5 Types Of Diplomatic Mission Already in Jerusalem
Not everything diplomatic in Israel is based in Tel Aviv
The failure of most international countries to move their embassies to Jerusalem is one of the more contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at least from Israel’s perspective.
Israel has long viewed the refusal as a snub to its sovereignty over the city — which most of the world recognizes on a de facto basis rather than de jure basis (for a good exploration on the theme of international recognition of Jerusalem, see the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs briefing below).
The international community, for its part, has long sought to predicate their recognition of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem upon progress in the now moribund peace process with the Palestinians.
Given that the international community largely refutes the legality of Israel’s annexation of the east of the city, countries have also been hesitant to base diplomatic missions in Jerusalem in order to not lend an imprimatur to the status quo in the city.
Nevertheless, even in Jerusalem the exigencies of day to day diplomacy have created a situation in which some diplomatic missions are based in Jerusalem. But few realize that the majority are actually accredited to the Palestinian Authority (PA) serving as liaisons with that body while their chanceries are physically located in Jerusalem (even sometimes on the Israeli side of the Green Line).
Eylon Aslan-Levy, writing for The Tower, explored this interesting dynamic at length here. For anybody interested in the workings of diplomacy, the piece is well worth a read.
Here are five kinds of diplomatic mission that, with relatively little fanfare, already operate in Jerusalem.
Embassies: Guetemala and the USA
To the best of the author’s knowledge, there are currently (at the time of writing) two embassies in Jerusalem.
The case of the US embassy is famous. Following the Americans’ decision, Guetemala opened an embassy in the capital. Paraguay followed suit but quickly relocated to Tel Aviv.
(De Facto) Consulates to the Palestinian Authority (PA)
When I last counted, there were nine foreign consulates operating in Jerusalem. As Aslan Levy’s interesting piece above points out, all of these effectively maintain liaison relationships with the Palestinian Authority (PA) even though they are theoretically accredited to ‘Jerusalem’ (which is patently nonsensical).
Nobody seems quite sure why some countries maintain their diplomatic missions to the PA in Ramallah while others base them in East Jerusalem. But even several missions based in Ramallah maintain ambassadors’ residences in the east of the city. These are typically not listed on publicly available maps.
Diplomatic Liaison Offices
One step down the rung from embassies (and consulates) are diplomatic missions of various descriptions that are basing themselves in Jerusalem as Israel keeps up its push to convince the nations of the world to move their embassies to the city.
The Czech Republic recently opened what was described by media as a “diplomatic office … affiliated to its embassy in Tel Aviv.”
Australia also operates a small trade and defense office that sits — very incongruously — in a small office in Jerusalem’s WeWork coworking space (at least it did the last time I visited).
While these are not full-functioning embassies, they add momentum to the push by countries to base missions in Jerusalem and their opening is therefore greeted with fanfare in the Israeli media.
Ambassadors’ Residences
As mentioned above, several ambassadors and heads of mission of missions to the Palestinian Authority (PA) based in Ramallah are located in Jerusalem.
Additionally, at least one Jerusalem consulate maintains a residence for its head of mission in the city.
Honorary Consulates
Honorary consuls are the closest thing to amateur diplomats that one can find in this world.
Usually unpaid, these are often citizens with strong connections to their “old countries” that serve as unpaid representatives in places where a country doesn’t have an embassy or consulate and can’t justify the cost of opening one.
According to a Times of Israel report a couple of years ago, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has informed the countries of the world that it will not be accrediting any more honorary consulates in Jerusalem. The move was widely understood as a pressure tactic to encourage countries to open professional diplomatic missions instead.
Nevertheless, while wandering around the city, one occasionally bumps into honorary consulates that have exited in the city for years.
Sometimes these are identifiable only by a plaque on the wall. In other instances, a flag and a seal make the presence of some kind of diplomatic facility obvious.
Poland, for instance, maintains an honorary consulate on West Jerusalem’s Jabotinsky Street.
Israel will undoubtedly continue exerting pressure on the nations of the world to move their Israeli embassies to Jerusalem over the coming years.
In the meantime, various countries maintain several kind of diplomatic installation within the city.
