The president of the Czech Republic on Wednesday announced the beginning of a process that will move his country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to Occupied Jerusalem according to Israeli sources.
President Miloš Zeman announced the three-staged move which starts next month with the appointment of an honorary consul in Occupied Jerusalem and is to conclude at an undetermined time with the relocation of the embassy.
Israeli politicians hailed Zeman’s speech despite the fact that as president he has limited executive power. Acting Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis is opposed to a full-fledged relocation of the embassy saying he does not want to break with EU policy.
“There will be I hope three phases of the transfer of the Czech embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem” Zeman said at a pro-Israel event at Prague Castle.
“The second phase well we have many many institutions: Czech Invest Czech Trade Czech Tourism Czech Center. And all those institutions are to be transferred from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem” he said.
The actual embassy move would be the third stage.
On December 6 US President Donald Trump bucked decades of US foreign policy by formally recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and setting in motion plans to move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.
Trump’s decision to move his country’s embassy welcomed by Israel has been condemned by many leaders and foreign ministers across the world who have said the city’s status should be determined through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
