“Today I announced the first step, which is the opening of a trade office in Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel. This mission will serve as an extension of our embassy in Tel Aviv,” he was quoted as saying in a government statement.
Last year, the United States relocated its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem prompting the outrage of the Muslim world. Brazil, the Czech Republic, Guatemala and Honduras have also recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. The United Nations has urged its member states to refrain from moving diplomatic missions to Jerusalem until the city’s legal status is settled.
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Israel seized then Jordan-controlled East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1980, the Israeli parliament adopted the Jerusalem Law proclaiming the entire city Israel’s undivided capital. The international community does not recognize the annexation and believes the status of Jerusalem should be agreed with the Palestinians, who claim its eastern part as the capital of their future state.