Last foreign embassies leave Jerusalem in compliance with its international status
Tel Aviv (AsiaNews) The Embassies to Israel of Costa Rica and El Salvador have officially left Jerusalem, moving to Tel Aviv. The decision was taken first by the old-new President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, and was then followed also by El Salvador. Costa Rica announced openly that its decision was motivated by the exigencies of international legality. The Israeli press, reporting the move of the two Central American nations, has added that there is now no foreign embassy left in Jerusalem.
The entire area of "Jerusalem and its environs" was designated by the United Nations in 1947 (Resolution 181 of 29 November, which also authorised the establishment - a year later - of the State of Israel) designated Jerusalem a "corpus separatum" under international administration, mainly to secure the major Holy Places and the rights of the major religions in Jerusalem. But this part of the Resolution was not respected. Jordan and Israel annexed different portions of the City, and after the 1967 war between them, Israel unilaterally annexed the entire City, declaring the whole of Jerusalem its "eternal and indivisible capital city."
No State has ever recognised any of these annexations. States that earlier had consulates in Jerusalem, including, among others, the United States and Italy, have continued to maintain in Jerusalem - and still do - consulates general of "corpus separatum", accredited to no one. Their embassies accredited to Israel are located in - or near - Tel Aviv, the economic and cultural metropolitan centre.
A few States, including Costa Rica and El Salvador, did locate their embassies in Jerusalem, while emphasising that they were not thereby challenging the international consensus. Significantly, their rent was said to be covered by the Israeli government.
Now they too appear to have concluded that the physical location of their embassies is not compatible with their own understanding of international law in the matter.
The Israeli Government has expressed regret over the move of the two embassies away from Jerusalem, but wisely appears to have no intention of placing strains on the friendly relations Israel enjoys with both of them.
The Holy See also, which established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1994, has its embassy, the Apostolic Nunciature, in Tel Aviv (in the Jaffa section of the city), and continues to keep its Apostolic Delegation (the analogate of the consulates of "corpus separatum") in Jerusalem, where it has been since 1948.
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17/01/2019 11:24
14/05/2018 10:19
