Analysis: The international embassy race to Jerusalem

Which countries will be the first to join the Americans in moving their embassies to Jerusalem?

By: Daniel Krygier, Political Analyst, World Israel News

US President Donald Trump does not appear impressed by the widespread international condemnations of his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Quite the contrary. The shameful Orwellian UN show seems only to have strengthened the Trump’s administration’s determination to proceed with the implementation of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

What started with a US recognition of reality concerning Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, developed into an international attack on America’s sovereignty. Nikki Haley, the eloquent US ambassador to the UN, passionately reprimanded the UN for having “disrespected” America.

While opposing it vocally, the EU and the Muslim world realize they cannot prevent the move of the American embassy to Jerusalem.

President Trump’s determination to stand his ground on Jerusalem has been noticed behind closed doors worldwide. The question is: Which countries will be the first to join the Americans in moving their embassies to Jerusalem? Time will tell, but the first candidates are likely to emerge from America’s closest allies.

While Australia and Canada both abstained during the UN vote on Jerusalem, they are both close US allies and generally friendly towards Israel. It is therefore likely that the Canadians and the Australians will be among the first countries to move their embassies to the Israeli capital.

Other likely candidates are those countries that voted with the US and Israel against the UN Resolution and have embassies in Tel Aviv: Guatemala and Honduras. Russia surprisingly already recognized West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital several months ago. It is therefore possible that the Russians could eventually decide to move their embassy to a location in Jerusalem within the green line.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Israel is in talks with several unnamed countries about moving their embassies to Israel’s capital. It is quite likely that some of these countries are from Africa, given the strengthening of ties between Israel and many key African countries. This counterbalances the deterioration of Israel’s established ties with South Africa due to the South African regime’s embrace of the PLO’s anti-Israel extremism.

The European Union (EU) frequently projects an image of unity on the Middle East and other international issues. In reality, the EU is bitterly divided on both domestic and international issues. The eastern European countries are generally more pro-Israel and are increasingly frustrated with unpopular dictates from Brussels to open their borders to Middle Eastern migrants.

The Czech president has already expressed support for moving his country’s embassy to Jerusalem. Other potential candidates are Hungary, Poland and Romania. In western Europe, post-Brexit Britain appears as the most likely candidate to eventually abandon Brussels’ hostile position towards Israel’s capital Jerusalem.

Israel’s diplomatic struggles have never been easy and were never won without great efforts by Israel and her allies. However, the world reluctantly got used to a reborn Jewish state and will eventually get used to Jerusalem as the capital of the reborn Jewish nation.