Suriname to open embassy in Jerusalem: Israel

By Abdel Raouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) - Suriname is planning to open an embassy in the city of Jerusalem, the Israeli foreign minister said on Monday.

“Today, during our meeting in Jerusalem, Surinamese Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin informed me that his country plans to soon open an embassy in Jerusalem,” Yair Lapid said on Twitter.

A statement by the Foreign Ministry said Lapid informed Ramdin of his country’s readiness to send humanitarian aid to Surinamese people who were affected by severe floods that hit the South American country about a month ago.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Mideast conflict, with Palestinians insisting that East Jerusalem – illegally occupied by Israel since 1967 – should serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.

Israel has been trying to convince countries to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

The United States, Kosovo, Guatemala and Honduras have heeded Israeli calls to open embassies in Jerusalem in violation of international law, including United Nations resolutions on the status of Jerusalem.

The majority of countries that have diplomatic relations with Israel, however, still refuse to move their embassies from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar