The Palestinians called the UK’s proposal to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem a “blatant violation of international law”. British Prime Minister Liz Truss is said to have spoken to her Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, about the review at the United Nations.
Such a move would be highly controversial. The opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem in 2018 sparked outrage in the Arab world. Mr. Lapid tweeted his thanks to Mrs. Truss for “considering positively”. He described Ms. Truss as his “good friend” and wrote in Hebrew after the two met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Downing Street did not give a date but confirmed a review was underway.
British officials said they would not speculate on the outcome, adding that Ms. Truss was aware of the sensitivity and importance of the location of the British Embassy in Israel.
The status of Jerusalem is one of the most sensitive issues in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel sees the entire city as its eternal, undivided capital, while the Palestinians claim the eastern part as the capital of their hoped-for future state. East Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, was conquered by Israel from Jordan and Egypt in the 1967 Middle East War and has since been internationally considered occupied Palestinian territory.
Palestinian Ambassador to Britain Husam Zomlot tweeted that it was “extremely unfortunate” that Ms. Truss had used her first appearance at the United Nations as Prime Minister to “commit to potentially breaking international law”.
He said any embassy move was “a flagrant violation” of “Britain’s historic responsibility” and undermined the two-state solution of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Such a promise is immoral, illegal, and irresponsible!” he said
