Prime Minister Scott Morrison is a lot of things, but an expert in foreign policy is clearly not one of them. This month he has decided Australia will buck international norms and recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as well as set up a trade office there.
It's a step back from what he offered back in October when he said Australia would follow the US in moving the embassy from diplomatic hub Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but with nobody beyond a handful of high profile conservatives in Australia in favour, was it all worth it?
A pervasive line from the conservative wing of Australia's commentating class suggests that to not move the embassy now would be 'kowtowing' to Malaysia and Indonesia. Never mind that both states have merely issued rebukes and questioned the wisdom — hardly the diplomatic pressure right wing columnists claim.
Writers, like the Herald Sun's Caroline Marcus this week, say that the recognition of West Jerusalem as capital is a triumph over bullying Muslim-majority countries within the region. This particular line highlights how extraordinarily unprepared the Australian right wing is for the rapid realignment which is increasingly pushing Australia into the region and away from the traditional Western powers.
It doesn't follow that Australia should prioritise a policy shift which pleases Israel at the cost of damaging far more important and immediate relations. Especially given that Israel is not even happy with the outcome.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry, currently directly under the control of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, issued a brief statement calling the announcements 'a step in the right direction'. According to the Times of Israel, senior officials had been telling local media the government had hoped for wider recognition than just West Jerusalem. Yuli Edelstein, Speaker in the Knesset, said the statement was 'difficult to understand' stressing that 'all of Jerusalem is our eternal capital, not just a part of it'.
And then there is Australia's own diplomatic corps. Australia had looked at moving the embassy earlier this year, prompted by the US's announcement in May. That was quietly shelved after Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provided advice to then foreign minister Julie Bishop that it just wasn't worth the hassle. The move would have cost up to $200 million and stressed tenuous but vital relationships in the Muslim world, particularly Indonesia which had led the charge against the US's move.
"This in-between policy has left no