Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on Sunday welcomed the Dominican Republic’s declaration that it is considering moving embassy to Jerusalem.
“I congratulate the FM of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Alvarez, on the decision of the Dominican Government to consider moving their embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem,” Ashkenazi tweeted.
The statement published by the Dominican Republic's Foreign Ministry asserted that the country's ties with the Jewish people date all the way back to the 15th century, when the first waves of Spanish immigrants arrived.
Ahead of the Second World War, "the Dominican Republic opened its borders and welcomed several thousand European Jewish refugees," it added.
In case the Dominican Republic moved on with its decision, it would be the fourth country to transfer its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem after the US, Guatemala, and Paraguay.
In another context, the Palestinian Authority condemned the decision to allow Americans born in Jerusalem to list Israel as their birthplace on their passports.
“East Jerusalem is occupied land, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s statements are unacceptable and constitute a flagrant violation of international law,” according to Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudainah.
Further, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem asserted that the US decision shows Washington’s insistence on fully implementing the Deal of the Century propelled by some Arab countries normalizing ties with the Israeli occupation.
Throughout the past US administrations, Americans born in Jerusalem weren’t permitted to list Israel as their birthplace on their passports.
At the end of 2017, US President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as a unified capital for Israel – Palestinians for their part rejected this step.
