Israel: ‘No New Diplomatic Missions Other Than Embassies In Jerusalem’ (Worthy News In-Depth)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – No new diplomatic missions other than embassies will be allowed in Jerusalem, which Israel regards as its “eternal undivided capital,” the Jewish nation’s parliament, the Knesset, decided Tuesday.
The United States, under then-President Donald J. Trump, was the first Western nation to move its embassy to Jerusalem.
On Tuesday, lawmakers voted 29-7 for a bill to encourage the establishment of more embassies in the capital, as no new consulates are allowed there.
The latest legislation is an amendment to “the Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel.”
However, Israeli sources said the law will not affect the status of existing diplomatic missions, including consulates, in the Israeli capital.
It was also not expected to impact the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ). “The Christian Embassy is not an accredited diplomatic mission,” the ICEJ explained.
“It does represent tens of millions of Christians worldwide, including many churches and entire denominations, who share a Biblical worldview that compels them to bless and comfort Israel in our day. We faithfully carry out our mandate to show favor to the Jewish nation and people.”
DIPLOMATIC TREATY
The bill adopted Tuesday says that “diplomatic” embassies in Jerusalem must be ones of states accredited to the State of Israel and have diplomatic treaties with the Jewish nation.
That prevents the establishment of diplomatic missions in Jerusalem servicing Palestinians from, for instance, Gaza or the West Bank, also known as Judaea and Samaria, according to a Worthy News assessment.
Experts say the modern State of Israel made its capital clear from its inception, moving the Constituent Assembly—later renamed the Knesset—from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 1949.
Under the law, new consulates in Israel must only support “residents of Israel or officials tasked with interacting with Israel.“
Legislators Ze’ev Elkin of the right-wing United Right alliance and Dan Illouz of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party initiated the law to prevent Jerusalem’s division.
They condemn the growing number of countries recognizing Palestine as an independent state with parts of Jerusalem as its capital.
“Jerusalem is the eternal and undividable capital of the State of Israel, and we will not enable any other country to question our sovereignty over a unified Jerusalem. No pressure will deter us from maintaining this important principle,” Elkin said in published remarks.
Illouz added, “Whoever questions [a unified] Jerusalem questions the very existence of the State of Israel, and we will not accept this. This law clarifies once and for all: Jerusalem is ours, and it is not for sale.”
EAST JERUSALEM
He made clear that Israel’s capital includes East Jerusalem, which modern-day Israel took over in 1967 following the Six-Day War against a coalition of Arab states.
Most countries do not recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and base their embassies in Tel Aviv, often opening smaller consulates in Jerusalem.
However, Elkin recalled that during the previous government’s tenure, he had threatened to “quit the coalition if a new U.S. consulate would be opened in Jerusalem” to serve Palestinians.
He passed the bill “for the State of Israel not to find itself again under diplomatic pressure to open consulates.”
Eight countries operate consulates-general in Jerusalem, which are not diplomatic missions to Israel but to what they consider Palestine.
Currently, five countries — the U.S., Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, and Papua New Guinea — have embassies in Jerusalem.
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