Arab diplomats in London urge British PM Liz Truss not to move embassy to Jerusalem

Arab diplomats in the UK have urged newly appointed British Prime Minister Liz Truss not to move the British embassy to Jerusalem, according to reports.

A private letter sent by the diplomats opposing the move has the endorsement of all Arab countries represented in London, The Guardian reported, a week after Truss said she was considering the embassy relocation.

Israel considers Jerusalem as its capital, while some Palestinians hope for occupied East Jerusalem – annexed in 1967 – to be the capital of any future state of theirs.

Most embassies are based in Tel Aviv rather than Jerusalem due to the international view that no party has sovereignty over the holy city.

Arab diplomats who support the Abraham Accords – which normalised ties between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain in 2020 – fear that their decision to sign the deal with Israel will be seen as what led countries to decide to break the taboo of moving their diplomatic missions to Jerusalem.

Some Arab diplomats also believe that if Truss goes ahead with her plan to move the embassy, a free trade deal between Britain and the Gulf Corporation Council – due to be completed this year – could be jeopardised, according to The Guardian.

EU allies have reportedly advised the UK against the move and are speculating that Truss took the initiative in order to be taken notice of as a disruptive force.

Truss said last week that she was considering moving the British embassy to Jerusalem, to a warm reception from Israel.

This follows Donald Trump's hugely controversial decision in 2018 to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador in London, said that any realisation of the move would "undermine the two-state solution" and be a "blatant violation of international law and the UK’s historic responsibilities".