Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 28) — The Philippines will not be transferring its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.
“There has been no recent discussion, whether among relevant government agencies, or bilaterally with Israel or with any other country, on the location of the Philippine embassy in Israel,” Foreign Affairs spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar said.
“Any decision on the location of our embassy will be based firmly on our national interest and our long-standing support for peace in the Middle East,” he added.
The statement comes after the United States announced plans to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized the Holy City as Israel’s capital.
But East Jerusalem is a contested area, with Israel’s neighbor Palestine hoping it would be its capital. World leaders warned the move could ignite even more violence and unrest in the region.
The United Nations on December 21 condemned the U.S. declaration. While 128 countries voted for a resolution condemning the act, nine — including Israel and the U.S. — voted against it.
The Philippines was one of 35 countries that abstained from the vote. Others include Canada, Mexico, and Australia.
Bolivar said the the abstention was made “in line with support for the implementation of U.N. initiatives aimed at the peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict.”
The Philippines reiterated its support for a “policy of two states for two peoples” on Thursday. It emphasized finding peaceful resolutions and said it was willing to “play its part” in achieving peace in the region.
“Our Constitution clearly states that the country renounces war as an instrument of national policy and will strive to maintain friendly relations with all countries,” Bolivar said.
However, Bolivar also said the country values other nations’ sovereignty.
“Each nation should be able to determine with whom, to what extent, and how it will develop its bilateral relations with other countries,” he added.
