ISLAMABAD – Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad criticizedAustralia’s move to recognize West Jerusalem on Sunday, saying thatcountries have “no rights” to do so.
Australia announced this week that it would recognize West Jerusalemas Israel’s capital, but will not yet move the embassy from Tel Aviv.
Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country, has been a prominent supporter of thetwo-state solution, as Jerusalem is considered to be a sacred placeto Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths, making it a major obstacle to anagreement between Israelis and Palestinians.
Palestine wants East Jerusalem to be recognized as the capital of aPalestinian state, while Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital,including the eastern sector that was annexed in the 1967 Middle East war.
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Israel’s foreign ministry on Sunday praised Australian Prime Minister ScottMorrison’s decision, calling it “a step in right direction.” However,Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s minister for regional cooperation, remainedcritical, saying that ‘there is no division between the east of the cityand west of the city.’
