Al Azhar welcomed Australia's decision on Jerusalem

Al Azhar University has welcomed the Australian government's decision to withdraw recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Along with that, the top educational institution of the Muslim world has expressed its strong position that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Palestine.

In December 2018, Australia's then conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison recognized West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Four years later, the new government reversed that decision. Last Tuesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government announced the withdrawal of recognition of West Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Announcing the decision, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the city's status should be determined through peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian people, not through a unilateral decision. Wong also said Morrison's decision was a negative attempt to win a special parliamentary election in a Sydney suburb with a large Jewish population.

Four years later, the Australian government's decision was welcomed by the authorities of Egypt's Al Azhar University, one of the world's oldest universities, citing a "bold step". A special release in this regard was made on the official Facebook page of the university on Thursday (October 20).

 It said that Al Azhar welcomed Australia's announcement to cancel the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Zionists. Also, it is important to say that Jerusalem was, is and will be the capital of the Palestinian state in the past.