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UK considers moving embassy to Jerusalem, Truss tells Lapid at UN

A Downing Street spokeswoman said Truss informed Lapid “about her review of the current location of the British Embassy in Israel.”

By Debbie Reiss, World Israel News

British Prime Minister Liz Truss has told her Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid that she is considering moving the British embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Truss raised the topic during a meeting with Lapid on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to British media reports.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said Truss informed Lapid “about her review of the current location of the British Embassy in Israel,” several UK newspapers reported.

Lapid thanked Truss on Twitter for considering the move, and added, “We will continue to strengthen the partnership between the countries.”

Truss, who Lapid hailed as a “great friend of Israel,” first pledged to review moving the embassy to Jerusalem in a letter sent last month to the Conservative Friends of Israel.

Truss said she understood the “importance and sensitivity” over its location.

“I’ve had many conversations with my good friend Prime Minister Lapid on this topic. Acknowledging that, I will review a move to ensure we are operating on the strongest footing within Israel,” she wrote.

Former President Donald Trump formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocated the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May of 2018, becoming the first country to make the move.

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Guatemala, Honduras, and Kosovo followed suit.

Lapid and Truss also discussed the Iranian nuclear deal in their meeting, and agreed that no more concessions should be offered to Tehran.

Lapid “emphasized that Israel’s expectation is the advancement of a longer and stronger deal that will provide a response to the full range of threats stemming from Iran,” a readout from his office said.

Lapid also expressed his condolences over the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the readout said.