<p class="title">Australia is considering moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Tuesday, following the lead of US President Donald Trump.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Morrison called a press conference to say he was "open-minded" to proposals to formally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move his nation's embassy to the holy city, a sharp break with the policy of successive Australian governments for decades.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We're committed to a two-state solution, but frankly it hasn't been going that well, not a lot of progress has been made, and you don't keep doing the same thing and expect different results," Morrison said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He described proposals to recognise Jerusalem and move Australia's embassy as "sensible" and "persuasive" and would be considered by the government.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying he had discussed the possible embassy move with Morrison.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"He informed me that he is considering officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel & moving the Australian embassy to Jerusalem. I'm very thankful to him for this," Netanyahu tweeted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The surprise announcement came just days before a crucial parliamentary by-election in a Sydney district that has a significant Jewish electorate and where the candidate for Morrison's Liberal party, a former ambassador to Israel, is trailing in opinion polls.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A loss in the election would wipe out Morrison's one-seat majority in parliament.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Scott Morrison is now so desperate to hang on to his job, he is prepared to say anything if he thinks it will win him a few more votes -- even at the cost of Australia's national interest," said the opposition Labour party foreign policy spokeswoman Penny Wong.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Morrison came to power in August after a revolt by hardline conservatives in the Liberal party ousted his more moderate predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Turnbull's government had explicitly distanced itself from the decision by Trump to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as "unhelpful" to the peace process.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Morrison rejected suggestions that his decision to consider following Trump's lead was a result of US pressure or related to the by-election in Sydney's Wentworth district on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I have made this decision without any reference to the United States," he said. "It has not come up in any discussion that I have had with the president or officials."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Trump's move ruptured decades of international consensus that Jerusalem's status should be settled as part of a two-state peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.</p>
<p class="title">Australia is considering moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Tuesday, following the lead of US President Donald Trump.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Morrison called a press conference to say he was "open-minded" to proposals to formally recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move his nation's embassy to the holy city, a sharp break with the policy of successive Australian governments for decades.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We're committed to a two-state solution, but frankly it hasn't been going that well, not a lot of progress has been made, and you don't keep doing the same thing and expect different results," Morrison said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He described proposals to recognise Jerusalem and move Australia's embassy as "sensible" and "persuasive" and would be considered by the government.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying he had discussed the possible embassy move with Morrison.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"He informed me that he is considering officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel & moving the Australian embassy to Jerusalem. I'm very thankful to him for this," Netanyahu tweeted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The surprise announcement came just days before a crucial parliamentary by-election in a Sydney district that has a significant Jewish electorate and where the candidate for Morrison's Liberal party, a former ambassador to Israel, is trailing in opinion polls.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A loss in the election would wipe out Morrison's one-seat majority in parliament.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Scott Morrison is now so desperate to hang on to his job, he is prepared to say anything if he thinks it will win him a few more votes -- even at the cost of Australia's national interest," said the opposition Labour party foreign policy spokeswoman Penny Wong.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Morrison came to power in August after a revolt by hardline conservatives in the Liberal party ousted his more moderate predecessor, Malcolm Turnbull.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Turnbull's government had explicitly distanced itself from the decision by Trump to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as "unhelpful" to the peace process.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Morrison rejected suggestions that his decision to consider following Trump's lead was a result of US pressure or related to the by-election in Sydney's Wentworth district on Saturday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I have made this decision without any reference to the United States," he said. "It has not come up in any discussion that I have had with the president or officials."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Trump's move ruptured decades of international consensus that Jerusalem's status should be settled as part of a two-state peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.</p>