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ustralia’s conservative prime minister stood by his decision on Sunday to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, despite criticism from neighboring Muslim countries, AFP reported.

Canberra became one of a handful of governments to follow United States President Donald Trump’s lead and recognise the contested city as Israel’s capital, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Saturday.

However, a contentious embassy shift from Tel Aviv—a proposal made during a crucial Sydney by-election that critics said was timed at attracting Jewish voters — will not occur until a peace settlement is achieved.

Australia’s Muslim-majority neighbor Malaysia said Sunday that it “strongly opposes” the decision to recognize West Jerusalem.

The announcement was “premature and a humiliation to the Palestinians and their struggle for the right to self-determination”, the Malaysian government said in a statement advocating a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Australia’s immediate neighbor Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, said Saturday it “notes” the decision.

Jakarta reminded Australia that Jerusalem was one of the key issues that must be settled in the Israel-Palestine peace negotiation.

“Indonesia reiterates that the issue of Jerusalem is one of the six issues that must be negotiated and decided as the final part of comprehensive peace between Palestine and Israel in the framework of two-state solutions,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Indonesia made the same argument when Morrison announced in October that he had considered moving Australia’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

His unexpected announcement came days before a crucial by-election in an electorate with strong Jewish representation, a poll his party subsequently lost.

At the time, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi questioned the merit of the announcement and said the issue of Jerusalem was one of the six points that must be negotiated and decided on as a factor in any comprehensive peace plan between Palestine and Israel, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions and various peace negotiations in the UN General Assembly.

The ministry emphasized that Indonesia’s support for Palestine was a constitutional mandate and that Indonesia would continue to support the struggle of the Palestinian people to obtain their rights.

“Indonesia invites Australia and all members of the United Nations to immediately recognize the Palestinian state, and work together to achieve sustainable peace and agreement between Palestine and Israel
based on the principle of the two-state solution,” the statement reads.

Citing Indonesia’s response, Morrison said Sunday that the international reaction had been “measured” and that his decision would progress a two-state solution.

“I think the responses that we have seen from countries so far have been measured,” Morrison told reporters in Canberra.

“Australia would continue to respect a two-state outcome that remained our goal as strongly as ever.”

Israel’s Embassy in Canberra on Sunday said the decision was a “step in the right direction”.

Both Israel and the Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital.

Most foreign nations avoided moving embassies there to prevent inflaming peace talks on the city’s final status — until Trump unilaterally moved the US Embassy earlier this year.