16 December 2018•Update: 17 December 2018
By Omer Faruk Yildiz
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
Malaysia on Sunday slammed Australia's decision to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, terming it as a "humiliation" to the Palestinians.
In a statement, Malaysian Foreign Ministry said that the announcement was “premature and a humiliation to the Palestinians and their struggle for the right to self-determination.”
The statement said Malaysia “strongly opposes” the decision by the government of Australia and supports the two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict.
On Saturday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced to formally recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Morrison said his country would not move its embassy until peace is established between Israel and Palestine.
Tension has been running high in the occupied Palestinian territories since last year when U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might one day serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.
