In a surprise move that left many people questioning its motives and the timing of the statement, the Kremlin announced last week that it recognizes West Jewish as Israel’s capital.
No country has ever recognized any part of the city as Israel’s capital since the Jewish state declared it such in 1950. But in its announcement, Russia acknowledged only the western part of the city, which is predominantly Jewish, as Israel’s capital. Israel claims the entire city as its capital. Palestinian negotiators have said they want East Jerusalem to be the capital of a future Palestinian state.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the UN-approved principles for a Palestinian-Israeli settlement, which include the status of East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state,” Moscow’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “At the same time, we must state that in this context we view West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.”
American President Donald Trump announced early in his presidency that he wants to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry, seemingly taken aback by the announcement, declined to comment.
“We are studying the matter,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon said.
While Russia’s move legitimizes to some degree Israel’s declaration of Jerusalem as its capital, recognizing just the western part of the city seems to deny Israel’s claims to eastern parts of the city, including the Old City.
“Moscow is deeply concerned about the situation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” the Russian ministry’s statement read. “The stalling of the Middle East peace process has created conditions for unilateral moves that undermine the potential for an internationally accepted solution to the Palestinian problem, under which two states – Israel and Palestine – could live in peace and security with each other and with their neighbors.”