Foreign Minister Riyad Malki said, Thursday, that the European Union (EU) has made it very clear to all its member states that they should abide by the EU’s general policy on Jerusalem, which is capital of two states and that they should not move their embassies in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Malki told Voice of Palestine that the leadership got in touch with the European Union from the first day, to prevent any of its member states from transferring their embassy to Jerusalem.
He said that, despite all the pressure, extortion and temptations exerted by Israel on some EU countries, such as the Czech Republic and Romania, in order to break the European Union’s consensus and move the embassy to Jerusalem, they all have failed.
He said that this issue was raised with foreign ministers from German and France, during their visit to the region about month ago, who confirmed that they will not allow any diversion from the EU position on this issue.
Malki said the EU reiterated, a few days ago, its position on moving embassy of member states to Jerusalem, confirming that no state will be allowed to break the consensus on the subject of Jerusalem.
He said that this is why there have been attempts by the Czech Republic and Romania to go around this decision and talk about opening honorary consulates in Jerusalem.
He said that both the Czech Republic and Romania have had consular offices in Jerusalem for more than 10 years, which means that there is nothing new in their positions, which contradicts Israeli statements intended to give the impression that they took a new position.
He said that both the Czech Republic and Romania want to remain within the EU, and they realized that, if they disobeyed the EU consensus, they would be subject to sanctions.
He pointed out that the positions announced by various countries prove the falsehood of statements by Netanyahu, in which he claimed that more than 10 countries will transfer their embassy to Jerusalem, with the exception of Guatemala, which is currently being followed up, through legal means and protest marches, to prevent it from moving its embassy to Jerusalem.
Malki said a meeting will be held on Friday, in Brussels, with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, during which the subject of Jerusalem and the transfer of the US embassy to it, or any other country’s attempt to move its embassy, will be discussed.
(photo: Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Malki, PNN)
04/24/18 Germany Not to Move Embassy to Jerusalem, says Merkel
