TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – The government of the Dominican Republic will consider the issue of relocating its embassy to Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said on Saturday.
On Twitter Israeli FM Gabi Ashkenazi congratulated FM of the Dominican Republic Roberto Alvarez, saying this is an “important decision”.
Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in the course of the Six-Day War in 1967, is currently a non-negotiable item for the Palestinians, as are the occupied territories in the West Bank and Jordan River Valley where Israel has been building settlements. The Israeli government, in turn, has refused to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state and deemed the expansion of its settlements legitimate, despite objections from the United Nations.
The Palestinian Authority claims East Jerusalem as its capital and agrees to negotiations regarding the status of West Jerusalem, while Israel considers a united Jerusalem as its de jure capital.
In December of 2017, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which meant that the US formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital. The new embassy opened half a year later, with Israel hoping that it would prompt a mass relocation of embassies to the previously tabooed city, especially on the part of the European Union. Trump’s decision was condemned by Palestine and many Arab countries.
So far, only Guatemala followed the US’ lead and opened an embassy in Jerusalem.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
