Austria refuses to relocate Israel embassy to Jerusalem

By Qais Abu Samra and Afra Aksoy</p> <p>RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Tuesday said his country would not follow Washington’s lead by relocating its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.</p> <p>Speaking at a joint press conference in Ramallah with Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas, Van der Bellen asserted: “We won’t take any similar steps in this regard.”</p> <p>He added: “Our country is bound to EU policy vis-à-vis Palestine.”</p> <p>Van der Bellen also criticized the U.S. administration’s decision last year to cut funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).</p> <p>“We favor a two-state solution to the Palestine issue through negotiations,” he said, describing Austria’s relations with Palestine as “close”.</p> <p>Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and relocated Washington’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.</p> <p>Ramallah responded by rejecting any mediating role by the U.S. in the moribund Middle East peace process.</p> <p>Jerusalem remains at the heart of the decades-long Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem — occupied by Israel since 1967 — might one day serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.

ALATURKA AİLESİ ÜYELERİ NE DİYOR?