Palestinians, Arab League condemn opening of Czech diplomatic office in Jerusalem

The Palestinian Authority and the Arab League have condemned the Czech Republic's opening of a diplomatic office in Jerusalem, calling it a violation of international law. Prague opened a Jerusalem branch of its Israel embassy, which is located in Tel Aviv, at the beginning of March. Its inauguration, on Thursday, was attended by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who was on a working visit to the country.

The Czech Republic has stressed that the move is aimed at boosting services for Czech citizens in Israel, and does not amount to opening a new embassy. The Czech Republic is perceived as Israel‘s strongest ally in the EU and President Zeman has long advocated moving the country’s embassy to Jerusalem. However, the government, which moulds the country’s foreign policy, has refused to do so. Only the US and Guatemala have moved their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.