Plan to move UK embassy to Jerusalem raises alarm bells among Palestinians

The Cradle, October 4, 2022 — Newly appointed British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced that she is currently reviewing the re-location of the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

On 3 October, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh expressed concern over London’s decision to review the location of its embassy in Israel, potentially moving it from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Newly appointed British Prime Minister Liz Truss announced that she is currently reviewing the relocation of the embassy, and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has recently expressed gratitude towards Truss’s consideration.

Shtayyeh remarked that any alteration in the status quo of Jerusalem would directly undermine the two-state solution.

The US had previously moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018, with the move infuriating Palestinians.  Countries like Honduras, Guatemala, and Kosovo have since followed suit.

Shtayyeh added that this diplomatic move would hurt British relations with Arabs, Palestinians, and Muslims worldwide.

On 21 September, Truss met with Lapid on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York and told him that the UK is considering moving its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Truss, who replaced former prime minister Boris Johnson in early September, had assured the British, pro-Israel lobbyist organization, Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) last month that she would consider moving the embassy to Jerusalem.

“I understand the importance and sensitivity of the location of the British Embassy in Israel. I’ve had many conversations with my good friend Prime Minister Yair Lapid on this topic,” she said at the time.

In 2017, former US president Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel, announcing the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. The move was criticized at the time by then British prime minister Theresa May, who referred to it as a roadblock to peace.

The decision also outraged millions across Palestine, as well as across the rest of the Arab and Muslim world.

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