Mission Accomplished
By Keith Buxton.. Well, we have done what we came to Federal Parliament in Canberra to do – we have submitted for presentation in the Senate our petition with over 8,100 signatories requesting the Australian Parliament to take immediate action to move our embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the eternal and indivisible capital of Israel.
Jerusalem lies at the heart of the Jewish and Christian faiths and has stood at the centre of the Jewish people’s national and spiritual life for over 3,000 years. The petition is now in the hands of Senator James Paterson, who plans to present the petition in the Senate in the last sitting of Parliament this year, and who in his maiden speech in March last year could not have made this priority clearer when he said: “I am a strong supporter of the State of Israel. I admire greatly what they have built in just a few short years. Today, Israelstands not just as a beacon of liberal democracy in a sea of despotism in its own region but as a shining example to the entire world of how to build a prosperous, tolerant, harmonious and creative country in the toughest of circumstances.”
“I am proud of the generally bipartisan support that Israel has enjoyed from successive Australiangovernments. But I think we can do more to demonstrate our solidarity. Like many nations, Australia has chosen to locate our embassy in Israel in Tel Aviv. But Tel Aviv is not Israel’s capital city – Jerusalem is. Every nation deserves the right to choose its own capital city. Since 1950, Israel has asserted it is Jerusalem. Since 1967, it has administered the entire city.”
“The Israeli government have demonstrated time and time again that they are the best custodians for the religious and historic sites that are of significance to people of many faiths. I do not believe that the international community can continue to refuse to recognise their capital city of choice and the clear reality on the ground. It would be a symbolic but important step for Australia to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city formally and to move our embassy there.”
Ian Worby, James Paterson and Keith Buxton holding the thousands of petition signatures
It has been a privilege to work with a core group of pro-Israel Christian leaders during this significant and historic year in initiating and promoting this petition (www.embassytojerusalem.com). Please pray that the favour of the Lord will rest strongly upon the advancement of this petition.
We remember that the Australian government played a significant role in the events leading to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. On 29 November 1947 the United Nations proposed the partition of Palestine into two separate Jewish and Arab states, and when UN General Assembly resolution 181 was brought to a vote Australia was the first country to vote ‘Yes’.
After submitting the petition, it was a privilege to join Ian Worby at a special ‘Celebrating Israel’ function in Parliament House marking exactly 70 years since this resolution was passed and the commencement of the 70th-anniversary celebrations of the State of Israel.On 8 November in Washington DC the former US and Israeli ambassadors to the UN were among the witnesses who testified at a significant hearing on relocating the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Congressman Jim Jordan pointedly and compellingly declared that, “This is the right time to do this thing… So let’s just get it done.”
Pray with us that Australia, with its 100 years of mateship with Israel still resonating in the hearts of so many of us, will recognise that it’s time to move Australia’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and will ‘just get it done’ – and be in the international forefront once again!
Keith Buxton
Principal Petitioner on behalf of Australian pro-Israel Christian leaders.
