irresponsible policies” that led to the recognition.
“The policies of this Australian administration have done nothing to advance the two-state solution,” Erekat said in a statement, stressing the Palestinian view that the holy city remains a final-status issue in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which have run aground.
There was no immediate comment from Israel’s government on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath.
Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move that is not internationally recognized. Israel considers east Jerusalem an indivisible part of its capital, while the Palestinians seek the area — home to the city’s most sensitive holy sites — as the capital of a future state.
Israel has built a dozen settlements in east Jerusalem since 1967, BBC News reports. They considered illegal under international law.
Morrison said his country should use its “incredible influence” with Israel in an effort to bring to an end a “rancid stalemate” in the region, the BBC reported.