Israeli Prime Minister Says Australia's Decision on Jerusalem Status 'Hasty'

MOSCOW/TEL AVIV (Sputnik) - Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Tuesday that Australia's decision to revert its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was 'hasty.'

"In light of the way in which this decision was made in Australia, as a hasty response to an incorrect report in the media, we can only hope that the Australian government manages other matters more seriously and professionally," Lapid said in a statement released by his office.

The prime minister emphasized that "Jerusalem is the eternal and united capital of Israel and nothing will ever change that."

Australian Ambassador to Israel Paul Griffiths will be summoned to the Israeli foreign ministry on Tuesday, the office said.

The Australian government has quietly deleted a statement from the website of its foreign ministry on the recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, thus reversing the decision made by the previous cabinet led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2018, The Guardian newspaper reported on Monday. A spokesperson of the Australian foreign ministry told the newspaper that the government "continues to consider the final status of Jerusalem as a matter to be resolved as part of any peace negotiations."

Both Israel and Palestine claim Jerusalem as their capital, and the status of the holy city has long been regarded as a matter that must be resolved through a Palestinian-Israeli peace process.