Australia May Move Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem

Australia may follow the United States' lead and relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, bucking decades of tradition.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is considering the move.

"I intend to discuss this further with Cabinet colleagues in the coming months," he said.

Morrison is scheduled to make an announcement regarding Australia's backing of the Iran nuclear deal and a vote about Palestinian leadership Tuesday, the Herald reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on Twitter on Monday that during a phone meeting with his Australian counterpart, Morrison hinted at potentially moving Australia's embassy to Jerusalem — which Israel and Palestine both believe is their own capital.

"I spoke today with Australian PM @ScottMorrisonMP," Netanyahu wrote. "He informed me that he is considering officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel & moving the Australian embassy to Jerusalem. I'm very thankful to him for this."

President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. embassy in Israel be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which eventually occurred in May.

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