上个月下旬，以色列军方在加紧准备对加沙地带南部城市拉法发动地面行动，行动将很快开始。 Canberra, Oct 18 (UNI) Australia has reversed a decision made four years ago to recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Canberra's decision in 2018 had undermined peace and put Australia out of step with other nations, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said. She stressed that Australia remained a "steadfast friend" to Israel. Its embassy will stay in Tel Aviv, the BBC reported.
At the time, Scott Morrison had said Australia would recognise West Jerusalem immediately but not move its embassy from Tel Aviv until a peace settlement was achieved. Morrison's government lost power in an election in May this year.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong called the former government's decision a "cynical play" to win over Jewish voters ahead of an election in Australia.
"I regret that Mr Morrison's decision to play politics resulted in Australia's shifting position, and the distress these shifts have caused to many people in the Australian community who care deeply about this issue," she said.
She reaffirmed the country's "previous and longstanding" position that the status of Jerusalem should be resolved as part of peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian people. "We will not support an approach that undermines this prospect," she said.
The status of Jerusalem is one of the most contested issues between Israel and the Palestinians.
Former US President Donald Trump drew international criticism in 2017 when he reversed decades of American foreign policy by recognising the ancient city as Israel's capital. The US embassy was relocated from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May 2018.
Months later, then Australian Prime Minister Morrison announced his government would follow suit.
Israel regards Jerusalem as its "eternal and undivided" capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem - occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war - as the capital of a future state, the BBC said.
The status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem has never been recognised internationally, and according to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is meant to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks, the BBC added.
UNI ING。
二 | 这名官员说，对拉法的地面军事行动预计持续4到6周。但至今以色列没有实现大规模进攻拉法的愿望，是因为“一些西方国家”从中作梗破坏他的计划。根据以色列媒体所说，最强硬反对的就是拜登政府，美国人这次决心很大。正是因为这一行动遭到了美国的果断阻拦，让内塔尼亚胡很不满。
15日，美媒曝光以色列总理对美国有“严重不满的反应”，就在拜登发出警告一天后，以色列总理内塔尼亚胡在安全内阁会议上怒吼：“我们不是美国的附庸国！”此外他对美国提出了很多反驳，还对美方口出恶语，声称自己知道如何反击美国的压力，如有必要，他会再次这样做。之前以色列右翼党人也威胁，拜登再对以方这么干涉下去，他们就不要期望能获得犹太人的选票了，对此美国政府也没有回应，但也没有取消对以色列的“胁迫”。
值得一提的还有，15日，以色列国防部长加兰特当地时间高调召开新闻发布会，公开质疑总理内塔尼亚胡的战后加沙计划，军方和政府之间公开的对抗也是很少见的，这标志着以色列的政治进一步分裂。对此有评论称：“在卡塔尔和埃及的斡旋下，最新一轮停火谈判已在埃及首都开罗结束，但以色列和哈马斯之间本来已经说好了，但以色列突然翻脸；内塔尼亚胡的各种承诺本来就不可信，谁为这种后果来买单？”
