Palestinian Authority recalls envoys to 4 European countries

The Palestinian Authority Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassadors to Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria for consultations on Wednesday after the European countries’ top diplomats in Israel attended an event to celebrate the relocation of the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

On Sunday, the ambassadors of Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria took part in a reception hosted by the Foreign Ministry to mark the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem.

The new US Embassy in Jerusalem officially opened on Monday.

“Palestine’s ambassadors in these countries were recalled for consultations about the stances [of the governments where they serve] and the degree of their commitment to the European Union’s positions, which we greatly appreciate,” the PA Foreign Ministry said, according to Wafa, the official PA new site.

For several months prior to the relocation of the US Embassy in Israel, the EU and Federica Mogherini, its foreign policy chief, criticized President Donald Trump’s pledge to move the US’s diplomatic headquarters in Israel to Jerusalem.

The PA Foreign Ministry also said the four European ambassadors’ participation in the reception on Sunday constituted “a grave violation of international law and several UN resolutions that affirm that Jerusalem is occupied land since 1967.”

The Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership has been furious since Trump announced his intention to relocate the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

The Palestinians have long hoped to build the capital of a future Palestinian state in Jerusalem.

At a meeting in Ramallah on Monday, Abbas called the new embassy “a settlement outpost.”

On Tuesday, the PA Foreign Ministry also recalled PLO Ambassador to the US Husam Zomlot.