Palestine slams Liz Truss' 'review' of Israel embassy site
PM Liz Truss informing her Israeli counterpart that she is reviewing location of Britain's embassy in Tel Aviv enrages Palestine, with its envoy to UK warning against "blatant violation of international law."
Israeli PM Yair Lapid says he was grateful to UK PM Truss for considering moving the embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.
Palestine has said any move by Britain to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would be "a blatant violation of International law".
British Prime Minister Liz Truss, in New York for the UN General Assembly, told her Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid on Wednesday "about her review of the current location of the British embassy in Israel", Downing Street in London said.
"It is extremely unfortunate that Prime Minister Liz Truss uses her first appearance at the UN to commit to potentially breaking international law by promising a 'review' of the location of the British embassy to Israel," the Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom tweeted on Thursday.
"Any embassy move would be a blatant violation of international law and the UK's historic responsibilities," Husam Zomlot wrote in English.
"It undermines the two-state solution & enflames an already volatile situation in Jerusalem, the rest of the occupied territories and among communities in the UK and worldwide. Such promise is immoral, illegal and irresponsible!"
Any embassy move would be a blatant violation of international law & the UK's historic responsibilities. It undermines the two-state solution & enflames an already volatile situation in #Jerusalem, the rest of the occupied territories and among communities in the UK and worldwide
— Husam Zomlot (@hzomlot) September 22, 2022
Controversial move
Such a move would follow former ex-president Donald Trump's controversial decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, a move which exacerbated deadly clashes between Israeli troops and protesting Palestinians in May 2018.
The controversial move was welcomed by Israel and criticised by the Arab world and Western allies.
At the time, Britain under ex-PM Theresa May had no plans to move its embassy and disagreed with the US move.
After their meeting, Israel's Lapid tweeted his thanks to Truss for considering such a move, but it sparked a firm response from the Palestinians.
Jerusalem is home to both the holiest place in Judaism and the third-holiest in Islam.
Palestinians call the Israeli-annexed eastern part of the city, East Jerusalem, the occupied heartland of their country.
US President Joe Biden has renewed Washington's long-standing call for a two-state solution but has not reversed Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
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