Minister Saar says Colombia’s embassy is expected to move to Jerusalem — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that next month Colombia is expected to become the tenth country to have an embassy in Jerusalem. According to him, Israel has also reached an agreement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to open an embassy in the city, although a date has not yet been set.
As reported by the Jerusalem Post, Saar called the relocation of foreign embassies to Jerusalem part of a broader diplomatic struggle over Israel’s place in the international system. He claims that since he took office, the number of foreign embassies in Jerusalem has approximately doubled.
Contacts in Latin America
Saar said that he raised the issue of relocating the embassy in a conversation with Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella before the elections. According to him, he also discussed the matter with the vice president of Nauru during a visit to Fiji and, recently, with Slovenia’s prime minister.
The minister called the current year at the ministry the “year of Latin America” and pointed to opportunities for developing ties with countries in the region. As an example of long-term cooperation, he cited Honduras, where Israel sends medical teams, including ophthalmologists, and also implements projects in water supply, agriculture and healthcare.
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Relations with Britain and Iran
Saar described Israel’s relations with the United Kingdom under the Labour government as being at an unprecedented low. He linked this, among other things, to British sanctions concerning Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
According to the publication, Israel responded by closing the British consulate in East Jerusalem, restricting the activities of British representatives dealing with issues concerning the Palestinian Authority and Gaza, and declaring several Britons personae non gratae. Saar also said that, in his view, Iran has weakened diplomatically, although it has not become completely isolated. He stressed that Israel’s main commitment remains preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The Israeli foreign minister added that diplomacy should not be secondary to military power for Israel, given the diplomatic, economic and legal pressure during the war.
