Published: 14 December 2018
Last updated: 4 March 2024
"We're asking the Arab world to include Australia in boycott measures," said Nabil Shaath, a senior PLO official who was also a key figure in peace negotiations with Israel. Shaath used the interview on Tuesday with The Jewish Independent to issue a warning to Australia against the embassy move, which has been raised as a possibility by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. "It's not costless." Shaath said.
Morrison has said that a final decision on whether to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the embassy would be taken by Christmas.
"Saudi Arabia is the largest importer of live meat from Australia. Immediately after that Morrison decision, I talked to the Saudis and said that 'you should at least tell the Australians that means we are going to look for other [suppliers]’."
Speaking in his office near the headquarters of the Palestinian self-rule enclaves, with pictures of a smiling Yasser Arafat and a younger Abbas behind him, Shaath said that if Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries "really react negatively in their import policy from Australia then that would hurt Australia."
"Saudi Arabia is the largest importer of live meat from Australia. Immediately after that Morrison decision, I talked to the Saudis and said that 'you should at least tell the Australians that means we are going to look for other [suppliers]’."
"That should be first threatened and then used," he said.
"Australia is not the monopolist of the world in producing beef, corn and wheat. There are a lot of other competitors. It's not a unique producer that no-one else can substitute for."
Shaath said the Palestinians are "by and large satisfied" with Indonesia's stance that it won't sign a landmark free trade agreement with Australia if Morrison goes ahead with the embassy move.
He said that Palestinian foreign minister Riyadh Malki was visiting Jakarta in October when Morrison made his announcement and "he spoke to the Indonesians immediately about that, they should do something at least to make the Australians change their minds."
Shaath, a former foreign minister known as a moderate, was blistering in his criticism of the Australian leader for floating the embassy move idea, which has been derided at home as originally being a ploy to gain Jewish votes in the Wentworth by-election.
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Shaath said that for Palestinians the proposal had placed Morrison in the same "hostile" camp as US President Donald Trump, who announced a year ago recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and subsequently moved the US embassy there.
Morrison's posture "was really reacted to with a lot of disdain and dislike," Shaath said, adding: "What the hell is he doing? Who the hell is he? Why would he do that? It's against international law, against the [1993 Israeli-PLO] Oslo agreement that leaves Jerusalem to be decided by negotiations by the two parties. It's against international law relating to the borders of an area still considered occupied including the borders inside Jerusalem."
"What interest does Australia have to look like it's just a blind follower of Mr Trump, to look like it’s the enemy of the Palestinian people and to look like a violator of international law?" he asked.
Morrison has said he is contemplating the embassy step because this could advance a two-state solution of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
But Shaath labelled that argument "stupid".
"To the Palestinians, Jerusalem is the icon of their history, past and religions," he said. "Palestinians are Christian and Moslem. The Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are holy.
East Jerusalem is full of important heritage for Palestinians. Why would it make things easier to take East Jerusalem away from the Palestinians and say it's no longer part of your state, it's no longer your capital?"
Shaath said that Australia moving its embassy would only encourage prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to further undermine the possibility of a two-state solution. "It will reinforce Netanyahu's feeling of ability to do whatever he wants, to continue deepening the colonial settlement project" and to ignore international law, he said.
While critics of Morrison say he is putting his evangelical Christian religious faith above the national interest, Shaath said the prime minister must have other motivations for mooting the embassy move.
"He's doing it to gain the love of Mr Trump, to say that Australia follows you in whatever your course is. Secondly, he hoped to gain votes of right-wing Jewish Australians and third, he thought the Islamic world won't take it seriously and there will be no cost."
The Palestinian strategy has been to show that there is a cost, Shaath said. "We felt that if there is no cost, Morrison will calculate evangelically. That is why we talked to the Indonesians, the Malaysians and the Saudis and told them 'you have to threaten that there is some cost so that this man will at least calculate and his constituencies will have to calculate'.
Is this so important to Australia that Australia is willing to pay for it with a drop in its exports of important strategic agricultural products and being politically isolated in the Arab world?"
Shaath visited Australia at the invitation of Gareth Evans in 1989 and 1994 and says he has good memories of interacting with the Jewish community in Melbourne, "The Jewish community in Melbourne was quite open and interested in supporting a two-state solution," he recalled.
READ MORE Top officials and wise elders warn against Israel embassy move (SMH)
Main image: Palestinian official Nabil Shaath (left) and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (right)
