Australian media reports Morrison will announce recognition of Jerusalem; Embassy relocation to take time; Arab League calls on Brazil to not relocate embassy.
Australia is set to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city.
Australian media Tuesday reported that Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce Australia’s recognition of Jerusalem. The reports claim an embassy move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem will take some time given costs and construction.
Prime Minister Morrison first announced a possible embassy move and recognition of Jerusalem in October, stating at the time “When sensible suggestions are put forward that are consistent with your policy positioning and in this case pursuing a two-state solution, Australia should be open-minded to this and I am open-minded to this and our government is open-minded to this.”
Meanwhile, the Arab League called on Brazil to not relocate its embassy to Jerusalem. Secretary General Ahmad Abu Al Ghait reportedly sent a letter to President-elect Jair Bolsonaro claiming the embassy move would be a violation of international law and could damage Brazil’s relations with Arab nations. He claimed “The Arab world has much respect for Brazil and we want not just to maintain relations but improve and diversify them. But the intention of moving the embassy to Jerusalem could harm them.”
Brazil’s president-elect announced his intention to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in November. Bolsonaro, who is a Zionist, supporter of Israel and evangelical Christian, reaffirmed his support for the State of Israel when he announced “As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that.”
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