says
Hugh Fitzgerald: Good one.
Buraq: Good one.
A_M_Swallow says
Moving an Embassy is not easy – first you have to build the new building. Such a building has to be both physically secure and protected against electronic eavesdropping. The Israeli Mossad is one of the most sophisticated spy agencies in the world. Mossad has been caught spying on the National Security Agency (NSA).
RegT says
Israel has _needed_ to spy on the NSA, since Carter, Clinton, Bush 1, and Obama all preferred muslims over Israelis, so-called “Palestinians” in Gaza over Israel. How could they trust the NSA when they knew – as we should – that the NSA spys not only on Israel, but on us Americans, as well?
It’s called “self-defense”, and every country has the right, just as every person does.
Prabh108 says
thanks for sharing this information. I hope the surveillance state phenomenon is not permanent: quality of life is dramatically reduced if one resides in such a land.
Walter Sieruk says
It’s a good wise and fitting decision that was made by the governmental heads of Australia to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
As the Bible informs its readers “The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem … the Lord will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.” Joel 3:16.
ElderlyZionist says
The Australian government announcement is a very partial step, but it’s a step in the right direction. So it’s good. As far as it goes.
jimjfox says
Agreed. Australia has to tread carefully with the biggest Islamic nation immediately to its northern borders. ‘East’ ‘West’ Jerusalem is mere semantics, Jerusalem is undeniably Israel’s Capital.
“The Night Journey to the Furthest Mosque” being the sole claim of Islam?? Bullshit!
RegT says
BS is right. How they have been allowed to lay claim to the Temple Mount and other parts of Jerusalem based on a fantasy perpetrated (supposedly by mohammed, but more likely those who survived him) by islam is beyond my comprehension.
And in the meantime, they have spent years digging under the Temple Mount, locating every piece of Jewish history that they can, destroying it so they can claim the Jews had no history there.
Baucent says
I would think Political realities forced a revision on the embassy move.
Guy Forester says
I would take this idea that the PA will be forced to accept the MBS-JK deal with a large grain of salt. Yes, I am sure that the KSA is trying to come up with something so it does not need to cough up the dough to support the PA jihad and its self appointed warrior king. This dumpy Abu Dis village can also be seen as a flanking maneuver or a back door attempt to give the PA the opportunity to set up camp in Jerusalem proper.
infidel says
Just cosmetic.. For once, I would love to see the top man from the civilized world, a President, or a Premier, or a PM to tell Islam to F off. without worrying about the consequences and threaten them the same way, they threaten us. NOW THAT WOULD BE THE DAY .. as John Wayne says in the Searchers..
Norman Moffatt says
Australia has weak kneed, jellyfish backboned leader, just like the rest of the leaders of Western countries, except a few, Hungary, Poland and the USA come to mind.