In a meeting on the sidelines of the UN general assembly in New York, the prime minister told Israel’s caretaker leader Yair Lapid about an “overview of the current location” of the building, Downing Street said in a statement. The status of Jerusalem, which Israelis and Palestinians claim as their capital, is one of the most sensitive issues in the long-running conflict. East Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, has been considered occupied Palestinian territory under international law since the 1967 Six-Day War. Like the vast majority of the international community, the UK’s position up to this point has been that the divided city should host consulates, rather than embassies, until a final peace deal is reached. Fulfilling Trump’s 2018 campaign promise to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital drew international condemnation and led to protests and clashes in which Israeli forces killed dozens of Palestinians. The then UK Prime Minister Theresa May criticized the move at the time. On Thursday, the Israeli prime minister tweeted his thanks to Truss for what he described as a “positive consideration” of the move. “We will continue to strengthen cooperation between the countries,” he said. Thanks to my good friend, British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who announced that she is positively considering moving the British embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel – we will continue to strengthen cooperation between the countries 🇮🇱🇬🇧 Photo: Avi Ohion, LAM pic.twitter.com/0DZB0TGMsl — Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) September 22, 2022 The Guardian understands that moving the embassy was one of the options put to Truss by Foreign Office staff in late 2021 during her time as Foreign Secretary. However, he made no substantial policy changes during his two years abroad. The Prime Minister appears to have first publicly floated the idea of relocating the embassy in a letter to the Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) caucus during the Tory leadership campaign in the summer. She wrote: “I understand the importance and sensitivity of the location of the British embassy in Israel. I have had many conversations with my good friend… Stupid about this. Recognizing this, I will review a move to ensure we operate with the strongest base within Israel.” In a meeting with the CFI, he promised that “under my leadership, Israel will have no steadier friend in the world. This is what I have done as Foreign Secretary and Trade Secretary. I don’t just talk the talk – I walk the walk.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Pressed in the House of Commons on September 6 by Tory MP Michael Fabricant to follow the US and move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Foreign Secretary Amanda Milling said: “The British embassy in Israel is in Tel Aviv. I am aware of the possibility of a review, but I will not speculate further on this point.” Her remarks suggest the review is just getting underway, but supporters of the move within the Conservative Party claim the proposal will prove less controversial than a few years ago because of the precedent set by the Trump administration and the thaw of relations between Israel and Israel and some Arab countries following the Abrahamic agreements. Downing Street has been contacted to explain how long the review will take. Besides the US, only three states have embassies in Israel in Jerusalem – Kosovo, Honduras and Guatemala – all of which moved from Tel Aviv after the US relocation.
