A US State Department official said the US administration is encouraging and urging other countries to consider relocating their embassies to Jerusalem.
The official told Israel’s Kan radio that US President Donald Trump and other officials in his administration are following this matter and are in contact with officials in different countries.
Washington moved its embassy to Jerusalem on Monday despite the outraged objection of Palestinians, Arabs and the international community, sparking protests on the Gaza border that left 63 Palestinians dead from Israeli gunfire.
Two days after the US move, Guatemala opened its embassy in Jerusalem. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Palestinian Authority described Guatemala’s move as "begging and political humiliation through aggression against our people and our Palestinian cause."
In addition to the United States and Guatemala, Honduras, Romania and the Czech Republic are studying relocating heir embassies to Jerusalem.
Israeli Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Environmental Protection Zeev Elkin confirmed that these countries are considering the move, saying contacts are underway over the issue.
Israel's Ambassador to Honduras Mati Cohen confirmed that Tegucigalpa was considering moving its embassy to Jerusalem, but saying: “It has not yet taken a formal decision on the issue. But the Israeli representative in the country is in constant contact with the president, the parliament and the foreign minister.”
The relocation to Jerusalem is likely to happen despite Palestinian warnings against following the US move.
The PA threatened to cut relations with any country that decides to move its embassy and, at a later stage, prosecute it.
The Palestinian foreign ministry summoned its ambassadors to Austria, Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary over their country’s participation in Monday’s inauguration of the US embassy in Jerusalem in order to discuss the future of relations with these nations.
