The Czech Republic is expected to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem next year, an official said Tuesday, further strengthening close bilateral ties dating back to the founding of the Jewish state.
The show of support from one of Israel’s closest European allies comes as Argentina plans to open its embassy in Jerusalem in the spring, and as Hungary is also weighing a similar move.
The Czech Republic’s new foreign minister publicly voiced support on Sunday for relocating the country’s embassy from Tel Aviv to the Israeli capital.
“I personally am very much looking forward… to be present when one of the symbols of solidarity becomes the fact that the Czech Republic finally moves its embassy to Jerusalem,” Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said at a Chanukah event in central Prague organized by the Chabad movement. “It should have been there a long time ago.”
JNS has learned that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is expected to visit Israel early next year and could announce the embassy move during the trip.
Three days after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, the Czech Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution urging the government to move the country’s embassy to Jerusalem in a bipartisan show of support. The previous government, however, never implemented the move, even as it backed Israel in international legal forums and on the diplomatic stage during the war against Hamas in Gaza.
“We see the Czech Republic as one of our greatest friends in Europe and in the world, and as a natural partner,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote on X Tuesday evening after a congratulatory phone call with his Czech counterpart upon assuming office. “We appreciate the Czech Republic’s close friendship and consistent support, especially throughout the war.”
The historic connection between the two small countries dates back to Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, when Czechoslovakia alone supplied vital arms to the fledgling Jewish state.
Seven countries currently maintain embassies in Israel’s capital: the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to move the American embassy to Jerusalem during his first term set the stage for other countries to follow suit.
