Czech senators push to move Czech Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem

Prague, Dec 18 (CTK) – Twenty-six senators, including Senate chairman Jaroslav Kubera (Civic Democrats, ODS) and deputy chairwoman Miluse Horska (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL), have called for the moving of the Czech embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, KDU-CSL senator Zdenek Papousek said today.

Papousek told a press conference that more members of the 81-seat Senate may still support the call.

President Milos Zeman has been supporting the relocation of the embassy for a long time, but the government of Andrej Babis (ANO), which has the final word on the possible step, takes a reserved stance on it.

In the Israeli parliament last year, Zeman promised to do his utmost to promote the moving of the embassy to Jerusalem.

Opponents of the idea argue that the Czech Republic should wait until the solution to the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine, which includes a dispute over the status of Jerusalem.

They say that the relocation of the embassy and recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital city would violate United Nations resolutions.

Palestinians and other Arab countries have sharply protested against the relocation.

In December 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and he had the embassy relocated there in May 2018.

Czech Ambassador to Israel Martin Stropnicky told CTK in August that nobody else followed the American step. The Czech government respects the European policy and does not want to move the embassy.

During his visit to Jerusalem in February, Czech PM Andrej Babis (ANO) said the relocation of the embassy is not on the agenda. The Czech House opened in Jerusalem in 2018, but it does not have a diplomatic status.