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Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
Politics
KORNCHANOK RAKSASERI

Thais urged to recognise Jerusalem as Israeli capital

The Israeli ambassador has asked the Kingdom to join the United States in recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The government has yet to respond to the request.

Meir Shlomo, Israel's ambassador to Thailand, also said other countries should do so too, as well as relocate their embassies to the city.

"The United States is not just another country. It's a superpower," he said.

However, Thailand has not announced its position on the issue. When asked to comment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Busadee Santipitaks said the government would need more time to study the issue further before deciding whether to alter its policy.

At present, no other country has followed the US in recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Mr Shlomo was speaking yesterday, after protests by Palestinians and Muslims in many countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia.

"We may see some countries are not happy about it. That's normal. We'll see some demonstrations, I hope that there will be no violence anywhere," he said.

He said he did not have any concerns about security issues in Thailand.

He said so despite the fact that there was a ransom incident at the Israeli embassy in Bangkok in 1972, a bombing attempt targeting the Israeli embassy in Bangkok in 1994 and bombings on Sukhumvit 71 by Iranian bombers in 2012.

"I cannot foresee the future, but those incidents against the Israeli embassy in Thailand were perpetrated by people outside Thailand, not Thai people. We do not expect any problems," he said.

However, the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv on Thursday issued a warning to Thai people in Israel about the ongoing protests in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the West Bank and Gaza.

The embassy advised Thais in the country to closely follow the news, heed the advice of local authorities on security issues and avoid crowded areas.

The Thai embassy in Tel Aviv can be contacted on (+972) 99548412.

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