UK Embassy in Tel Aviv
Arab ambassadors in London have urged UK Prime Minister Liz Truss to abandon the plan to move the British embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, The Guardian reported on Friday, citing a private letter.
The UK is considering moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem following a bilateral meeting between Truss and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
According to the private letter, sent by Arab diplomats, “an illegal and ill-judged” plan could jeopardize talks on a free trade deal between the UK and the Gulf Cooperation Council due to be concluded later this year.
The letter sent by the diplomats was reportedly approved by all Arab countries, while initially only a group of “predictable” pro-Palestinian countries was expected to object to the proposed embassy move.
The European Union allies of the UK also said that the move was unwise and suggested that Truss took the initiative not only due to her close ties with Israel but also out of her desire to be noticed as a “disruptive force,” according to The Guardian.
Israel considers Jerusalem to be its “one and indivisible” capital, with particular emphasis on the eastern areas and the historic centre that were regained from Jordan half a century ago and later annexed.
The majority of the countries in the world, however, do not recognise the annexation and consider the city status one of the core problems of the Middle East conflict, which should be resolved through an agreement with the Palestinians claiming the eastern part of Jerusalem. (Sputnik/NAN)
