Education Minister Yoav Kisch called on Tuesday for ministers to move their embassies into Jerusalem, “the eternal capital of the State of Israel.”
Kisch met with education ministers and senior executives from technology companies worldwide at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, as part of the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Innovation in Education.
In his remarks to the international delegations, Kisch said, “We are in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the State of Israel, a city that we will not divide under any circumstances or conditions. I call on you to act in your country and move the embassies of your countries to Jerusalem."
US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, was also attending the event and responded to the minister’s statement, saying, “I join the minister's call and hope that you will act accordingly. The United States already moved its embassy in 2018 and stated that Jerusalem is the united capital of the Jewish people, which cannot be divided. This was a practical and important step."
Why are other countries’ embassies not in Jerusalem?
Traditionally, embassies are located in the country’s capital, but in Israel, most are in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem.
In 2018, under the first Trump administration, the US embassy to Israel was moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, making it the first major power to relocate its embassy to Israel’s capital.
Other countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem as they do not recognize Israeli sovereignty over all of Jerusalem. Many nations abide by the UN resolutions, which view Jerusalem as a separate entity, instead of recognizing the 1980 Israeli law that defined Jerusalem as the country’s capital.
The UK has the British Consulate General in Jerusalem, which serves as the British embassy to the UK-recognized State of Palestine, whilst its embassy to Israel remains in Tel Aviv, not in the capital.