Jerusalem, September 7th, 2023. European Coalition for Israel was the only representative from Europe to be present when Papua New Guinea inaugurated its embassy in Jerusalem on Tuesday night, the fifth country to do so after most embassies relocated to Tel Aviv in the 1980´s.
Congratulating Prime Minister James Marape (picture) for his courage to open an embassy in Jerusalem despite pressure from the international community, ECI Founding Director Tomas Sandell called upon European nations to adhere to conventional protocol in international relations in accepting the right of a sovereign nation to choose its own capital. He noted that in the case of Israel, the Jewish connection to their spiritual and national capital Jerusalem, stretches more than 3000 years. It has never been the capital of any other nation, he said.
In his speech Prime Minister Marape explained why this Pacific Island nation made the conscious decision to become only the fifth nation to move its embassy to Jerusalem, quoting his Christian faith and saying that “Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and nation of Israel.”
Apart from the United States, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo, who presently have embassies in Jerusalem, several other nations have indicated their desire to also open embassies in Jerusalem, among then EU member states Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic.
European Coalition for Israel was represented in the inauguration ceremony by Founding Director Tomas Sandell, Director for UN Affairs, Gregory Lafitte, and Communications Officer Rebeka Goba.