Donald Trump shocked the global diplomatic community in 2017, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel, and deciding to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to perhaps the most disputed city in the world. The Czech ambassador to Israel, Martin Stropnicky, told CTK in August that nobody would follow the American move. Andrej Babis (ANO), during a February visit to Tel Aviv, said that a move of the Czech embassy is not on the horizon.
None-the-less yesterday, during a press conference, senator Zdenek Papousek (KDU-CSL) called on the move of the embassy to Jerusalem, with the support of 26 senators; and he says more senators may join. That means nearly one third of the senate supports the measure publicly. Also in the mix is Milos Zeman, who has been a long-time supporter of the move, promising Israel to help push the decision in Czechia.
The other side of the argument is sobering. First there is an open conflict between Palestine and Israel over the handling of Palestine, and what it means to each side. Moving the embassy to the city could be a violation of the OSN resolution on the conflict. Furthermore, it is not only Palestine which is rigorously opposed to the move, but a number of Middle-Eastern and Arabic countries who list the issue among their top geopolitical red lines. It’s no way to make friends in the area.
