Exclusive by Middle East correspondent Allyson Horn, Orly Halpern and Haidarr Jones in Jerusalem, with PNG Correspondent Tim Swanston
Israel will pay to run the embassy that Papua New Guinea (PNG) has formally opened in the contested city of Jerusalem, according to PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape.
Key points:
- Almost all foreign embassies are in Tel Aviv, apart from the US, Honduras, Kosovo and Guatemala
- Critics have accused Israel of using “chequebook diplomacy” to achieve its foreign policy goals
- The decision to open a Jerusalem embassy has long been sought by pro-Israel church groups both inside and outside PNG
The Pacific Island nation, which sits off the northern coast of Australia, has made the controversial move of opening its embassy in Jerusalem, making it one of just five countries in the world to do so.
Mr Marape said PNG was formally recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that the Israeli government would be bankrolling the embassy, for now.
“For the first three years, the nation of Israel is paying for the cost of the embassy,” Mr Marape told ABC News.
“But going forward they’ve indicated land available for us and we look forward to proceeding, setting up our permanent mission there.”
The status of Jerusalem remains one of the biggest flashpoints in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel claims sovereignty over Jerusalem and deems it as Israel’s capital, though that claim is not recognised by the vast majority of the international community.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent Palestinian state.
Almost all foreign embassies are in Tel Aviv, apart from the United States, Honduras, Kosovo and Guatemala, who have missions in Jerusalem.
In 2017, PNG voted at the United Nations to condemn the United States’ recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
Critics have accused Israel of using ‘cheque-book diplomacy’ to achieve its foreign policy goals.
The former director-general of Israel’s Foreign Affairs Department, Alon Liel, described the bankrolling of the embassy as “unbelievable”.
“It’s crazy,” he said.
“I was a diplomat for 30 years and never heard the story that the hosting country is paying for the foreign embassy.
“This is ridiculous, really. Every independent country has its independent diplomacy and I’m sure that the 85 embassies we have in Tel Aviv, no residence or no office is financed by us.”
The Israeli foreign ministry declined to comment on any Israeli financial incentives related to the embassy.
The decision to open a PNG embassy in Jerusalem has long been sought by pro-Israel church groups both inside and outside the deeply Christian nation.
Mr Marape said the move had deep religious significance.
“Many nations choose not to open their embassies in Jerusalem, but we made the conscious choice,” he said.
“This has been the universal capital of the nation and people of Israel.
“For us to call ourselves Christian, paying respect to God will not be possible without recognising that Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and nation of Israel.”
Mr Marape said he also hoped his visit to Israel would attract new Israeli trade and agriculture investment for the island nation.
Upon arriving in the country, he invited the Israeli business sector to visit PNG and offered the Israelis land in a Special Economic Zone.
He also committed to supporting Israel on votes at the United Nations.
Mr Liel said Israel had a history of promising aid and investment in countries, in exchange for votes at the UN.
“This is part of the game in Israeli diplomacy in the last two decades,” he said.
“Often when we need a vote of a country in the assembly, UN assembly, or especially in the UN Security Council, Israel is ready to pay for it.
“I don’t think it’s moral, but we know that the United States is doing it all the time and giving countries aid with political conditions. And Europe is doing it, too.”
The Fijian government has already said it plans to establish an embassy in Jerusalem, though it has not named a date.
On social media, the Fiji government said Israeli officials had offered to financially assist with the embassy’s operation in Jerusalem.