Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday said that he plans to move Brazil’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, joining the US and Guatemala.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the plan.
In a tweet on Thursday, Bolsonaro said: “As previously stated during our campaign, we intend to transfer the Brazilian Embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. Israel is a sovereign state and we shall duly respect that.”
It was the first time since being elected on Sunday that Bolsonaro referred to his plan to move the embassy.
Netanyahu issued a statement saying: “I congratulate my friend Brazilian President-Elect Jair Bolsonaro for his intention to move the Brazilian Embassy to Jerusalem, a historic, correct and exciting step!”
Netanyahu spoke to Bolsonaro earlier this week, congratulating him on his victory and inviting him to visit Israel.
Paraguay briefly moved its embassy to Jerusalem as well, only to move it back to Tel Aviv after Mario Abdo Benitez became president.
Palestine claims east Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War, as the capital of a future state. Israel claims all of the city, including the eastern sector, home to Jerusalem’s most important religious sites, as its eternal capital.
Most countries maintain embassies in Tel Aviv, saying the final status of Jerusalem must be determined through negotiations.
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