Jerusalem may be about 14,000 kilometres away from Canberra, but its "status" continues to court controversy.
On Tuesday, Australia's Labor government reversed the 2018 decision by the Coalition to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The flip is considered symbolic and has been welcomed by many Palestinians.
However, critics argue it undermines Israel's ability to choose its own capital city.
This is what the decision means, and the ramifications it could have.
What has Australia done historically?
Australia forged its diplomatic relations with Israel in 1949, with the opening of the Australian embassy in Tel Aviv, and the Israeli embassy in Canberra.
Australia does not recognise Palestine as a country.
Australian foreign policy has long supported a two-state solution, for Israel to co-exist in peace and security with Palestine, while recognising a future separate state, and its borders.
Australia recognises Palestinian people's wish to establish their own state, with a capital in East Jerusalem.
Why did Australia change its stance?
In May 2018, President Donald Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, declaring it the capital of Israel.
It was a popular move amongst evangelical Christians, and the Jewish population.
In December that year, then-Australian prime minister Scott Morrison confirmed the government would recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel but would not immediately be moving its embassy from Tel Aviv.
"We look forward moving to our embassy to West Jerusalem when practical, in support of and after, final status determination," Mr Morrison said during a speech in Sydney.
At a press conference yesterday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong described the move as a cynical ploy to win electoral support for Dave Sharma, who was contesting a by-election in the Sydney seat of Wentworth.
According to the latest census data, Jewish people make up about 16.2 per cent of the electorate.
What has the reaction been?
After the Morrison government's announcement, there was an outcry from the Palestinian community, and from several Canberra embassies representing countries in the Middle East.
Some of Australia's closest neighbours, like Indonesia and Malaysia, also raised concerns.
The recent reversal is not welcome by all, with Ran Porat, a lecturer and expert on Middle Eastern affairs from Monash University, saying the decision was complicated.
"The implications from the Israeli perspective and the Jewish perspective is negative, specifically the symbolism in all that is related to conflicts in the Middle East," Mr Porat, who is Jewish, said.
However, Lana Tatour, a former Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Palestine Studies at Columbia University who is now based at the University of NSW, said most countries did not recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
"I hope the current government will take more steps holding Israel accountable, this is a good first step, but it is too little, not enough, and there is more room for Australia to play a positive and productive role," she said.
Why is the capital so contentious?
Historically, Australia has been committed to a two-state peace solution between Israel and Palestine that never included Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
That was an issue set to be decided after a two-state solution was achieved.
Most countries do not consider Jerusalem the capital of Israel, but some do, including Russia, Vanuatu and Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden has not indicated whether he will reverse Mr Trump's decision.
Senator Wong said the dispute over the capital should be resolved by the Palestinian and Israeli people, and that the Australian government's decision was consistent with historical international foreign policy.
Jerusalem is the historical home of Judaism and is often referred to as the "Biblical Heartland".
However, it is also the third holiest site for Islam, and the first direction in which Muslim's prayed, before Mecca.
It also holds countless Christian religious sites.
