Palestinians slam Moldova decision to relocate embassy to Jerusalem for 'US, Israel support'

Palestinians slam Moldova decision to relocate embassy to Jerusalem for 'US, Israel support'
The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday issued sharp criticism of Moldova after its government said it would move its embassy to Jerusalem.
2 min read
12 June, 2019
Pavel Filip is one of two Moldovan politicians claiming to be prime minister [AFP]
The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday slammed Moldova after its government said it will relocate its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. 

The PA's foreign ministry accused Pavel Filip, one of two Moldovan politicians claiming to be prime minister, of having "implicated his country in a violation of international law and the UN Charter to keep rule in his hand or to win American and Israeli support".

The statement accused Filip of trading his country's position to both the US and Israel, in reference to a constitutional crisis and power struggle in the tiny European country that ended last week with a constitutional court's suspension of the country's elected president, Igor Dodon.

The statement added that Filip was "taking advantage of political uncertainty in his country to gain support from the US and Israel".

One of Europe's poorest nations, the ex-Soviet state has been in political chaos since a general election in February failed to give a clear majority to any party. 

Israel has been trying to convince nations to transfer their missions from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. So far, only the US and Guatemala have relocated their embassies.

The Palestinians have since cut off all contacts with Donald Trump's administration after he broke with decades of bipartisan policy to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017.

The Palestinians see East Jerusalem, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, as the capital of their long-promised state.

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