By:  David Parsons, ICEJ Vice President Senior Spokesman

Move comes with backing from Christian-Jewish alliance

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem on Saturday welcomed the decision of Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his government to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to begin the process of locating a place to serve as their nation’s future Embassy in Jerusalem.

“Since our founding in 1980, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem has been calling on the nations to return to Jerusalem, the rightful and only capital of Israel,” said Dr. Juergen Buehler, President of the ICEJ. “So we applaud Prime Minister Morrison and his cabinet for taking this principled stand of solidarity with the Jewish people in their ancient attachment to this city. There can be no doubt that Jerusalem is the ‘heart’ of the Jewish people, and it is long past time for the international community to come to terms with this reality.”

The move by the Australian government comes with the backing of a broad coalition of Jewish, Christian and civic groups who have joined together over the past year to urge their nation’s leaders to formally recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to move the nation’s Embassy to Jerusalem. The Australian branch of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem took a lead role in bringing together the broad alignment behind this lobbying effort, which also includes the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Australian Jewish Association, Liberal Friends of Israel, Zionist Federation of Australia, Rabbinic Council of Australia and New Zealand, Advance Australia, Bridges For Peace Australia, and Christians for Israel Australia.

The ICEJ also has been instrumental in the moves of the United States and Guatemalan embassies to Jerusalem, as well as the Czech Republic’s decision to begin the process of moving its embassy to Jerusalem.

When the last 13 national embassies left Jerusalem in 1980, the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem was founded that year as a permanent representation of Christian solidarity with Israel and particularly its capital of Jerusalem. Today, the ICEJ has branch offices in nearly 100 nations and supporters from more than 170 countries worldwide.