Czech premier says moving embassy to Jerusalem would be ‘desirable step’ now

LONDON (AA) – Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has reiterated his wish to relocate his country’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, saying it would be “a desirable step” now.

“I have personally been a proponent of relocating the Czech Embassy to Jerusalem for a long time. I am convinced that this would be a desirable step at the present time,” Fiala wrote on X.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Middle East conflict, with Palestinians insisting that East Jerusalem – illegally occupied by Israel since 1967 – should serve as the capital of the Palestinian state.

According to international law, Jerusalem, which has sacred sites for Muslims, Christians and Jews, is an international city.

Following the US’s relocation of its embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, only a few countries followed suit, including Honduras, Guatemala and Kosovo, while many other countries opposed the decisions.

“I intend to discuss the specific course of action in this situation with my coalition partners,” he added.

The Gaza-based Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel early Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets. It said the surprise attack was in response to the repeated stormings of the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and growing settler violence in recent months.

In retaliation, the Israeli army launched the ferocious Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip targeting civilians, residential complexes, schools and hospitals.