Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced Sunday that Samoa will open an embassy in Jerusalem, a rare gesture at a time when most foreign diplomatic missions are located in Tel Aviv.
Upoui/ Samoa © Mena Today
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced Sunday that Samoa will open an embassy in Jerusalem, a rare gesture at a time when most foreign diplomatic missions are located in Tel Aviv.
On his X account, Saar said he had "thanked" Samoan Prime Minister La'auli Leuatea Schmidt "for his moral decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem in 2026" and for the Pacific island nation's "constant support in multilateral forums."
The vast majority of countries maintaining formal diplomatic presence in Israel have established their embassies in Tel Aviv, reflecting the international community's position on Jerusalem's contested status. Beyond Samoa, only seven countries currently maintain embassies in Jerusalem: the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Paraguay.
Samoa's decision to join the small group of countries with Jerusalem embassies represents a diplomatic victory for Israel, particularly coming from a Pacific island nation that has historically maintained friendly relations with the Jewish state in international forums.
An Iranian parliamentary committee is reviewing a preliminary bill that would bar U.S., Israeli and other "hostile" vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a lawmaker.
Israel said two of its soldiers were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday while Lebanese authorities said Israeli retaliatory attacks killed at least one person, a flare-up in violence that coincided with the latest round of talks between the two countries.
The Israeli military said it had begun targeted strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday in response to a "Hezbollah violation", a day after the latest round of U.S.-facilitated talks between Israel and Lebanon took place in Rome.
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