Israel's Capital Now Devoid Of Embassies
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - El Salvador Friday announced it would move its embassy to Israel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, leaving the Jewish state's capital city devoid of any foreign embassies. A week earlier, Costa Rica decided to move its diplomatic mission to Tel Aviv in an effort to improve relations with the Arab world. Israeli government officials cited by The Jerusalem Post said the Salvadorian move was likewise motivated by Arab pressure. Under UN Security Council Resolution 181, the thirteen nations that had established embassies in Jerusalem, including both Costa Rica and El Salvador, moved their missions to Tel Aviv in 1981. By 1984, the Costa Rican and Salvadorian embassies had returned to the capital. Israel views all of Jerusalem, including the eastern half containing the "old city" and Temple Mount, as the historic, undivided capital of the Jewish people. The city is mentioned more than 600 times in the Hebrew scriptures. Affirming that view, the US Congress in 1995 passed the Jerusalem Embassy Act, obligating Washington to move its embassy to Jerusalem at the earliest possible date. On Saturday, Mayor Uri Lupolianski said that Costa Rica's and El Salvador's abandonment of the city made the US move more important than ever. Lupolianski told Ynet, "Only the transfer of the American Embassy can encourage and attract the other emb |
