Suriname says will open embassy in Jerusalem

(Reuters) – Suriname plans to open an embassy in Jerusalem though a date is not yet set, the South American country and Israel both said on Monday.

The planned move is likely to be opposed by Palestinians, as Jerusalem has been one of the thorniest issues in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Just four countries – the United States, Honduras, Guatemala and Kosovo – currently have embassies in Jerusalem instead of Tel Aviv.

Surinamese Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin paid a visit to Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Israel’s government said in a statement.

“During the meeting between the two foreign ministers, the Surinamese Foreign Minister announced that his country plans to soon open an embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel,” the statement said.

Ramdin told Reuters he was not sure when the facility would open.

“We don’t know yet. We have expressed the intention. The consultation on how and what is going to start now,” he said.

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, as the capital of a future state. Israel regards all of the city, including the eastern sector it annexed after the 1967 war, as its capital.

Suriname appointed a non-resident ambassador to Israel, Stevanus Noordzee, in March.

At the time, the government said it expected relations with Israel to deepen with the appointment. Suriname has a small Jewish community.

(Reporting by Ank Kuipers in Broek, The Netherlands, additional reporting by Dan Williams in Jerusalem; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Alistair Bell)