The opening of the new office helps Israel’s efforts to gain worldwide recognition for the city as its capital.
According to information released by the Foreign Ministry on Friday, Russia intends to open a branch of its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem. The new outpost, which was established as a “branch office of the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Israel,” solidifies Moscow’s claim to the area where it is located, according to an official statement.
The property, which is currently a parking lot on the corner of King George and Ma’alot streets in downtown Jerusalem, will include a conference room and a residence for Russian diplomats, the Foreign Ministry confirmed, calling the agreement it signed with Jerusalem last month a “diplomatic achievement.”
The Russian Embassy issued a statement on Friday saying, “We believe that this step fully serves the interests of further strengthening friendly multifaceted relations between Russia and Israel, as well as goes in line with our country’s unchanging course towards a fair Middle East settlement.”
Numerous properties in Jerusalem that Russia claims ownership of, some of which are embroiled in protracted legal challenges. The Alexander Courtyard, the most well-known of these, was promised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Russia, but his decision was overturned in court in 2022. Despite a personal request made to former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year, the problem has not yet been resolved.
Guatemala and Honduras are among the nations who have relocated their embassies to Jerusalem after the US moved its Israeli embassy there in 2018 from the internationally recognized capital Tel Aviv, with numerous other nations threatening to follow suit.
Israel’s foreign minister, Eli Cohen, claims that Hungary is in the process of elevating its Jerusalem trade office to embassy status, making it the first EU nation to do so. Neither the government nor Cohen has acknowledged or rejected Cohen’s assertion.
Israel has taken great pains to avoid being perceived as taking a side in the conflict in Ukraine, although the nation has voted in favor of Kiev on UN resolutions and provided defense and humanitarian supplies. However, it has so far refrained from giving Ukraine actual weapon systems.
