Palestinian FM criticizes possible move of Australia embassy to Jerusalem
355 views · Published 21 October 2018 · 1:35 · Indexed 29 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(16 Oct 2018) Australia has raised the prospect of following the United States by relocating its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a policy shift that critics described Tuesday as a desperate grab for domestic political gain to win a crucial by-election. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the idea was suggested to him by a former ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, who is a candidate for the ruling conservative Liberal Party in a by-election Saturday in a Sydney electorate with a large Jewish population. In Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, who was attending solidarity events in the country, said Morrison's statement was "very sad news" that would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that an unnamed Indonesian official had said Jakarta had been taken by surprise by the announcement, which could harm trade negotiations between the two countries. Morrison told Parliament that he had briefed Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo overnight about the announcement. But Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the government questions the merits of Morrison's announcement and has conveyed its "strong concern." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/56ba3d8dfa67ba060f0552607daa1a15
