Courtesy of JNS. Photo credit: Moshe Shai/Flash90
An aerial view of the Old City of Jerusalem, Dec. 17, 2019
(JNS) — The Israeli Knesset on Tuesday passed a law stipulating that only embassy-level diplomatic missions be opened in Jerusalem, a move meant to reaffirm the city’s status as the country’s capital.
The law, based on a bill sponsored by Knesset members Ze’ev Elkin (New Hope) and Dan Illouz (Likud), passed by 29-7 and does not affect existing consulates.
The development comes amid a growing trend of nations moving or considering moving their embassies to Jerusalem. One such country is the Republic of Paraguay, which announced its intention to do so earlier this year. Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano declared in September that the country would open its embassy in Jerusalem by the end of 2024.
In May, the incoming center-right Dutch government agreed to study the possibility of relocating the Netherlands’ embassy from its current location in Ramat Gan to Jerusalem. This agreement was part of a draft coalition pact approved by lawmakers from the four prospective governing parties.
MK Illouz said in a statement to the press following the passing of the law that “Jerusalem is the core of our sovereignty. This law makes it clear once and for all that Jerusalem is ours and is not for sale. It’s a historic law that joins other historic laws passed in recent days.”
U.N. Security Council Resolution 478, passed in 1980, was the last of seven resolutions condemning Israel’s annexation of eastern Jerusalem following the 1967 war, calling for countries to withdraw diplomatic missions from the city. As a result, most foreign embassies relocated to Tel Aviv and surrounding areas. Resolution 478 declared Israel’s “Jerusalem law,” which was passed earlier that year, a “violation of international law.”
